page 14, The Behrend Beacon. April 14,2000 V T .
National Sports —'
Singh
by Leonard Shapiro
The Washington Post
April 9, 2000
AUGUSTA, Ga. - From the days
in the mid-1980s when he was giving
lessons to loggers on a jungle golf
course in the backwaters of Borneo,
Vijay Singh has always been a survi
vor. Sunday in the 64th Masters, the
unflappable Fijian withstood several
spirited assaults on his lead by some
of the greatest players in the world and
beat them all back to claim his sec
ond major championship in the last
two years.
It did not come easily at Augusta
National. First he had to show up at
8:15 a.m. to finish his third-round 70
with four consecutive pars. He went
home to rest and think about his strat
egy, returned for a 2:50 p.m. tee time,
then held off a formidable playing
partner in David Duval, No. 2 in the
world, and withstood charges from
No. 1 Tiger Woods early and two-time
U.S. Open champion Ernie Els at the
end.
He also had to survive a yanked
second shot into the pond guarding the
445-yard 11 th hole for a bogey and a
missed four-footer for a second back
nine bogey at the 170-yard 16th to
post a gritty round of 3-under 69 and
a total of 10-under 278 for a three
shot victory over Els (68-281) and a
champion’s check of $828,000.
"I was pretty focused out there all
day,” said Singh, 37. "Walking up the
18th hole knowing that a two-putt will
win the tournament is the greatest
feeling I've had in a long, long time.
Wearing this green jacket tops it all.”
With a two-shot lead over Els and
Duval as he walked to the 18th tee,
Browns can choose between
two Penn State defenders
by Ken Murray
The Baltimore Sun
April 9, 2000
The Cleveland Browns are on the
clock. Five days and counting before
the NFL draft begins, they are still
weighing the value of the No. 1 pick.
Do they invest millions of dollars in
defensive end Courtney Brown or
pledge their future to linebacker LaVar
Arrington?
Take the best pass-rushing end to
come out in the last 15 years? Or opt
for the free-lancing linebacker who
conjures up visions of Lawrence Tay
lor?
Tough call. Intriguing decision.
Ozzie Newsome wishes he had it to
make, though.
“I'm envious of Cleveland," said the
Baltimore Ravens’ vice president of
player personnel, who owns the fifth
pick. "They can't miss. They cannot
miss with either one of those guys.”
A draft ripe with impact players on
offense will, in all likelihood, start
with two impact players on defense
Saturday.
Who's No. 1 is the question.
There is no easy answer, not even
for the Browns, for whom signability
and need are major considerations.
Since the February scouting com
bine in Indianapolis, three players
have been fitted for the No. 1 pick.
First, there was Florida State wide re
ceiver Peter Warrick. Then, after a
bravo workout in March on his Penn
State campus, it was Brown. More re
cently, all eyes have turned to
Arrington, Brown's teammate and al
ter ego at Penn State.
Probably the most fun guy to
watch on tape this year has been LaVar
Arrington," Newsome said. "You're
talking about a young man who has
shown the ability to take over college
football games."
Arrington likely is rated higher on
most NFL draft boards, but history is
on Brown's side when it comes to the
first pick.
Only three linebackers have been
the first pick in the NFL draft _
Aundray Bruce in 1988, Tom
Cousineau in 1979 and Tommy No
bis in 1966 _ and none made it to the
Hall of Fame.
However, since 1972, nine defen
sive linemen have led off the draft, in-
holds
Singh hit a drive down the middle,
his second shot within 18 feet of the
cup, then holed one last birdie putt,
raising his club over his head as the
ball rattled down into the cup. He
joined '97 champion Woods, fifth
Sunday after a final round 69-284, as
the only two men of color to win this
event. And Singh's came on the 25th
anniversary of Lee Elder's break
through as the first African American
to play in the Masters. Singh won his
first major in 1998 at the PGA Cham
pionship at Sahalee, Wash.
