OCR Text |
Show Scoreboard Business Comics B4 . . . B5 B6 gDiTOR: STEVE CAMERON if THE DAILY HERALD 3 APRIL 23. 1998 THURSDAY, FEED THE FEVER v iJ Impact opportunity knocks for Jazz center as playoffs tip off By DOUG FOX The Daily Herald Dick Harmon ;' Golf legends bring prestige to new event at The Point i LEHI Mayor Kenneth Greenwood remembers the days he used to hunt pheasants on the Fox family dairy farm outside of town. I So it's hard for the mayor to believe, just one year after the old farm became Thanksgiving Point Golf Course, that some of the most storied players of all time are coming to play hi his old haunts. But that's exactly what well see come June at The Point, when golfs Hall of Famers square off for an scramble. I When Johnny Miller designed the course, he promised it would attract championship players and games. Nobody could predict he'd pull the trigger so soon. Like one year. j Utah County is about to host appearances by the most prestigious names in the game this summer. Right here, where pheasants now 22-2- 3 Si matchup: Utah center Greg Ostertag, right, seeks redemption against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston SALT LAKE CITY The NBAs second season is upon U3, and nobody is more glad than Utah center Greg Ostertag. The 1997-9- 8 campaign has been a nightmare for the third-yea- r pro. But the playoffs, beginning tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Delta Center against Houston, offer a shot at redemption. "(The playoffs) give me an opportunity to myself," Ostertag said after a practice session this week. "All year I've let down my fans and my teammates. This is an opportunity for Rockets. me." t. MARC LESTERThe Daily Herald Key Need a refresher course? Here are a few entries from thios year's Oster In an early season Gam 1i Tonight, at Utah, 7s33 p.m. funk, which Game 2t Sat., at Utah, 8i3 p.m. some claim Game 3t Wad,, at Houe&m, 7t30 p.m. is a lingerGame 4i Friday, at Houston, T3A Game 5i May 3, at Utah, TBA ing result of the O'Neal tag file. incident, Ostertag loses his Shows up at preseason starting position. camp out of shape and is the, Coach Jerry Sloan orders er, um, butt of stinging comOstertag to the locker room ments by team star Karl after an argument on the Malone. bench during the first half of Merrily on his way to a game at Washington in shootaround at the Great December. Western Forum on Halloween Missed 17 games with a the opening day of the sea- stress fracture in his leg. when he runs into Malone blasts him on nationson Laker center Shaquille al TV interviews, blaming the O'Neal. Shaq delivers a injury on poor offseason conslap to Ostertag's ditioning. face, sending him to the floor. Is it any wonder Ostertag He does not get up. is ecstatic for the playoffs to Houston a Utah one-hand- begin? "I didn't have a great year," Ostertag said. "But this is a whole new season. It's a chance to redeem myself and play like I know I can." Ostertag is looking to put his nightmare season to rest against "The Dream," Rocket center Hakeem Olajuwon. Ostertag fared as well as could be expected against Olajuwon during last year's Western Conference finals which is to say the Rocket star did not simply take over the series, as he had in previous playoff matchups with Utah. "He's going to get away with some stuff," star-stat- See OSTERTAG, B2 18-ho- le 00 kets in town for ano Rivals meet for 38th time in five years nest free. By DOUG FOX J Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, John Ejuly, Gary Player, Jim Furyk, Hale Irwin, Fuzzy Zoeller, Craig Stadler, Billy Casper, Laura Davies and Europe's Liselotte Neumann complete r the field of the Champions Challenge. ' The Daily Herald first-eve- : THE AFFAIR is an exclusive golf bash, on a course just rated by Golf Magazine as one of the top 10 new courses in America. ; The format is a affair. It is designed to draw galleries aid may air on ESPN, NBC or Fox Shorts. J Pulling this off, even with high expectations from the start, Miller is a jittle nervous, not to mention giddy. I "Anytime you host some of the best players in the world, guys vho have designed some great courses themselves, you hesitate, wondering what they'll think," Miller said. I "But this place is up to the challenge. Bring it on." players will compete for a $550,000 purse. "Hey, I can remember when you could buy all of Lehi, plus a couple of mayors for that," chuckled Greenwood. two-ma- $ NICKLAUS, n, 18-ho- le whose storied rela- tionship with Miller began when Johnny was a teen playing at his first IT.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, will play with his son Mike. Daly will team with Davies, the e LPGA's champion. That'll make for an interesting pair with Davies going off the women's tees," mused Miller. Johnny still hasn't decided who hell play with, although he wouldn't mind playing with one of his sons including The Point's director of golf Johnny Jr., or Andy, a current Cougar star. Teased about how he'd carry a scramble load with his struggling putter, Miller, ever the competitor wouldn't budge. Miller plans on hosting and toasting this legendary field. 