Show Section Wednesday February 18 2004 i i The Herald Journal Inside A-R-od Jeter Torre Sports briefs Nelson named USU’s Athlete of the Week to 8-- 2 cruised to four straight-s- Baseball son and proclaimed he was the “strew feat stirs die drink” a slap at Thurman Munson Rodriguez is seemingly happy to move to third from shortstop the position he played in Seattle and Texas The reigning American League MVP who was bom in Manhattan wasn’t about to stir up anything especially on ' “Wow! What a reception” he said at the Yankee Stadium news conference before going to City fepausS' his first full day with the team Conflict? Ego? All media hype Rodriguez and Jeter insisted “Derek has four world championships and I want him to have 10 That’s what this is all about” Rodriguez said Yankees owner George watched on television from the team’s minor league complex in Tkmpa Fla Asked where the acquisition ranked for him Steinbrenner said: “Proba- bly right up there with Reggie I’m not going to say No 2 How can you argue when you get arguably the best player in baseball?” Stein-brenn- town Tennis player Jonah Nelson was named the Utah State Athlete of the Week for the period ending Feb' IS The weekly award is voted by a state media panel Nelson became the first teiinis player to win the award this year as he? went 4--0 in singles play and 2-- 2 in doubles action this past week The senior from Grantsville who improved his spring singles record ' Hall to meet Mayor Michael Bloomberg “I still feel like someone’s going to pinch me and wake me up” He repeatedly deferred to Jeter the Yankees’ captain and shut-sto- p a stark contrast to Jackson who arrived before the 1977 sea- - and Reggie Jackson at his side: The manager even took a moment to adjust Rodriguez’s new Yankees cap to show more of his smiling face for the cameras Start spreading the news: Rodriguez is the new star in B2 In Miami on the pinstripes present new third baseman toNY NEW YORK (AP— When Alex Rodriguez put oh the pinstripes for the first time his shoulders stooped perhaps feeling the weight of all that tradition on his broad back Flashbulbs popped Cable news networks went live And Rodriguez was introduced Tuesday with Derek Jeter Joe Torre Jazz feel the Heat on the road See er on B3 A-R- AP photo New Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez surveys Yankee Stadium wearing hie new uniform Region 4 girls boskotball to retire et victories during the week defeating Andrew Qrlett of Weber State 6-- 2 6-- 2 Luis Avila of New Mexico State 6-- 4 6-- 1 Ivan Moferdin of Idaho State 6-- 2 6-- 2 and Dani Ericsson of Nevada 6-- 2 6-- 4 Nelson’s first two matches woe at Y No: 5 singles while his last two ' were at No 4 He also teamed with number : ' SPOKANE Wash (AP) — No basketball Gonzaga player has worn John Stockton’s No: 12 since he ' ' two different partners in doubles posting a win at No 2 doubles with Hannes Schenk against Weber State and then winning No 1 doubles ' with Hungsooh Park against New Mexico State The Aggies will return to action on Feb 27 when they play at Mon-- " tana State graduated in 1984 but the Bulldogs are only now getting around to retiring the number The future Hall of Famer's number will be retired at halftime Wednesday evening when the No 6 Bulldogs " play Portland athletic director Mike Roth said this week “This is something we’ve wanted to do for many years” Roth said “But we wanted to do it right V “With John playing in the NBA it wasn't convenient for he and his family to come to Spokane and be a part of a Gonzaga basketball game so we could retire his number” Roth said Retired after last season Stockton is back in his home town and can '' often be spotted ip the stands at GonY zaga games: Stockton’s last game as a Bulldog was on March 121984 When Dan Dickau now with the coach resigns UNLV LAS VEGAS (AP) — UNLV ' coach Charlie Spoonhour resigned Tuesday citing health reasons unable to do “I this right now" Spoonhour 64 said in a statement “Because of my health it is in my best interest to step away It has nothing to do with basketball tiranything surrounding the program” He was unavailable for interviews and gave no other details The Runnin’ Rebels (12-have lost three strmght games including a 0 rout at Missouri on Sunday Jay Spoonhour an assistant on his father’s staff at UNLV for the past' three seasons will serve as the interim head coach starting with Tuesday night's home game against San Diego State A search for a new head coach will begin immediately athletic department officials said ' ’ - : 9) : 94-6- ' ' EM Mountain Crest's Kim Crosbie left drives to the basket MC vNtfL‘ -- i : - o - i - 7 pjn ESPN -D- By uke at Wake