Duval got within a shot of Singh
after three holes Sunday and was one
back through 12. But he lost his
chance for his first major champion
ship when he bogeyed the 485-yard
par-5 13th with a mis-hit 5-iron shot
from 196 yards out that fell well short
and into Rae's Creek as he attempted
to make an eagle.
"I was trying to hit it in the same
area of the green as Vijay did," Duval
said. "I got over the ball, and the
wind picked up. It happened over and
over. I started to question whether I
could get the club there. Then I de
cided it was the right club, and I just
hit a poor shot."
Duval chipped to within 10 feet
from the drop area, but missed that
par putt, falling three back w'hen
Singh birdied at 13. Duval also bo
geyed 18 for a 70 and fell into a tie
with Loren Roberts (69), who also
had an early charge, for third place at
6-under 282.
In the end, Els applied the most
pressure on Singh. Els had to back
off a 10-foot birdie putt at the 18th
green when a photographer clicked
his camera during Els's backswing.
Els stopped, got out of his stance and
eluding Hall of Famer Lee Roy
Selmon in 1976. That's one almost
every three years.
The past decade enforced the pri
ority NFL teams have placed on pre
mier pass-rushing linemen. In the
19905, 22 defensive linemen were
taken in the top 10 picks of the first
round, most of any position. And 62
defensive linemen were picked some
where in the first round in the last
decade, again the most for any posi
tion (defensive backs are second with
53).
Arrington spent five hours visiting
the Browns last Thursday, and left
with the expectation he's headed back
to Cleveland.
"After conversing with the owner
and coaching staff, I get the feeling
that they really don't know," he said.
"But at this point. I'm kind of confi
dent that maybe I will end up in
Cleveland."
That's big news in Washington,
where the Redskins cornered the sec
ond and third picks in the draft with
the hope of taking Arrington and Ala
bama tackle Chris Samuels.
The Redskins aren't in the market
for a defensive end, even one as tal
ented as Brown. They signed future
Hall of Famer Bruce Smith and re
signed Marco Coleman to big con
tracts in the off-season, and have
former No. 1 pick Kenard Lang in
reserve with Anthony Cook and
Ndukwe Kalu.
The Redskins thought so highly of
Arrington that they traded two First
round picks and two late-round picks
to the San Francisco 49ers to move
into the No. 3 spot, seemingly assur
ing themselves of the best linebacker
and lineman in the draft. Now, they
might be forced to trade that pick to a
team that covets Brown.
It's not hard to understand why
Washington wants the 6-foot-3, 233-
pound Arrington, a junior coming out
early. He was a first-team All-Ameri
can as a sophomore and junior for the
Nittany Lions, and won both the
Butkus and Bednarik awards as the
nation's best college linebacker and
defensive player in 1999.
Last season, Arrington made 72
tackles, including 20 for losses, with
nine sacks and one interception. In a
game at Purdue, he sacked quarter
back Drew Brees, forcing a fumble
off field, claims Masters
glared at the man momentarily. Then
he missed the birdie putt that might
have put a little more pressure on
Singh at the final hole.
"He wasn't doing his job properly,"
Els said. "If I make the putt, maybe I
still lose, but it might have given Vijay
something to think about. The guy
didn't give me a fair chance to do that.
He shouldn't take a golf picture in his
life again."
Els had makable birdie putts on each
of his last three holes, missing a nine
footer at 16 and a 14-footer at 17 along
with the 18th. But the South African
gave credit to Singh, his frequent prac
tice-round partner and longtime
friend.
"He showed his mettle today, and
he’s done that before," Els said. "He's
an awfully hard competitor, and this
course has always been suited to his
game. He really did the job today."
Three times on the front nine, at
Nos. 6, 8 and 9, Duval made birdie
putts, only to have Singh answer back
with birdie putts. Every time Duval
sank one, he had technically tied for
the lead, though he insisted, "I never
though of it like that. I expected him
to make those putts. I always felt I
never caught him."
