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Show O Scoreboard D3 w VTM f"f1 1 ! f II Comics D6 . mm rAj 1 H Business D9 f "1 f f (f 1 fI I H I A 13? JJ J y -- 1 The Daily Herald & 1 1 1: Tuesday, December 5, 1995 Haley's back leaves Jones with the pain By KEVIN B. BLACKISTONE Dallas Morning News The Cowboys won't, as they've complained of late, be expected to win every game. Barx safe. ry Switzer's job is The Cowboys' boss, Jerry Jones, who declared earlier this season that he saw no reason the team he entrusted to Switzer shouldn't win Super Bowl XXX, found reason Monday evening. The team's most important defensive player was declared by doctors done for the rest of this lock-bo- season. No, not Deion Sanders. Don't confuse who is paid the most with who is the most important. There long has been enough confusion about that at Valley Ranch. It'is, instead, defensive end Charles Haley who is finished. Kaput. History for 995 and maybe beyond. w wins tie whsle they work CHICAGO (AP) NBA officials, missand ing games missing paychecks because of a lockout, have ratified a new contract and are ready to return to work. Many are not happy with the final offer from the league, as shown by the narrow 6 vote in favor Monday night. But it means they could be back on the courts blowing their whistles within a week. And many NBA players, tired of replacement refs, are glad they're coming back. "I can't wait to see the old refs back. It's going to be incredible. It's time to get this B.S. out of the way. When you have inexperienced refs, they try hard, but they make crummy calls." Miami Heat Lrward Kevin 27-2- Willis said. Replacement officials, mostly from the CBA, have been handling NBA games since the lockout began Oct. 1, amid complaints from players that they sometimes didn't have games under control and didn't know the NBA game. In a game Monday between Miami and Boston, there was a fight between the Celtics Penis Ellis and the Heat's Kurt Thomas that prompted police and security personnel to separate players and keep fans off the court. Boston won the game in double overtime. "Even though we beat ourselves, the was horrendous. They shouldn't be able to call a high school game. It's sickening what they do. They blew the whistle too much, I thought there was an echo in the building. At one point I was scared to touch anyone," said Heat t enter Alonzo Mourning, who complained last season about the regular referees and their calls in the playoffs. When the regular refs will return is not certain. They voted Monday on the day that replacement crews were to expand from two to three. And the vote reflected the dissatisfaction of some. "Not everybody was totally pleased with the deal, but the rank and file spoke," said Fred Slaughter, the attorney representing the officials. "It was a majority." Slaughter couldn't guess when the referees will be back on court. "I hope soon," he said. "I can't get you a date." pension and severance money we have to discuss." Fifty-thre- e of the 55 referees voted, with Juke O'Donnell and Jack Madden the absentees because of health reasons. Paul Mihalak. a veteran official, said the absences of those two could have sw ung the outcome. "This could have gone the other way." he said. "'But we'll live with it." Slaughter said there were several issues debated Monday, including a pension plan. Under the new deal, pensions would go from $2,700 for every year worked to $3,330 in the final year of the contract. Under the five-yeagreement, first-yereferees would make $75,000 this year and $99,000 in the final year of the deal! Veteran officials would be paid $211,000 this vear and $278,000 in the final year. The league has claimed the raises would make NBA officials the highest paid in sports, but the referees said they would not. 2f-ye- ar Jeffrey Mishkin, the NBA's chief legal officer, said he planned to meet today with Slaughter to work out details. "If we can reach a signed agreement in the next few days, then the referees should be back on the court within a week," he said. Veteran official Mike Mathis, who was on the committee negotiating with the owners, said his group was split. bad-ne"You could say it was a good-new- s, situation if you want to," Mathis said after Monday's 4 meeting at a hotel near O'Hare International Airport. "We're all happy to be going to back to work, but there are some veteran officials who feel this deal wasn't good for them. Obviously there are some questions about 14-ho- ar ar Nets now a happy 1 A disk in Haley's back was discovered herniated. He is headg ed for surgery, rather than Philadelphia, where season-endin- family? Analysis By MICHAEL JAMES New York Daily News the Cowboys play next Sunday, or anywhere else his teammates play this season or His loss, you can be sure, is a mightier blow to the Cowboys than anything Washington dealt them last Sunday. This is the fellow the Cowboys considered not only their best pass rusher, but the best in the league, as well. The team got a dozen more sacks each of the past three seasons with Haley than the three before