'They'll get a taste of Utah, for sure," Miller said. He still sees the day Thanksgiving Point will be the site of a PGA Tour event, perhaps a U.S. Open, even with the play restriction. Hey, he can dream can't he? ;The main thing is Miller and organizers have pulled off a coup. ;We'll see some Famers where once big birds used to jump out of sage long-driv- MATCHUPS CITY There's not many secrets between the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets. paying played each other 37 times in the past five years will do that for a rivalSALT LAKE ry. because of a lack of talent. That's a huge difference." Houston is still not 100 percent. Center Hakeem Olajuwon has not displayed the same mobility after returning from knee surgery. Clyde Drexler is slowing down. Matt Maloney needed stitches in his Up Tuesday after nosing Brent Price in the elbow during practice. And, to top it off, Charles Barklcy is suffering from a hernia and remains unsure of what his sta- "There's a lot of respect between the two teams," said Utah point guard John Stockton. "A let of us have tus will be. knocked heads pracBarkley for a lot of ticed lightly on years." Wednesday, notThe two ' ing be will try to Midwest play tonight but Division rivals the hemia "is tee it up in the be to until a going problem postseason for the fourth on." we it get operated time in the past five years While worked the Jazz 1 in Game of the tonight hard to earn homecourt e series. Game 2 is set for Saturday, advantage, they know the also at the Delta Center, honor brings with it no guarbefore shifting to Houston for antees. "You work all season to get Game 3 Wednesday and Game 4, if needed, Friday. If homecourt advantage," said the series goes the distance, Utah's Karl Malone, "now you Game 5 would be May 3 in just have to take advantage of it." Salt Lake City. "We worked hard to get to used a strong Utah (62-2this point," Stockton said. home-cousecond half to wrap up "Now we start from scratch. advantage through the It's Houston The records are playoffs, while time. stumbled to a mark "They won the champiand No. 8 seed in the West. once before without onship The Rockets, however, are homecourt advantage (in any No. not your typical 8 seed. so if anybody else series), .500 of because "They are injuries," said Jazz coach See SERIES, B2 Jerry Sloan. "They're not .500 v v '; - il IV ' i Despite a knee injury earlier this saason, Hakeem Olajuwon remains one of the premier players in the league at this position. His career-loaverage of 1 6.4 points per game is still better than any one of the three players Utah uses at center. In fact, combine the averages of Greg Foster, Greg Ostertag and Antoine Carr and you get 16.1 ppg. I Advantage; Rockets 1J,!Ef JES3 FORWARDS rTi,pyflr'JIJt Karl Malcne put together another season with averages of 27 points and 10 rebounds a game while his Rocket counterpart Kevin Willis MVP-typ- e turns in 16 and 8. Mario Elie outscores Adam Keefe 8.4 to 7.8 ppg, but the Jazz small forward clearly is a better boarder, 5.5rpgto2.1. Advantage: Jazz Kail KfenoM - 9ST99rl'r3 best-of-fiv- Si r if job i Jl -J. fife.. " WV 4 .,.' Jj fl 1 MHomccsk tilMMSN Clyde Drexler leads the Rockets (18.4 ppg. 5.5 apg), but will retire at the end of the season. Matt Maloney is a threat (126-346- , .346) but simply remains overmatched by Utah's John Stockton (12 ppg, 8.5 apg). Jeff Homacek is Utah's second-leadinscorer at 14.2 ppg. I i a I I Advantage! Jazz Ctyd Drutor Matt f" 41-4- 1 K i11 Ulr'limJ ?i . iij ft Am 1 A big source of Utah's success, coach Jerry Sloan will likeiy use 1 1 players during the course of the playoffs. Bryon Rus3ll (9.0 ppg), Howard bslay (7.7 pog. 4.2 apg), Shandon Anderson (8 3 ppg) are the big three. Jazz followers know Eddie Johnson weS (8.4 ppg). Charles Berkley's Impact on the series is questionable. He's suffering from a rwmio. ie - ' - ' W" "il piWlFf'P Bmm rt 0-- 0. I1' I'f. ' v. Is Advantage) Jazz Prediction! Jazz i" 3-- 1 Cougs claim Classic crown By DICK HARMON The Daily Herald ! brush. 'Fore! 'Dick Harmon is a Daily Herald sports writer and regular columnist. I'w- minrtn'iiiiiiiirrin Sand blast: UVSC's Ryan Ellis hits out of i nn rm um iiirnnii mi n nr miiiii iiiaiiimiiiii the sand on the sixth hole Wednesday at Riverside Country V RCOFY - nif riinTi nn ri i JASON OLSON11K i mn ml PROVO BYU may have won the battle, but Utah Valley may have captured the war by rattling sabers as well as putters during the finals of the Cougar Classic at Riverside Country Club on Wednesday. The Cougars coasted to the Franklin Quest Cougar Classic title, firing a team total of 858 to win by four shots over UVSC and Kansas. UVSC edged out Kansas for second Daily Herald Club. See CLASSIC, B2 I |