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Show Sports OBITUARIES Page D-7 GORDON MONSON CLASSIFIEDS Page D-8 M’s Make Griffey an $8-Million Man THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEATTLE — KenGriffey Jr. on Wednesday becamebaseball's highest paid player. Now he wants to play for a i “T’'ve always told the Mariners it’s not a matter of the money,” Everyone Can Share Joy of Magic’s Spell ° SECTIOND The Salt Lake Tribune THURSDAY,February 1, 1996 Griffey said in a conferencecall from Orlando, Fla. “I've always wanted to be on a winning team, to have something to shootfor in Septemberand early October.” In the meantime, he can take solace in a four-year contract extension worth $34 million. The contract for the Seattle centerfielder has an average an- “I'm goingto be the samebaseball player I've always been,” Griffey said. “I'm not going to change. I'm always going to smile.” The ion starts with the 1997 season, meaningGriffey will be under contract with the Mariners through the 2000 season. “I cannottell you howexcited the Mariners organization is to have the best player in baseball under contract through the turn RICHEST OF THE RICH Top average annualsalary, sport: @ Baseball — $8.5 million, Ken Griffey Jr, Seattie Mariners (four years, $34 million) @ Basketball — $9.4 million, Patrick Ewing, lew York Knicks(twoyears,$488million)_ Dallas Cowboys (eight years, $50 milion e key — $8.5 million, ie Gretzky, 0s AngelesKings (three years, 25.5 milion) @ Football — $6.25 million, Troy Aikman, nual value of $8.5 million, topping the $7.29 million annualaverage of the six-year deal Barry Bonds signed with San Francisco in 1992. of the century,” Mariners president Chuck Armstrong said. Griffey gets a signing bonus of ine Thompson/The Associated ? Under newcontract, Ken Griffey Jr. will be swinging for @ See GRIFFEY, Page D-6 the fencesin Seattle at least through turn of the century. Moments after Magic Johnson’sfirst game back following a four-year retirement, Cedric Ceballos,still giggly and giddy overscoring 33 points on 15for-18 shooting during the Lakers’ rout of the Golden State Warriors, encapsulated the experience this way: “When Magicis out there, there is sunshine and happiness." Could you feel the warmth, the cheer? My favorite moment came when Johnson ball-faked Latrell Sprewell toward San Diego, then swooped northward for a layup . .and when he led the break, galloping like a thoroughbred, well, OK, a Clydesdale, coast to coast to score .. . and when he backed Joe Smith up with the grace of a docking freighter before lofting a lefty baby hook through the net ... and when he touched a pass beyond the reach of two colliding Warriors into Ceballos’ hands for a whipping slam-dunk . .. and when he smiled and looked heavenward after lifting his team to a 10-point victory, and graciously thanked everyone in sight This is going to be fun. What was Magic's line again? Nine- Chilled aZZ. Survive Cold Spell Nearly Fatal in Portland By Steve Luhm THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE PORTLAND, Ore. — Record-breaking cold blasted western Oregon Wednesday. It was nothing like the Jazz's fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers. Utah nearly blewa 23-point lead byhitting only three ofits 17 shots in the final period at the Rose Garden. In the end, however, the Jazz shook off the icicles and made enoughcritical plays down the stretch to secure a 98-94 win overthe Trail Blazers. Karl Malonescored 28 points and John Stockton contributed 17 points and 10 as. sists as the Jazz wonfor the seventh time in their last eight games. “Wegota little lucky,” said Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan. ‘We panicked little,” added Adam Keefe. “Westarted playing not to lose,” noted Antoine Carr, ‘‘and when you play that teen points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, 17,505 Great Western Forum smiles. Hmm... the Lakers currently are the hottest team in the West. Now they have a charismatic leader. You don't suppose a free-agent like Shaquille O'Neal might want some,too, do you? I know,it’s a suddenly confusing complication