they acquired him from San Francisco in 1992. Haley is, without doubt, the fellow on whose back the Cowboys defense became oh so staunch. Now, unfortunately, it has given out. The only question is, who is in more pain Haley or Jones? Jones, after all, thought so highly of Haley that he lured him out of semiretirement last sumSI 2 million mer with a four-yea- r. contract. He gave Haley $3 million just to sign it. He committed his team so heavily to Haley even though Haley was 3 and had surgery to repair a herniated disk at the end of the 1993 season. He committed his team so deeply to Haley even though the team was so uncertain Haley would recover from his d original surgery, it spent a in 994 on defensive pick end Shante Carver. Signing Haley became a necessity, of course, as it became apparent that Carver would develop at an excruciatingly slow pace. It was, nonetheless, as big a roll of the dice as Jones could make this side of handing over his team to a retired college coach. The owner has a few more chips on the table that are precaripost-seaso- n. Jessie was suspended for seven si got Dave Wannstcdt's understudy to keep their defense primed until he departed last season for the collegiate Miamians. They never lost a kicker they couldn't survive without. They suffered an injury to one superstar corncrback, Kev in Smith, and acquired another one to take his place, Sinders. 'Sanders can play cornerback. He can play wide receiver. He can return punts and kiekoffs. ' . (See HALEY, Page D2) 'I manager Willis Reed, who repeated that he was happy to hae Bradley, continued to defend his trade of Coleman, who was long unhappy with the Nets which made the Nets unhappy. "There has been a lot of criticism regarding the trade." Reed began. "I feel from my perspective that in our game you have to have a center to win (and) you have to have defense. "I think one improvement that we've made this year is (coach Butch Beard) has gotten our guys to go out and play better defense. And that has been the reason we've won. We haven't shot the ball well, but we've defended well and I think Shawn Bradley will contribute to that. "We're happy to have these three guys here in New Jersey and we look forward to them doing food-poisonin- g. shot 58 percent and Utah (3-held Drake to 36 percent. "Every team has a hot night, where they hit and the other team doesn't. Tonight was our night." Van Horn said. Majerus cited the 5 .000-foD ot elevation. "It's hard for any team to come in to this altitude and play well." he said. Utah took an 1 8-- 2 lead, the where me." Nets general w tired." k. and former Bradley PerTim 76ers mates Philadelphia ry and Greg Graham participated in their first piactice with the Nets since being traded Thursday for Derrick Coleman. Rex Walters and Sean Higgins. And it quickly became apparent during the coming-ou- t party for the newest Nets that this blockbuster trade was mostly about everyone's basic need for happiness. "This is a good change for me and I'm just happy to be here in New Jersey with a team that wants who me," said Bradley. became unhappy with the 76ers after Philadelphia became unhappy with him. "I welcome this change. It's a new start for me and a new team that's excited to have games by the NCAA for his involvement with a sports agent hile he was in junior college. He is scheduled to return for a Dec. 2 game against Wake Forest. Keith Van Horn was back after missing one game because of He looked relaxed as he scored 7 points, but said he wasn't. "I was tired. That's maybe why it looked like I was playing more relaxed." Van Horn said. Majerus said Van Horn "played good but he's really N.J. Happy Monday at Fair-leig- h Shawn returns." first-roun- m Dickinson-Teanec- I4th-ranke- 1 ously placed. After all. Haley isn't the only stalwart on the defensive line whose health suddenly is in question. His bookend. Tony Tolbert. is scheduled for surgery, too. Not now. but at season's end. which could come sooner than expected. He's due for knee surgery. On both knees. Jones knew of Tolbert 's condition, too, before inkto a long-tering the deal that will pay him SI. 9 million this season. There is also Leon Lett, the defensive tackle. Jones got Lett's multimisignature on a multiyear. llion-dollar even package though the emerging star had failed a drug test. Lett failed his second test a couple months ago, which left him suspended for four games. One more failed test and he's done for a season. The run of luck for Jones and his Cowboys has been a long one. It's one of the things that makes champions, right along w ith character and dedication and talent. They got Norv Turner's mentor to keep their offense running. They TEA NECK. faces abounded SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Utah's Ben Melmeth marked his acadereturn from a three-gam- e mic suspension with an alley-oo- p d slam that helped the Utes overwhelm Drake. Melmeth played 23 minutes and had six points and nine rebounds as Utah routed Drake 86-5- 0 on Monday night for its 22nd straight home victory. "We treated Ben like he had a severely sprained ankle," coach Rick Majerus said. "We didn't put in much new tonight. We went four weeks without him and made adjustments. Now that he's back, we'll make some new adjustments. It will be the same thing when (Brandon) Jessie AP Photo Drake's Lynnrick Rogers (22) drives around Utah's Ben Caton (15) during Monday's game in 's last two points coming on from Mark alley oop Ry dalch. Van Horn had six of the early points on two dunks and a short jumper. Drake's Ken Maxey scored six points in a 10-- 5 run to make it but that margin was the closest the Bulldogs (2-came the rest of the way. Utah shot 65 percent in the at opening half and led 42-2- 3 halftime. Drake coach Rudy Washington. Mel-meth- 31-1- nt 7. 