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Show TIm Daily DMA CHRONICLE Memories of Rast Greats, Glories JAMES EDWARD Chronicle Assistant Sports Editor Rick Vazquez IOWA CrTY, Iowa-- It wasn't supposed to end like that The Utah Softball team wasn't supposed to be eliminated from the NCAA Regionals. The Utcs were so confident that they just knew they were destined to advance to the College World Scries. Apparently, DcPaul and Iowa were thinking the same thing. After defeating Missouri 3-- 1 on Friday, Utah suffered a pair of setbacks on against Iowa, 3-- and DcPaul, 2-Saturday. The losses crushed any. dreams Utah had of advancing to the CWS. "We made a great run," Utah coach Mona Stevens said. This was a great team. Utah finished the season with a 44-1- 9 the mark, but the Chronicle Sports Writer are very few arenas that can of images grandeur and vivid pictures of . history with just one spoken word. Just say the words. Rose Garden. America West Arena. They sound forced and awk- ward. They do not conjure up images of parquet floors or John Havlicck or Bobby Hull. . Instead, they symbolize the commercialized atmosphere which has invaded basketball and hockey, filled with demanding a game's final shot or overrated centers making .rap videos" which make Vanilla Ice look like the ' godfather of souL There is one place that still retains some of the classic sports memories, a place that still makes some of the old wish they could turn back the hands of time. That place is The Garden. Good old Madison Square There - - Utes-particu- lariy ; :' die-har- ds Wilt Garden-whe- re kick-save- today, standing in the shadow of a glorious, towering New York skyline, I get chills. It makes me gbd to know that these memories are still being created today at one of ' using workhorse Charles Oakley and future Patrick Ewing to a string of winning cr put-togeth- seasons to keep locals satisfied. This winning legacy has not come with out its price, however. Riley sacrificed the running, offensive, version of basketball - he coached in Los Angeles in favor of a plodding, boring, Taiqui" m fm&t 11 crowd-pleasin- g double-eliminatio- k - - - v If s) v - s s v' v " C " , Vi"" " " " - 1-- Hawkcyes. It only took 13 otherwise. Looking at the Garden have put on shows in the 90s that are getting mixed reviews among their loyal fans. While one organization has been the picture of consistency in the past few years, the other has teased its . followers with moments of greatness intertwined with lowlights that are downright embarrassing. Take the Knicks, for example In this decade we've seen Pat Riley build a contender, make-or-brea- doubled home '.: non-riotou- arenas." Well, at least halfway. The Knicks and Rangers ' Michelle Larzabal in the fifth and Emily Rushton in the seventh to give the Utes a 21 lead. Rhea later came around to score on an error by the Tiger second baseman. "One atbat doesn't make a game, Rhea said about striking out to lead off the gatne. "It was great to have people on base. The victory sent the Utcs into a showdown with No. 3 Iowa on its home field, a scenario which failed to frighten them. They felt they could beat the s. America's most storied sports eight always wonder what have been. might When the Utes took die field against Mizzou, everybody agreed this was die n game of the tournament A loss for either team meant it would need to muster up four straight wins in two days to triumph in the regional. Bob Dole had bettor odds than that So when seventh ranked Missouri went up 0 in the third, and when it still hadjhe narrow lead heading into, the fifth, desperation started to set in for Utah. That's when Sandy Rhea stepped - ' it up-b-ig time. seniors-w- ill The U. junior Chamberlain was schooled by a crippled Willis Reed in the NBA Finals. The place where John Davidson and John Yanbicsbrouck brought fans to their feet with sprawling The place where Mike Richter and Mark Messier brought New York City its first hockey championship in 54 years, setting off a joyous, raus drunken celcous, ebration unseen for years in the Big Apple Hall-of-Fam- Outi Uftes Fall Twice Tlhey9 ire Garden Evokes of an inning to prove Miami W5p!!5wm .;;;"...., i,.niiii ,..v. :.r';"- s s x . x Star hurler Ali Andres-Saga- s has tossed her last pitches for the University of Utah. The Utes lost twice in the NCAA Regionals in Iowa City, Iowa and failed to advance to the College World Series. After Ute pitcher Monica Jimenez walked in die Hawkeyes' first run with only one out, Stevens signaled toward . The toe dugout and Ali faced singled first batter Andrus-Sagahome another run, and the damage was lead was plenty. done. Iowa's Andrus-Sagas- s 2-- 0 Stevens credited the umprc's small strike zone