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Show HUB iBiHfliapi D4 Pag THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, 7g CI ma 3, 1993 RfJ vt c fc By Howard B!2tt New York Daily News , Friday, December mi9mmmmm'il,..mm"",,m,,,mmm t He was king of the instigators, thetaddest of Bad Boys, a center whose lack of speed was matched only by his lack of jumping ability. But to Chuck Daly and Rick his coach and trench partner with the champion Detroit Pistons, Bill Laimbeer was, above all, one thing a w inner. Now he's retired. was a competitor. He did what it takes to win and that's what I admired about him," said a teammate of Laimbeer in 1988-8- 9 in the first of two seasons. "He would hit you, disrupt you, get you out of your game. While Ma-hor- smart player. lie couldn't jump over a piece of paper, but he was a great rebounder." "Bill was probably one of the most irascible guys in the league," Daly said. "And he always did it on his terms. One year, he decided he wanted to be the best rebounder in the league. Next year, he decidshooted to be the best er. ... I'm not surprised he quit once he decided that it wasn't important for him to win. " "He probably defined the Bad Boy term," Daly said. "He could frustrate a player and then play Gandhi and just walk away. Very few people could do that. I could , - I ; i n, Is-i- onship without n, title-winni- Bill Laimbeer Wadkins preparing for Ryder challenge in '95 competition , d ah him." Mahorn, currently an injured Net, appreciated Laimbeer for the work ethic they shared. "(In Bill), I knew I had a person next to me who would help me out when times got tough. We formed a friendship in the championship blue-coll- free-thro- w 'lis Ma-hor- understand why the people who played against him hated him. But he was a very special guy if he was on your side. ... We had great leadership on those teams with (Thomas) and Laimbeer and we wouldn't have won the champi- you were still trying to hit him, he'd be beating you. He was a very r" ar year.' Daly said he sent his former center a fax after Wednesday's ' t Lett finally gets encouraging mai MESQUITE, Texas (AP) -- Not all the letters sent to Leon Lett these days are in the form of hate mail. An elementary school has penned 886 encouraging letters to the Dallas lineman, letting him know they've forgiven him for his Thanksgiving Day blunder that cost the Cowboys a victory.- "I told him what our teachers tell us, that tomorrow's a new beginning," K.C. fifth-grad- er Ramsey said. On Wednesday, the 886 students at John L. Hanby Elementary School in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite wrote letters trying to console Lett, who inexplicably touched the football after a blocked field goal against Miami. The Dolphins recovered at the Dallas 1 with three seconds remaining and Pete Stoyanov-ic- h was good on his second-chanc- e field goal for a 16-1- 4 victory over Dallas. Hanby principal Cathy g said the idea came from a student who told his teacher that it was wrong for people to criticize Lett. The student was told to send a note of encouragement to the defensive lineman. The effort soon snowballed into the campaign involving all Hanby students. "It's exactly what we need to do with our kids," Rideout said. "We're teaching them writing skills, and we're also teaching them that it's OK to make mistakes and that you can learn from your mistakes . ' ' The outside of each card reads: "Dear Mr. Lett, Everybody makes mistakes ... that's why pencils have erasers! .We believe in ourselves. ... We want you to believe in yourself, Ri-deo- ut preference U-S- He won the 1977 PGA Championship, was named the 1985 PGA player of the year, and has 20 victories in Ryder Cup play, sec- ond "I'm still all-ti- v j I itty letter-writi- to Arnold Palmer. His dramatic sand wedge to within inches of the 18th hole helped clinch a U.S. victory in the 1983 Ryder Cup at PGA National. Bach Gardens. fm But it was an act of graciousness that cemented Wadkins' credentials: When England's Sam Torr- golfer, first and foremost," said Wadkins, who tuhis 44 Friday. "If I'm able to play my way onto the team, I'm sure I'll play. I'm not making I'll plans to be a playing captain -- letter-writin- toward past PGA champions and Ryder Cup veterans, and its recent policy of rotating the captaincy every two years without duplication, Wadkins seems like the perfect choice. By DAVE SHEININ ; Knight-Ridde- r Newspapers MIAMI There hasn't been a playing captain in Ryder Cup competition in 30 years, but the 1905 . team captain introduced Wednesday didn't rule out the possibility. Lanny Wadkins, sitting just a pitching wedge away from the scene of one of the Ryder Cup's defining moments, sounded giddy at times and confident at others as ha accepted the job at PGA of America headquarters in Palm a ance pulled out of the singles matches on the final day of the 1993 Ryder Cup in England because of injuries, U.S. captain Tom Watson had to take out one of his players. Despite playing in what might have been his final Ryder Cup, Wadkins stepped forward so that the younger players decide that when and if it happens. I hope I have to make that decision, I'll put it that way." The 1995 Ryder Cup will be played in Rochester, N. Y. Given the PGA of America's might play. too!" AP Photo veteran Lanny Wadkins has been, named captain of the 1995 American Ryder Cup team. PGA Tour "TT A ' 4 ' K i 14 1 I 1 ' v - , is A i It : x ! i ' .' ( 4 f f M f i t M; )) - 4 ss home towns. "They came up to introduce themselves to me to place a face with a name because (they said) !