2) the Huntsman Center. Utah roughed up Drake the game, non-leagu- in 86-5- e disgusted w ith his team's first-haperformance, benched his starters for the entire second half. "1 thought we still had a chance, but wanted to send our team a message while it was still early in the season." Washington said. Maxey led the Bulldogs with eight points in 12 minutes of play. B.J. Windhorst, who averaged 17 points a game, was held to two points, while Robert Foster had six points, four rebounds lf 1 and three assists. None of Utah's 15 players logged more than 25 minutes. Majerus pulled starters through the second half, the last leaving with 6 12 minutes left and the Utes leading 73-3The Utes increased their lead with 1:36 left when to 84-4- 3 reserve guard Paul Jonas hit a 9. titer. Andre Miller scored a career-hig- h 16 points for the Utes and Ben Caton added 2. (See NETS, Page 1)2) Lions maul Bears in Monday matchup By CURT SYLVESTER Detroit Free Press The MonPONTIAC, Mich. day night magic worked again. And so did the Lions. They pushed their winning streak to four games and barged back into the NFC playoff race with a convincing 27-- 7 victory over Chicago before a sellout crowd at the Silverdome and a national "Monday Night Football" audience. "We had to win some games in a row to give us a chance at the playoffs and now we have to just keep going, one game at a time," quarterback Scott Mitchell said. "It gets more exciting every week, but there's no question we have a long way to go." that is still the case, but this game was probably the Lions' at least biggest of the season until they line up Sunday in Hous- in their prev ious two Francisco Monday night games. Mitchell threw three touchdown to Herman a passes to Johnnie Moore, a four-yardMorton and a nine-yardto Barry and pushed his season Sanders d passing yardace to a 3.470. 14 Moore caught a team-recor- d passes for 183 yards; pushed his er er er club-recor- season reception totals to 101 catches and 1.4 7 yards, also team records: Jason Hanson kicked field goals of 42 and 36 yards: and Sanders actually had more yardage receiving (93 on six catches) than rushing (90 on 23 carries). Most important, perhaps, the which came into Lions' defense the game ranked 28th in the NFL simply steamrolled the Bears' offense. No. Erik Kramer, the former Lions 1 quarterback now starting for Chicago, completed 21 of 33 passes but produced only 140 yards and was sacked four times. Henry Thomas had I 12 sacks. Tracy Scroggins and Antonio London one each, and Robert Porcher shared the fourth with Thomas. The Bears' only touchdown And they handled the Bears just came on an yard run by Robert as convincingly as they had han- Green midway in the third quarter dled the last two Super Bowl after they had fallen behind, 24-The Bears converted only one Dallas and San champions ton. Monday's was one they simply couldn't let get away' from them. And they didn't. It was against an NFC Central Division opponent, in a prime-tim- e game, with their playoff hopes and ambitions on the line. 1 ( 1 -- third-dow- n plays and were limited to 185 yards of offense. The Lions, who went into the game with the NFL's most productive offense, gained 419. And with three games to go. the team that started w ith an ugly 0-- 3 record doesn't look so bad after all. The Lions have won four in a row, sev en of their last 10 and are above .500 for the first time with a 6 record, tied with Minnesota and the Bears for second in the NFC Central behind the 4 Packers. Just as important is the fact they swept the Bears, which gives them an important edge in the tiebreaker system the NFL applies to teams finishing with identical records in the wild-car- d competition. Almost forgotten in the surge is of 1 1 5W 7-- 9-- the playoffs-or-els- e ' i ' " ' ultimatum issued Nov. 5 by owner William Clay Ford. Mitchell said the Lions w eren't just inspired to sav e coach Wayne Pontes' job. "I think we're winning to save all of our jobs right now," Mitchell said. "We're play ing for ourselves. If we don't play well we're out of jobs. too. We're disappointed in the early part of the season. We take a lot of pride in what we do and we felt we have a better team (Sec HONS. Pape 1)2) AP Photo Detroit receiver Herman Moore (84) avoids Chicago's Kevin Miniefield (24) during the fourth quarter Monday. The Lions won easily, 27-7. |