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Show ....___ _T_H_ EU __NIVE _R _s_ 1TY _ Jo _ URN __ AL _ •_s_o_ u _THE_RN _ UT _ AH _ UNIVE _ _ RS ..;;;.I_ TY_•_FBID __ A_:. Y,_ sE _PTBM _ _B_ER_2:3_ , 1_99_4____--J NATIONAL SPORTS is SPORTS DIGEST BOSTON BEGINS TEAM CHANGES: Butch Hobson was fired as manager of the Boston Red Sox after three losing seasons. Hobson's record was 207-232. He played eight years in the majors, six with Boston. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION LOOKS PAST LITTLE KNOWN CHALLENGER: Lennox Lewis would rather be som e place other than in the Wembley Arena ring against Oliver McCall early Sunday m orning. The WBC heavyweight champion sees the American as more of a nuisance than a threat, though he swears he's not taking the challenger lightly. SANDERS LEADS NFL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Lennox Lewis Barry Sanders of Detroit, who rushed for 194 yards on 40 carries in the Lions' 20-1 7 upset of Dallas on Monday night, was named the NFC's offensive player of the week. Barry Foster of Pittsburgh won the same honor in the AFC as he racked up 179 yards on 31 carries to help the Steelers beat Indianapolis 3 1-2 1. Defensive awards went to com erback T erry McDaniel of the Raiders in the AFC and li nebacker Darion Conner of New Orleans in the NFC while kickers Doug Brien of San Francisco and Steve Christi; of Buffalo won special teams honors. DAVID BENOIT FIGHTS HIS ADDICTION: Benoit 26, was released last weekend from a alcohol treatment ' center, where he spent the previous three weeks learning about himself an d his problem. " I realized I was not the person I wanted to be," he said. " I just didn' t feel like I was in control, I couldn't do the things I wanted."Benoit, who joined the Jazz in 1991, said he never showed up drunk for a basketball game and never played "in a daze," but acknowledged alcohol had affected his performance. N0.14 VIRGINIA TECH STOMPS WEST VIRGINIA, 34-6: T ailback Dwayne T homas and a strong defense helped No. 14 Virginia T ech overcome a sub-par outing by quarterback Maurice Des hazo to beat West Virginia T h ursday nigh t.The Hokies moved to a 4-0 start for the first tim e in 13 seasons.Virginia T ech 12-0 Big East) registered eight sacks on West Virginia's quarterbacks, hurried them six other times and intercepted two passes. NO LOVE LOST BETWEEN JIMMY AND BARRY: Former Dallas Cowboy Coach Jimmy Johnson, speaking from his outpost in Florida, has criticized current Cowboy Coach Barry Switzer for leaving the tea m the night before a game to see his son play college football, making practice too m uch fun and fielding a team that shows a lack of preparation . Switzer, fuming from Valley Ranch, has shot salvos toward the Florida Keys, saying he cares more about his family than Johnson does and his record at Oklah oma shows he knows how to prepare a football team . Joh nson said if the Cowboys don't start practicing Barry Switzer and playing hard " they' re going to wind up like Buffalo. T hey Ithe Bills) always had great talent but their performances were inconsistent throughout the year and it always caught up with them in the Super Bowl." NCAA RECORD BREAKERS: The N orth Carolina women's soccer t eam won its 89th straigh t game Wednesday, setting the unofficial record for the longest winning streak in college sports.The 5-1 victory over rival N .C. State broke the mark of 88 in a row set by the UCLA men's basketball team during the early 1970s. But the record won' t be recognized by t he NCAA because the association only keeps records on football, men's and wom en's basketball, softball, baseball an d women's volleyball. '"""-------1~ New fersey Devils goalie Peter Sidork iewicz, right, blocks the shot of New York Islan der Derek King (27) in an exhibition game Tuesday night at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. NHL teams up with hip Fox By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The NHL is looking for legitimacy. Fox is looking for legitimacy. The NHL would like to increase its appeal. Fox would like to increase its appeal. T he NHL has a hip, young following. Fox has a hip, young following. "We are an absolutely perfect match," said T racy Dolgin, Fox Sports executive vice president of marketing. "The NHL is just like us - the com ing thing." Fox's first NHL telecast will be the All-Star game in January and will be followed by regionalized Sunday coverage and selected playoff games. "Hockey is the game of the '90s," Dolgin said. "It's the now sport, and we want to be there to accelerate it." However, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman ' pointing to baseball's ruptured season, said Thursday the league will not start its season without a labor contract. He said the NHL will lock out the players ii a collective bargaining agreem en t is not reached by Oct. 1, opening night of the league's 78th season. " We want a season without distraction, without interruption. T he best thing would be to put som e pressure on both parties to get a deal going." Bettman, speaking by conference call, said the possibility of a players' strike during the season was "very strong" without a contract. Pro soccer to begin next spring By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Major League Soccer, the proposed U.S. soccer league set to start next spring, has invited the seven American Professional Soccer League franchises to join the venture. APSL commissioner Richard Groff said Thursday night the invitation was sent T uesday night by Alan Rothenberg, the U.S. Soccer Federation president and MLS chairman. " The gist is that they made a proposal to consider the option of becoming a part of the MLS," Groff said from his suburban Philadelphia home. T he invita tion marks a break from the initial intentions of MLS, which wanted to own all of the team s. T he APSL, which began in 1985 after the collapse of the North American Soccer League, is franchised, with teams owned by individuals or groups. It was believed the APSL and MLS could not merge because of that difference. " I don 't believe we're in a position to comment, " Groff said of the invitation. "The con tents of the letter should be made public by those who sent it." Rothenberg and Sunil Gula ti, the USSF nation al teams committee cha irman, did n ot return teleph one m essages. Groff said he has been discussing the offer with the other owners over the last 48 hours, and would meet with several others over the weekend, the final two days of the APSL regular season. He expects the APSL to respond by next week. "I think som ething like this demands a quick response," Groff said. T he USSF regards the APSL as a second division outfit, with MLS expected to become the first division. Rothenberg, who presided this summ er's World Cup, last mon th won a second term as USSF president, narrowly defea ting Groff. This month Groff became APSL commissioner. Rothenberg and the APSL clashed most recen tly before the World Cup. The Los Angeles Salsa fran chise negotiated to play in the Mexican first division this coming season over Rothenberg's objections. MLS named seven of its 12 charter cities days before the World Cup, saying the remaining five would be disclosed in the coming months . No announ cement has been made since. Rothenberg said in May he expected to have 10 major sponsors by the end of the summer. So far only one has been announced. |