Forest Y-' 5 pjn y:v FSN — Utah at Orlando : 8 pjn ' ESPN2 -- LA dippers at Portland ' i- YV: NHL " ' 5 pjn:'-- ' ESPN2 — Phoenix at Detroit ' 1230 pjn v- ESPN2 — Men’s national teams U8 VS Netherlands at Amsterdam Netherlands Y yy YYY Jtff Hunter In other Region 4 action Tuesday night Sky View fell to undefeated Bonneville 64- 56 to finish in a tie with Mountain Crest for thirdin the league Roy knocked Box Elder out of the : ' being an - untouchable r sports writer NBA ' 16 points game-hig- h See MAGIC? on B2 : ' assists The West Coast Athletic Confer- ence Player of the Year in 1984 he left Gonzaga as the leader in assists with 554 and steals with 262 He was third in career field goal percentage at 559 percent and sixth inscoring with 1340 "points: His assists record has since been eclipsed by Matt Santangelo and Blake Stepp but he still holds the all-ti- steals record marks for He also set single-seaso- n assists with 201 and steals with 109 both records Coming his senior seaV son ” MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 5 pjn ESPN— Texiaa lbch at Colorado f: '' : - On tolovision t 59-4- girts baskotball : Ottawa 1 Washington tie Tampa Bay 5 Philadelphia 2 Atlanta 4 Montreal 1 Boston 5 Toronto 2 Minnesota 4 New Jersey 4 tie playoffs With a 7 win the Mustangs are now tied with Sky View for third in the region and are guaranteed a state playoff berth “It’s so exciting” said MC forward Diana Nelson who finished with a career- - and Y Mountain Crest HYRUM — With a playoff berth on the line Mountain Crest and Logan turned up the intensity a notch Tuesday night' “Logan stepped it up so we knew we had to match that level of intensity” Mustang guard Kim Crosbie said Which resulted iii a tight contest until the final minutes: Mountain Crest ckme up with some : clutch basketsearly in the fourth then hitenough free throws down the stretch to eliminate Logan from the -- LuceroHereld Journal Michelle Bergsjo defends Tuesday knocks off Grizz to secure a playoff spot sports editor Memphis 109 Dallas 92 Milwaukee 127 Orlando 104 Minnesota 110 Phoenix 95 "Y Chicago 75 Toronto 73 Houston 107 Washington 81 Denver 106 Philadelphia 85 Sacramento 127 Boston ill Y- LA Lakers 89 Portland 86 as Logan's Mm By Shawn Harrison New Oiieans 89 Indiana 75 Miami 97 Utah 85 Detroit 88 NjlL York Portland TrailBIazers played at Gonzaga he wore No 21 — an inverted 12 — because the school ' would not let him wear Stockton’s number' Stockton a product of Spokane’s Gonzaga Prep played for the Bulldogs from the 1980-8-1 season ' through the 1983-8- 4 season He was the first player in GU history to score 1000 points anid hand out 500 : Toosdoy'f scores ’ Pag&l Seventy wo days " That’s f went between fosses prior to their 64-- 60 setback at Pacific last Saturday ' Y Y night Pearl Harbor Day Hanukkah ' Christmas New Year’s Dry Martin Luther King Jr Day Groundhog Y Day Lincoln’s Birthday and the Y majority of St Valentine’s Day came and went between defeats Howard Dean went from poten-- Y tiaUy givin President Bush a run for his money m November to third-pla- ce status within his own party: Tbe Oklahoma Sooners went from juggernaut' on their way ' to a national ’ " to a gridiron afterthought -- : Andthe " man (Rick who guided his team (the Majerus) Utah Utes) to a 5 defeat of the Aggies way back on Dec 3 isn’t even in coaching anymore: It wiis to say the kasL a glorious 56-4- vriin' ' Aggies and their fans it did howev-e- r create an ending point so one Y could stop and appreciate what Utah ' State (I2rl in the Big WesL 20--2 Overall) had accomplished Y v “After the game I was agitated: like you always are after you lose” ' USU head coach Stew Morrill 'admitted “In my mind we let one slip away down the stretch and we’ve been so good down the Y stretch And the kids knew that They didn’t want to hear about the winning streak and ‘Congratula-tions you’ve only got two fosses' and all that ' “But on Monday I said all ofthose things and they needed to hear ’em” “ Utah State17-gam- e winning ' And while the loss to Pacific was certainly disappointing for the streak was after all the fourth-longe- st in the country this season and the second-longe- st in school history Perhaps our vision was some-what eschewed since we’re only a handful of seasons removed from the 1999-200- 0 campaign in which the : 19-- 0 went against Big West Aggies Conference competition Morrill who also coached that ' ': : squad was asked repeatedly if he y thought this year’s team could match that accomplishment His reply every time was a finn“No” Not y because he didn’t believe in his rent Aggies but because that “once- -' season” required an : Se STREAKS on B2 J ' |