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Show mm SECTION SATURDAY. APRIL 8, SPORTS EDITOR Dons down Knights DAILY fans had nesota Timber-wolve- s a hard time putting up with all the losing during the first 75 games of this season, these last six are REALLY going to be 5-- This could be the ball game. First pitch: Curveball, strike See one. DONS, . ANDY KING Associated Press Utah's Devin Brown, left drives on Minnesota's Eddie Griffin during Friday's game. C5 what they are made of, and drawing the ire of the, hometown crowd in the process. I thought tonight is what it's going to be like for the rest of the year," Casey said. "It's tough on pur fans, but we've got to get our young players ready for' next year and the future." Deron Williams added 13 points and five assists for the Jazz, who entered the night in rough. Carlos 95 Boozer had 30 points and nine rebounds and Mehmet Okur had 19 points and 13 boards to lead the Utah Jazz to a 103-9- 5 victory over the on Friday night in the first game of Minnesota's youth movement. Coach Dwane Casey played star Kevin Garnett just 24 minutes, handing the reins to a group of youngsters to see UTAH MINNESOTA PRESS If Min- MINNEAPOLIS Fourth pitch: Wicked curve-ball- ,' strike three. Thanks for coming and please drive safely. Brinkerhoff worked out of the jam and threw a complete-gam- e four-hittto help Spanish Fork to a 1 win over Lone Peak on Friday afternoon. "He knows when he needs a the plate is Lone Peak's Brenden Smith, who doubled in his last t. ASSOCIATED THE foul tip. tnemanat mmtm Jon Krawczynski Third.pitch: High fastball, hhmm 1 Jazz keep slim playoff hopes alive ; Second pitch: Curveball, Let's see just how tough Spanish Fork pitf her Jace Brinkerhoff is on the mound. Bases loaded, two outs, top of the fifth SP.FORK 5 inning and LONE PEAK I striketwo. HERALD ddicksonhefaldextra.com 344-255- 5 NBA PREP BASEBALL Neil K. Warner Darnell Dickson 2006 103 See JAZZ. C6 UTAH BLAZE THE MASTERS Rattlers Shades of Nicklaus? send Blaze to fourth Fred Couples, at 46, is in position to copy Nicklaus1 magic Masters straight loss Brandon Judd John Harper : .NEW YORK DAILY NEWS X Ga. The irony is AUGUSTA,Couples had the talent Jack Nicklaus. He never got close because of a bad back, a chronic case of the putting yips, and a demeanor that was the k not necessarepitome of ily in that order. It's too bad, of course, because everybody loves Freddie. He exudes a certain (Couples) SALT LAKE CITY It may have been a battle between two AFL teams, but it was ultimately a former player from the University of Utah, Clarence Lawson. who made the biggest play Friday night. With the Utah Blaze and Arizona Rattlers tied up in the at 45-afourth quarter at the Delta Cen- jf Arizona's ter" I laid-bac- loose-limbe- is old too, easy-goin- "JJ. i d, hhh g cool .on the golf course that gives him a James Bond 007 quality, and yet he's also the one golfer most fans would pick to sit down within a sports bar and watch a ballgame. Such is his reputation for being a regular guy. And now he's old too, as golfers go, which makes him the people's choice even on a as golfers go, which makes him the people's choice even on a leaderboard that seems to promise yet another star-studde- d UTAH 52 off Blaze quar- terback Jason Gesseratthe 24-ya- if4 touchdown pass. That play started a 19-- 7 Arizona scoring run over the final 8:52 of the game as the Rattlers prevailed. ' 64-5- "It's plain and simple. I didn't come through in the clutch for my team," said Gesser. who completed passes for 160 yards, four touchdowns and the one interception. "I rushed a couple of throws and didn't come through when my team needed me. That's the bottom msim lit IIP -- line." It was the fourth straight loss for Utah and dropped the Blaze even further behind in the race for the playoffs with only five games left to play. The Blaze ) are now 1 ' 2 games back of the final playoff spot and three games back of lead-erboa- (3-8- 4 . Western (6-5- ). Division-leadin- Arizona g ; "This is a game tonight that we all thought that we should have," Utah head coach Danny White said. "When we look at the film, there will be six or seven unbelievable ROB Fred Couples hits his tee shot COUPLES, C4 64 Arizona that seems memorable to promise yet another memorable Masters Masters weekend. weekend. In fact, at 46, Couples is the same age as Nicklaus was when the Golden Bear pulled off his famous victory here 20 years ago. Is it an omen? Or is it merely a coincidence that's as irrelevant as Nicklaus' 18-- 1 lead over Couples in major victories. The weekend will tell. Couples is par after shooting a 70 on Friday, tied for second place, three shots behind Chad Campbell. You'd have to See ARIZONA line. Three plays later. Sherdrick Bonner hit Randy Gatewood for an . star-studd-ed ll Augusta CARR, Associated Press play at the Masters golf tournament at the after two rounds, three strokes behind the leader. to the 12th hole during second-roun- d National Golf Club on Friday. Couples is at things that keep happening. That kind of stuff happens to teams that don't have a lot of confidence. When things are going good, they See BLAZE, C5 BYU FOOTBALL Beck shrugs off expectations to focus on future Darnell Dickson DAILY HERALD ' this spring, and quarterback coach Brandon Doman said Beck is completing 80 percent of his passes. "That's pretty awesome," Doman said. "When I got here a year ago he'd been through so much through the media, the coaching changes and losing football games. It was all about confidence. Now I'm working with a guy with experience and "When I got here a year ago he'd been through so much through1 the media, the coaching changes and losing football games. It was all about confidence. Now I'm working with a guy with experience and confidence." n all likelihood, John It, Beck will become the second-leadin- g passer in BYLTs storied history . next fall. He is currently ninth . on the career passing list with 7,139 yards. If he has another season like he had in BYU quarterbacks coach on senior John Beck Brandon Doman 2005 (3,709 yards), Beck will pass guys like Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Marc Wilson But the only numbers John and Jim McMahon, and trail overwhelming if you think Beck cares about are wins,. and about it to much," Beck said only Ty Detmer. after practice on Friday. "I can't They are names he can recite in 26 career starts, he just has from memory, from being a kid 12. He knows the pressure that put pressure on myself I dont need. I just want to go out there and rooting for the Cougars. goes with being a BYU quarterback. This spring, he's just and play footbalT Even now he can go And quietly, that's just what on BYU trivia with Lance Reyntrying to focus on what's ahead Beck's been doing. BYU coacholds Sr., the coach with 25 years of him. "The key is that it can be es chart every pass he's thrown at the school. confidence. "Last year, it took about three or four games for him to get his confidence and for him to start playing like he should. I expect him to have a phenomenal (se- nior) season." Beck took to Robert Anae's new offense and had a big year in 2005, earning first team toe-to-t- WWW.HERALDEXTRA.COM . ROBB COSTELLO Daily Herald quarterback John Beck throws a pass during practice on Thursday. Beck, a senior, has 26 career starts for BYU. BYU See - CAU 37S-51- BECK, TO SUBSCRIBE C7 |