as one of toe reasons for Jimenez's struggles. "That determined the flow of the game on both sides, Stevens said. took away the natural flow of the game." Jimenez is the type of pitcher who can It Demons, but that's exactly what happened. With die game tied at 0-- 0 heading into the sixth, one could feel the tension building in the Ute dugout Let a mediocre team hang around long enough, and eventually it wfll beat you. DcPaul scored two runs courtesy of two Ute errors in the sixth inning. It didn't matter that Utah had one less hit than DcPaul (6-5It didn't matter that paint corners better than Michelangelo, but when the ump wasn't calling strikes against a good Hawkeye team, she became very ineffective. Utah tried to make it interesting in the seventh by scoring one run on two Iowa errors, but die Utes came up short After DcPaul shocked Missouri in Saturday's second game, it set up a showdown with die Utes, with a berth to the regional championship on the line. Nobody figured Utah's ). Jimenez struck out twice as many batten as the Demons' pitcher. What rnattcrcd was the total in the E defense would deade the game against the Blue see "SofthaH" tti pajje 10 Gretzky Tricks Philry; Rangers Tie Series, Head Back to NYC Maarovmves fCmicfe . - even MIAMI (AP) The Miami Heat Miami's lead reached the on Alonzo with New final the The rendered Mourning ruling: trouble. foul because of bench of the sit rest Knicks but York must New York dosed to 92 85 with the playoffs. Tun Hardaway scored 38 points 1:13 left, but Miami hit nine of 12 and the Heat outscored New York free throws the rest of the way. Patrick Ewing led New York with range by 15 pomts from , 7 37 win Game to points and 17 rebounds. But Sunday from comeback a a rare Ewing, who had promised a chamcompleting series deficit. pionship this year, instead remains Miami's dubious reward will be without a ring after 12 NBA ;' a date against Michael Jordan and sons. The Heat became just the sixth the Bulls in the Eastern Conference scries finals beginning Tuesday night at team to overcome a since it r do to deficit. team The v,;-- "' only Chicago. Phoenix Houston was 1981 from against New York never recovered a Game 5 brawl that resulted in the in 1995. Miami finished off New York suspension of five Knicks, includfrom and Starks long range, hitting 11 of 24 Larry ing starters John 7. Chris Guard Mourning, who had one Johnson for Game frus3 Knicks' the pointer during the regular seaChilds symbolized -made his second in as many of lack son, tration and composure ball the games. Issac Austin added the first when he angrily punted his career. C of the stands into the midway through : The Heat again won without forfinal period. ward PJ. Brown, who completed a , Hardaway hit six of 10 suspension for his role in and his point total was a franbrawl. chise playoff record. He had 18 the The stunned Knicks stumbled when points in the third quarter, 71-5- ; .. ., CHMMai Novo Danny La - 0 101-90- 3-- 1 '' 3-- 1 - two-gam- e into the offseason with their first three-gam- e losing streak' since November. Despite acquiring Childs, Johnson, Allan Houston and Buck Williams last summer. New York was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for the i third consecutive year. The Heat scored 18 straight points in the first quarter and led 49-3at halftime. New York dosed to midway through the third but period, Hardaway hit his next five shots the final three from 3- .; point range. The sellout crowd was perhaps the loudest, most enthusiastic in Miami basketball history. Fans even gave a standing ovation to the Mourning. 'f He had 22 points and 12 rebounds despite missing 16 minutes with foul trouble. Former Knicks coach Pat Riley wore a black suit, but his Heat team again refused to be buried. Miami fell behind 62, then raced to a 20-- lead over the next 4 12 2 55-4- 7 , -- 6 minutes. -(AP) Wayne Gretzky recorded his second hat trick of the playoffs as the Ncw Abrk Rangers scored on five of dicir first 10 shots and beat the Philadelphia Flyers Sunday in PHILADELPHIA 5-- 4 -- Game 2 " of v thdr i Eastern Conference finals. ' New York's victory evened the bcst-of-series at with Game 3 Madison Tuesday at Square Garden. The Rangers lost the first game in each of their earlier playoff series but came back to win both in 7 five games. Gretzky, who has nine goals and six assists in 12 playoff, games, increased his NHL record of career playoff hat tricks to 10. The Rangers also got goals from Mark .Messier, who also had two assists, and Doug Lidster. The Flyers surely revived their goalie controversy after starter Garth Snow was lifted after giving up five goals, at least three of which . . . he should have stopped, on New ae "NUIT m 11 pe |