- 'You'll be hearing from me v: shortly,"' Belgrad told The r i i i - head i i 4 (Baltimore) Sun. The Los Angeles Rams and Raiders, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and ,J' Bowl scoring record, hasn't talked publicly about his latest gaffe. After his Super Bowl blun- der, in which Don Beebe caught him from behind and knocked the ball away, Lett received a lot of hate mail, much of it rac' ist. Lett's gaffe as been the talk of the town since Thanksgiving, and the children at Hanby wanted him to know they're still on his side. Chelsea Krue- of Lett's jersey, bearing the number 78. She assured him that she was not "another kid who won't leave you alone." Her letter read: "Dear Mr. Lett, I watched the game the other day and I understand that you rriade a teeny, weeny, little, bitty mistake. Well, you know what... WE ALL DO!!! I just hate the way those reporters and the media won't let that little mistake slip by. I just want to let you know that i really admire you because the way you are handling it. God bless you. " Second-gradCasey Mill- included a saps photograph of herself with her note. "I told him, 'I have made so many mistakes that I can't remember half of them," Casey said. "I'm still your fan. By the way, Miami stinks." Laura Beddow, another wrote: "Everybody doesn't have to be mean to him because it was just a misFifth-grad- er , ger drew a picture ; ; . ' er second- -grader, take." Some of the students shared some of their own mistakes with Lett. Various NFL tams to consici? moving BALTIMORE (AP) The of Baltimore's failed bid for an NFL expansion team says officials from two existing teams have approached him about moving to Baltimore since the league added Jacksonville, Fla., on Tuesday. Herbert Belgrad, chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, declined to name the teams Wednesday, but said they were among those already reported to be unhappy with their . FA' ng The kids wrote personal messages on the inside. Lett, whose premature celebration after a fumble recovery in the Super Bowl cost Dallas a sure touchdown and the Super Cincinnati Bengals have all been reportedly considering a move. While Bengals part owner Mike Brown said Wednesday that he expects to conclude a deal with the city to keep the team from moving, Patriots owner James Busch Orthwein is looking to sell his team. "I'm sick of this NFL football business and the people that run it," Orthwein said Tuesday. "I can't sell this team fast enough. And I'm not moving to St. Louis." There had been speculation that Orthwein wanted to move the team to his hometown of St. Louis, which also sought an expansion franchise. ' Belgrad said Baltimore will not be used as leverage for a team looking to improve its stadium leasing situation. , "We will have to feel certain we're not being used," he said. Meanwhile, the head of " group trying to bring a Canadi- - ' an Football League team to the ' city retracted a statement that he had been awarded a fran- - ' -- - chise. "One of my people got over- zealous," Virginia business-ma- n Jim Speros said. " .if r 4 wSShi AP Photo NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue (left) helps hold up a Jacksonville jersey with team owner Wayne Weaver (center) and mayor Ed Austin. 0 ran Ba City has passion for football JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Finally, Jacksonville feels the n image has been shed now that the NFL logo has been added. :i Jaguars, the NFL's newest expansion team, will provide the catalyst to develop the city's downtown, an effort that has sputtered along over the past decade. J City officials and business leaders say the city has quietly matured as one of the South 's top business centers, with major corporate presences by AT&T, Bank, American Express and others. "This is the single biggest economic development project that has ever hit Jacksonville," said Dan Conncll, executive vice president of First Union National Bank and one of the volunteers who helped sell 10,000 club seats in 10 days to cinch the franchise. ": small-tow- Bar-Cc- tt I Bu! most people outside the region haven't noticed while Jacksonville grew slowly and steadily, even during the recent recession. An NFL franchise, however, casts the city in a "whole nf,w light," said Frank Nero, deputy mayor of economic development. U "We're not so sleepy any-Siore- ," Nero said. "This has been ar pretty dynamic city over the past few years.". Officials say the Jacksonville Before the NFL's decision, the city already had embarked on a $250 million downtown development plan to renovate the Gator Bowl, build a performing arts center, refurbish the zoo and other projects. But it was the city's passion for sports particularly football which was one of the keys to snaring the expansion franchise. "It's the best thing that ever 7 ilSSlS1 happened. This is football country, buddy," said Gene Schwab, who drove 50 miles from Green Cove Springs Wednesday to buy season tickets. "If we're in the cellar, we'll still fill the stands every weekend." Schwab was among more than 25,000 who attended a tailgate party and pep rally at the Gator Bowl, where the Jaguars start play in 1995. The fans celebrated winning the franchise along with team owners, politicians and business leaders. "The people who brought this to Jacksonville are the people in the stands, the citizens of Jacksonville," team majority owner J. Wayne Weaver told the cheering crowd. And the team brings Jacksonville closer than ever to the Officials said having the NFL franchise will do more to build the city's economy and identity than any glitzy PR campaign or ambitious economic development plan. "People who say that NFL football is anything but a boon to five-ho- this economy don't understand the deal," said Thomas Pet way, a Jacksonville businessman and of Touchdown Jacksonville! Ltd., the group that has been seeking a team for several years. SWISS ARL1Y . M)pS Tho Class'C. The right assortment of blades for you. Compactly sized for adding to a key chain. Also makes a great gift. Black Red Grey Green Blue White Star of David Boy Scout Yellow Pink ur big-tim- and finest inc1891. First THE ORIGINAL LIAGLiTE MM WHO SAID BIG IS BETTER? J There is no heavy flashlight to lug around with the Lite. So if you need a smaller flashlight for pocket. Dnetcase & more, the Mir,i-Wa- g . 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