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Show The Salt Lake Tribune SPORTS While Bell Gets a Reprieve, Astros May Face Recession New Pittsburgh Coach Brooks Changes Penguins’ Offense BY CAMMY CLARK ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Pittsburgh Penguins captain Jaromir Jagr made nosecret that he liked Kevin Constantine's defensive style of coaching about as BY PHIL ROGERS CHICAGO TRIBUNE Derek Bell's reaction EASTERN CONFERENCE, ‘Atlantic Division WL TRT Pts GF GA Philadelphia 1911 1 45 100 8 Jeney 91232 & © B Pltsburgh 1416 34 3S 1 98 NY.Rangers 217 42 % 8 NY.Islanders 818 50 21 68 10 Division WL TRT Pts GF GA Bun 42 18 #1 Ottawa, 1251 08 @ WS $1 3% 8 oT W290 % HM ot Montreal 12 31 2B 7% 8 ntvision L TRY Pts GF GA Florida Bn s2 8 8 B Carolina 18.15.70 «MOH Ww 102 6 Tampa Bay 1018 53 8 81 109 Atlanta, 2 0 2 im tN CONFERENCE ‘Central Division L TRr Pa GF GA Detroit 931 O13 & St Louis 840 in 0 Nashville 109 52 7 9% 108 Chicago 1027 42 8 5 108 ‘Northwest Division L TRY Pts GF GA GColordo I 41 OT Edmonton N16 95 3% © 9% Calgary 1418 5 1M BI IO Vancouver 1218 72 38 91 108 Pacific Division WL TRI Pts GF GA BU 30 S10 @ 16 42 2110 7M 51 0 & 8 WH 41 3H @ 2 61 BIH w bsg asa trip to the dentist. ‘So whatdoes the best offensive in the NHL today think new Coach Herb Brooks, took over from fired Contine on Dec.9? eorit’s en we!from Siberia to Sgagr cbriecalywasn't too conby Constantine last season. p won the Art Ross Trophy for with 127 points, 18 more second-place Teemu Selanne Mighty Ducks. But Jagr likes Brooks’ more atfacking style. So does Penguins owner Mario Lemieux. » “Its a different team out ” Lemieux told reporters in burgh.“The offense is back in the organization,and that’s going foe exciting for ail of us to watch. Sunday, December26, 1999 About the Grtzzlies: Heading into Kansas City, Utah has lost fouroffive games and scored only sinthe ae ican its lecque leasd canecrete: The Gr 2ies ore 14-0-1 when they score three or more goals, When the fee, OwnerDrayton McLaneclaims his seven years in baseball have was revealing. “Christmas cameearly for me,” Bell said aboutthe trade that sent 22-game winner Mike Hampton and him from Houston to the New York Mets. “I’m very happy. . . . Thefirst thing that came to my with his family. Utah's Next Five: Tuesday Vs. richeBet: Wednesdayat Manitoba: Dec. 31 at ManitobaiJon.22 at Michigan: Jan. 6 civieet4 lost D0Sone none 10H ee fon on Wednesday,The Blades are 6-4-5 at home and have: been outscored 99-92 overall. . Despite their piace atthe bottom ofthe Western ConferBladeshave the best “That's how played the game all mylife. I like to watcha lot of offense, puckhandling, good plays. ‘And there should be a lot more.” effective penatty killers (91.9 Percent). Lemieux Jed the Penguins to two Cups in 1991 and 1992, when goal scoring was in vogue. operating losses. Becauseof that, he is not raising the Astros’ payroll, even though he is guaranteed new revenuestreamsfrom Enron. His payroll has grown from $29.6 million in 1996 to $56.4 million last year, and the increase wasn't mindis I havea chance to be in the World Series.” It’s not exactly like Bell has enough spenthis last three years with the Smith and General Manager Gerry Hunsickerrejected the idea of overhauling a lineup that has been great in the regular season and awful in the postseason (2.5 runsper game), They just gave the 84-year-old Biggio a contract extension that will bump his salary Minnesota Twins. He has been a Coach Bob Boume Is taking i two games off to spend time cost him more than $120 million in regularon anAstrosteam that has won three consecutive National League Central titles. In those years, only the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves have won more games in the regular season. Bell wasted muchoflast season in a snit with manager Larry to bring the League Championship Series to Houston even once. McLane, team President Tal from $6 million next season to $9 Dierker. But his immediate re- million a year from 2001-03. No sponse after being traded hints at twopossibilities: paid better. Bagwell, who turns 32 next May, is nextin linefor a raise. He @ The Astros of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio have lost their swagger while going 2-9 in the postseason. @They are coming back toward the pack in the Central as they moveinto their new open-air sean,Enron. Field, nicknamed “fl ” second baseman ever has been is due $6.5 million in each of the next two seasons but is almost certain to get an extension worth twice as much. Hampton’s departure paves the way for negotiations to begin. With the two cornerstones getting bigger slices of the pie, Hunsicker has less to spread around. He's sweating out last De- cember’s extension with Shane Reynolds, which guarantees the workhorse $21.5 million over the next three years. The Astros also haveto sign 21-game winner Jose Limaand closer Billy Wagner to long-term deals or face annual annual arbitration battles. No wonder Hunsicker was stuck putting the best possible spin on trade that cost Houston the second-bestlefty in the majors behind only Randy Johnson. While the Astros patted themselves on the back for getting outfielder Roger Cedeno and 24-yearold right-hander Octavio Dotel from the Mets, the real smiles were elsewherein the NL Central. For