for Jazz fans, rooting for the return of the greatest point guardturned-powerforwardofall time. Seeing him step back into the swirl of an already churning Western Conference race. But even Jazz fans are basketball fans first. Even they will welcomeanother glimpse at greatness, diminished or otherwise,at oneof the two or three players in the NBA’s modern era who could — can? — reach out and grab a gamebythe throat andhaulit in. Whocangrin while he wins. Whocan entertain while he beats yourbrainsin. Whoelse in the NBA — besides His Airness — can routinely do that? That's all Earvin Johnson ever did on the basketball court. That's why I'm basking in the sunshine, feeling glad abouthis return. I mean,I hate the media circus. I hate the Lakers, even after living in L.A. for a decade. But, did you see him move so seamlessly from the post to the point Tuesday night? Did it make you wonderwhyotherplayers can’t do these things? Did you see the genuine emotion? Da luuuuv? Thewayhis unselfishness rubbed off on teammates? Except for the effects on Johnson himself, the HIV thing is a non-factor. Let’s retire that. The superstition that heis a threat to other players. It’s OK,really. The world’s preeminent AIDS doctors say so, and even Karl Malone has given his blessing. Magic has brought himself negative press since his initial retirement in 1991 because he’s waffled so much on rumored comebacks. While he asked, “Should I stay or should I go?” Others asked, ‘Can't hegive it up?” way, it gets tough.” For three quarters, the Jazz were in command against Portland, which watched a 26-24 lead disappear when the Jazz started a dizzying 22-4 surgeearly in the second quarter. Eventually, Utah opened a 53-37 lead at halftime, built it to 83-59 late in the third quarter and took an 86-63 advantage with 112 minutes remaining when @ See JAZZ, Page D-4 Jack Smith/The Ass Blazers’ Clifford Robinson hasnothing to smile about, considering he’s surrounded by Karl Malone and John Stockton. He struggled with indecision. Fid- dled with coaching. Tried basketball barnstorming. Worked as an owner. Great players should play. As long as they want. As long as they can. Basedonhis first game back, Earvin Johnsonstill wants, still can. “It's nowor never,” he said the other day. “I'm 36. If this is the last hurrah, so be it, if it’s next year, we'll see.” After the game, he added: “I just wantedto have fun. And indeedI did.” So did everyoneelse. Warped notions, irrational fears, doubts about his longevity have exact- ed their tolls. Now basketball fans, Jazz fans, finally can feel the warmth, the happiness — and enjoy what's left — of a magical game. Even if it ball-fakes and bounces them right out of the playoffs Top Scorer Beck Back Home, And That’s Just Grand By David Finkelson THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Sitting on the bench this past summer in a gymnasium in Brisbane, Australia, Arielle Beck realized that being the big shot at Grand High was notthat big a dealafterall. Beck watched as feliow membersof the 1-A/ 2-A all-star squad took the floor for the opening tip of their first game on an Australian basketball tour. For the all-everything athlete at Moab’s Class 2-A school, the experience was an eye-opener. “It was kind of strangesitting on the bench. I hadn't done that in a while,” said Beck, who made several starts later in the trip. “But I knewI wasn't the best player on the team. It was something to learn from.” Beck returned home with a new desire to excel. And that is precisely what she has done so far this season. The 5-foot-10 junior is the state’s leading girls scorer, averaging 21.5 points per game — morethan a four-pointincrease from last year. Tack on 13.4 rebounds, 4.3 steals and about @ See BECK, Page D-3 By Peter Brewington USA TODAY “ook at the women’s basketball Dream That’s taken 20 years. With weight training, good coaching and chancesto play professional ball, this is the outcome.”