Singh caught two very fortunate
breaks Sunday, as Masters champions
usually do. At 11, nursing a two-shot
lead, he was trying to hit his second
shot toward the bailout area on the
right. Instead, he pulled it left, where
the ball hit land and bounced in the
water. He got a favorable ruling on his
drop, and had a relatively easy pitch
to the green. He chipped to within two
feet and made a bogey.
At the 155-yard 12th, Singh smoked
a 7-iron over the back bunker behind
that he recovered and returned for a
touchdown. He blocked a potential
game-winning field goal by Pittsburgh
with four seconds left. Against Texas
the green, but his ball came back into
the sand with a fine lie. He blasted to
within two feet of the cup, saved his
par and walked to the 13th tee still
holding that one-shot lead. Then
Duval bogeyed in the creek, and
Singh made a two-putt birdie from 22
feet.
Woods, who started the day six be
hind, shot 33 on the front and had
makable birdie putts at 10, 11 and 13.
The first two missed by inches. On
the third, he said he misread the break
and had no chance.
"I make those, I'm in the ball game
at 7-under," he said. "It's disappoint
ing from the standpoint that I didn't
win. But at least I gave myself a
chance. The golfing gods just were not
with me."
Singh's work began at a very un
fashionable hour when he and seven
other players had to return to the frost
covered course at 8:15 to finish their
weather-delayed third rounds in 45-
degree weather.
Duval and Singh parred their re
maining four holes. At the 15th in the
morning, Singh made a nice four
footer for par after an indifferent third
shot over the water to 35 feet, fol
lowed by a six-footer to salvage a two
putt from 40 feet at the 16th.
But the tournament might have be
gun to turn his way at the 425-yard
17th, when he hit his second shot into
the right bunker from the middle of
the fairway, with Duval putting for
birdie from six feet. Singh's sand shot
skittered 18 feet past the hole, leav
ing a delicate downhill, sharply break
ing putt.
Singh barely touched his ball with
the putter, and it rolled ever so slowly
A&M in the Alamo Bowl, he deliv
ered 14 tackles, a sack and had three
hurries that became interceptions.
Arrington is a lightning rod on de
fense witji the reputation of being
slightly undisciplined. His efferves
cent personality is in contrast to that
of Brown, who is soft-spoken and re
ligious.
Nevertheless, Penn State Coach Joe
Paterno called Brown the best defen
sive end he ever coached. Brown, 6-5
and 270, set Penn State records for
tackles for losses in a season (29) and
a career (70), and also had a school
record 33 sacks in four years.
Brown posted a remarkable 4.53
time in the 40-yard dash at his private
workout last month, sending ripples
through the league. Arrington's times
ranged between 4.49 and 4.55.
While Brown has been compared to
Bruce Smith _ the first pick in the
1985 draft _ Arrington has been mea
sured against Taylor, the Giants' domi
nating Hall of Fame linebacker and
No. 2 pick in 1981.
"Courtney Brown is not going to
be able to give you as many features
as Arrington," said Phil Savage, the
Ravens' director of college scouting.
"But he can rush the passer, he can
play the run at his position, and, at his
height, weight and speed, he's going
to be tremendous. '
"A defensive coordinator can be a
lot more creative with Arrington be
cause of his versatility. Arrington can
probably go in and play right away
because he's somewhat of a free-lancer
now.
"And 1 think even if he doesn't have
every defensive call down, with his
skills, he'll be able to overcome any
thing, just like he did at Penn State.
"I think Brown will play from Day
1, too. But at the same time, you're
going to see him, quote, 'develop' right
before your eyes as he gets into his
career."
Which one will the Browns take?
As an expansion team with the first
pick a year ago, they went back and
forth on quarterbacks Tim Couch and
Akili Smith.
Only when Couch agreed to a con
tract the night before the draft was he
the certain No. 1 choice. That scenario
might repeat itself this year.
Either way, Newsome says, it'll be
a good choice.
Tournament total: 278,
Major Championships: 2000 Masters,
1998 PGA Championship
toward the cup, breaking at the last
second and dropping sweetly in the
cup as his caddy, veteran Dave
Renwick, leaped high in the air and
pumped his fist. Duval's six-footer
lipped out of the cup.