teamssuchasSt. Louis and the Cubs, the recent departures of Hampton, center-fielder Carl Everett and Bell — at a savings of about $12.5 million for the strapped Astros — is the best news of the off-season. Never underestimate the ability of Dierker and coach Vern Ruhie to get the best out of pitchers. But Houston nowfaces the possibility of entering next season with Lima and Reynolds as its only proven starters. The rest of the rotation will come from a group including Dotel, Chris Holt and the surgically repaired Scott Elarton (torn rotator cuff) and Butch Henry (torn labrum). “T hope we can create some ex- citement with the offense in this league,” Lemieux said. “For too many years, teams won Cups on defense and playing the trap. I thinkit takes a little bit away from this great game.” : And now that Lemieux is more bottom-line oriented, he thinks a more offensive-minded team will draw more fans, while at the same time be able to produce a winner. “We've got the nucleus to go all the way,” Lemieux said about the Penguins, who have climbed back into playoff contention with a 14- 6-3-4 record. “We have the best player in the world, and every e you havethe best player in ae world, you can accomplish a lot.” Lemieux should know. Q BRIEFLY Colorado center Joe Sakic is hoping to return to the lineup Monday against St. Louis, He hasn't played since Nov. 26 because of arib cartilage injury. And he’s still one pointshyof 1,000.... Detroit winger Brendan Shana- IHL STANDINGS EASTERN Grand Rapids 21.10 Cleveland t=7\, han already has reached 20 goals this season, the 12th consecutive year he’s reached that mark. Only Brett Hull has matched that con- sistency... Detroit is expected to offer Steve Duchesne, who was a bust with the Kingslast season, a con- ateaes tract extension. Duchesne has played extremely well paired with Chris Chelios . . . Florida goalie Trevor Kidd thinks there's a “90 percent chance”he'll have to undergo major shoulder surgery and be lost for the season. Expect aukee at Michigan Grand Rapids at Orlando former Duck Mikhail Shtalenkov to see lotof playing time, unless the Panthers can swing a deal. But the goalie pickings are slim right now ... Rumors are circulating that the New Jersey Devils are in the process of being purchased by the New York Yankees/New Jersey Nets conglomerate. Baseball’s Winter Rumblings and Grumblings BY JAYSON STARK the NL (6.78 runs pernine innings)last season, be- only Paul Byrd (7.08). And over thelast five Without major damage control, John Rocker is in for huge trouble in that Braves clubhouse next spring — if he’sstill a Brave. Besides bashing every ethnic group except Martiansin that Sports Illustrated piece, he even took a subtle shotat the quiet professionalism in the of the Tom Glavine-Greg Maddux-John Smoltz lead- lets’ infield artistry. He threw 10 more double-play ee season (38) than any other pitcher in the vine’s response: “We live in a society now where people are notafraid of the ramifications of what they say and whatthey do.. . just go ahead and issue an apology and everything’s OK. Well, it’s not.”... » Hampton is 36-15 with a 2.87 itcher-friendly Astrodome butonly 31-24 with a 3.95 RA everywhere else. On the other hand, he is a und-ball machine who should benefit from the ership troika by grumbling that the Braves’ club- house hadthe “atmosphere of a doctor’soffice.” Gla- Meanwhile, that Atlanta-San Diego trade tells you { Revit Rays publicity genius Rick Vaughn deter- imined that his juggernaut, with Greg Vaughn, Jose Canseco, Vinny Castilla and Fred McGriff,will be just the eighth team to start a season with at least four hitters who once hit 35 homers or more. The others: ‘61 Braves (Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Joe Adcock, Frank — " Giants (Willie ae Willie Mc- LTA J ‘THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Mike Hampton, traded from Houston to the New York Mets last week,got the second-best run support a couple of things about the Braves. One is that they’re more concerned about Galarraga than they’re letting on (and took Wally Joyner as insurance). The otheris that they were really down on Bret Boone and Ryan Klesko.... The ites were rumored last wi to be mixed upina wild three-team deal with the Reds and Mariners. The Reds would get Ken Griffey, Mariners pitcher Ken Cloude, and Pirates first baseman Kevin Young. The Mariners would get Pirates pitchers Jason Schmidt and Jason Christiansen, along Williams, David Justice, Kevin Mitchell), '97 oe Larry Walker, Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga); "98 Rockies (subtract | ings Thoob, Only those “97 indians finished Sean Casey,pitcher Scott Williamson, and outfielder Mike Cameronfrom the Reds, Don’t bet the Christmas gifts on it. WhoAre Your Favorite U. Female Athletes? Cast Your Ballot For 25 Of The Best. In honorof25 years ofgreatness in women's athletics at the MAIL TO: University ofUtah, the university and The SaitLake Tribune are ‘OF UTAH conducting a ballot election todetermine your 25 favorite female (10 25 YEARS OF WOMEN'S ATHLETICS COMMITTEE student-athletes, Simply mark cr write-in your 25 favorites, then 1825 €, SOUTH CAMPUS DRIVE FRONT ‘cut out and mail the ballot to the address shown right. ‘SALT LAGE CITY, Ut 84112-0008 hy & i & a 4 is ey 4 iQ i) og attetolTes Cteeeaoe |