? eled look, the mature body. That’s taken 20 years. With weighttraining, good coaching and chancesto playprofessionalball, this is the outcome.” On Monday, Dream Team center Lisa Leslie thrilled 2,000 fans by throwing down three one-handed dunks in practice at Louisiana Tech. “We givelittle girls the opportunity to dream,” Leslie says. Somestandards of progress in women's sports @ The U.S. women’s national basketball team, a group of elite touring pros organized to win the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta, is 27-0 with a winning margin of 39.3 points. @ The women’s pole vault outdoor world record was broken Sunday for the 20th timesince '94 when Australia’s Emma George went 14 feet, 54%inches. @ Tennis player Brenda Schultz-McCarthy of the Netherlands set an Australian Open women’s record when her ser was clocked last month at 121.8 mph. @ The America®sailing team showed women could beat men in America’s Cup events. @ Swimmer Janet Evans’ 1988 world recordin the wom- #9 Georgetown 91, W. Virginia 67 Michigan St. 61, #10 Penn St. 58 #12 Wake Forest 66, N.C. St. 62_ #13 Va. Tech 4, NC-Greensboro 48 Cleveland 81, Milwaukee 71 San Antonio 115, L.A. Clips 106 ee 25 Basketbail Pee Morgan Smith #8N. Caroling 73, Duke 72 rs Acuff, 20, a junior at UCLA, dreams of being thefirst womanto jump 7 feet. Says Acuff, whose "95 best was 6-6 ‘Whynot? I've seen a lot of skinny guys do it.” Kirk Cureton, a physiologist at the University of Georgia, says the performancegap is closing for cultural rea sons: “Changing social stigmas against women, better opportunities, less stigma about playing strenuous sports.” A 1993 article in Nature, a British scientific journal, reached thestartling conclusion that women runners, at their currentrate, will surpass menin the 21st century in manyevents. But scientists say biological differences always will ensure a performance gap in sports that require strength and #17 Purdue 80, Vanderbilt76, #22 Auburn 62 @ See WOMEN, PageD-2 Montreal 5, Washington | Men's Basketball at the Hunts —— TV Sports = Br - #15Texas Tech7B, OralRoberts74 3 Kansas 84, OklahomaSt. 66< # UConn 77. Rutgers 59) Charlotte64 #5 Ciney 76 would have set a men’s world record and wonthe men’s Olympic gold medalin 1972 @ Ann Trason, 35, a 100-mile racer from Kensington. Calif., has five careertitles against men andis among the best ultra-marathoners in the world regardless of gender @ The United States’ No. 1 female high jumper, Amy 52.10 seconds) Utah 98, Portland 94 Boston 131, Vancouver 98 Phoenix 120, Atlanta 84 points behind teammate Josh Griffeth, who had 20 DONNALOPIANO Executive Director, Women's Sports Foundation laws) in 1972,” says Donna Lopiano, executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation, which helped organize NBA Smith shot 71 percent (10 of 14) against Jordan and is also averaging seven rebounds a game. He entered Team. The chiseled look, the mature body. Thursday's 10th National Girls and Womenin Sports Day. ‘Look at the women’s basketball Dream Team.The chis- If there were a “surprise player of the year™.award in Utah prep basketball, Brighton’s Morgan Si would be a great candidate. Smith, a 6-foot-3 jumior, hasfilled in nicely for injured Bengal star David Nielsen, scoring 18 points an outing. Smith has scored 100 points in his last four games, including a 27-point outburst Tuesdayagainst Jordan. The performance makes Smith The Salt Lake Tri- the week as the eighth-leading scorer in 5-A, two. D4 §@ Marquee Matchup:Michaelvs. Magic D-4 Will women athletes eventually outperform men? While most physiologists dismiss such speculation as unlikely, female performance improvements the last two decadesarestriking. “Weare seeing the first generation of mature female athletes come on the scene since Title IX (gender-equity en's 1,500-meter freestyle (15 minutes, bune’s boys Prep Athlete of the Week. @ SanAntonio Wins Another Will Women Always Be a Step Behind? Prep of the Week points on Tuesday ed Press USA) 2 p.m. — Golf, Pebble ational Pro-Am ES 30 p.m. — Men's Bas- Ketbail, Providence at Boston Col In Action Tonight THL Hoek Grizzlies vs. Peoria, at the Delta Center, 7 p.m. NHL Butfalo,s, Florida 1 Boston 3, Ottawa 1 4 Men's Basketball: BYUvs. New Mexico, at the Marriott Center, Provo,7 p.m (WGN) 8:30 p.m. —NBA Basketball, Bulls at Ki |