Instead of a two-shot swing and a
one-shot lead, Singh maintained the
three-stroke margin he took to the
U. of North Dakota
hockey team goes
out on top
by Gregg Wong
Knight-Ridder Tribune
April 10, 2000
The end of Lee Goren's college
hockey career was considerably bet
ter than the start.
Goren, a senior right wing for the
University of North Dakota, had to sit
out his freshman year because he
played two games of major junior
hockey in Canada. The Sioux ended
that season, 1996-97, by winning the
national championship in Milwaukee,
with Goren looking on from the
stands.
As a sophomore, illness and injury
limited his play to 29 games, in which
he scored just three goals. Finally, as
a junior, he started to show his talents,
scoring 26 goals to help the Sioux win
their third consecutive Western Col
legiate Hockey Association champi
onship. But the top-seeded Sioux were
eliminated in the NCAA quarterfinals,
bringing that season to a disappoint
ing end.
His senior year made up for his pre
vious misfortunes.
Goren scored the tying goal, set up
the game-winner and scored the
clinching empty-netter, all in the third
period, Saturday night in the Provi
dence Civic Center to lead the Sioux
to a 4-2 victory over Boston College
and their seventh NCAA Division I
men's hockey championship.
"Now 1 know how the seniors felt
in '97 when they went out by winning
their last game, the national champi
onship," said Goren, 22, of Winnipeg,
Manitoba. "I watched them do it, and
now as a senior I got to do it. It's an
amazing feeling. I'm so happy ... for
everybody."
The Sioux trailed 2-1 entering the
third period when Goren scored at the
2:43 mark, his shot deflecting off the
skate of a retreating BC defender and
past goalie Scott Clemmensen.
From that point on, the Sioux took
over.
"That goal energized them. They
were strong after that," said Eagles
coach Jerry York, whose team came
up short in a third consecutive Frozen
Four.
clubhouse when both men made rou
tine pars at the 18th.
"That putt (in the morning) at 17
was big," he said. "That gave me a
little boost. I was very confident with
a three-shot lead. As long as I played
solid as I did all week, they'd have to
come up and catch me."
A turnover at center ice led to the
go-ahead goal. Jason Ulmer inter
cepted a BC pass and fed the puck to
Goren breaking in. Clemmensen
stopped Goren's shot but had no
chance on Ulmer's rebound at 14:22.
Goren's clincher came with 45.2
seconds remaining and Clemmensen
pulled for a sixth skater. Goren fired
the puck into the empty net from the
BC blue line for his nation-leading
34th goal.
Goren was selected most outstand
ing player of the Frozen Four, and he
led the all-tournament team. When
asked what that meant to him, he re
plied, "What means most is we had
four goals and they had two."
Goren, 6 feet 3 and 205 pounds, was
an assistant captain for the Sioux. In
the locker room before the third pe
riod, he reminded his teammates about
the 1997 title game in Milwaukee, a
6-4 victory over Boston University.
"I knew we had a good shot at win
ning tonight. I said, "If we can win
the period, we can win the game,"' he
said. "We scored five goals in the sec
ond period against BU, and I told the
guys I knew we could score four goals
against BC.
"We only got three. But that was
enough."
The Sioux, who were ranked No. 1
in the nation in the final Pioneer Press
poll, finished with a 31-8-5 record,
going 13-1-2 in their last 16 games.
They have won the national champi
onship the last five times they reached
the title game, and have won all three
finals played in Providence, also do
ing so in 1980 and 'B2.
It was a third consecutive year of
heartbreak for second-ranked Boston
College (29-12-1). The Eagles lost the
1998 title game to Michigan in over
time and lost in overtime to Maine in
last year's semifinals. Their only
NCAA title in five trips to the final
was in 1949.
Joining Goren on the all-tournament
team were three teammates , goalie
Karl Goehring, defenseman Mike
Commodore and wing Bryan
Lundboh, and two Eagles,
defenseman Mike Mottau and center
Jeff Farkas.
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