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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Sports

Wednesday, July 1, 1998

Littlejohn takes early bullriding lead


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, July 1 -- How do you break a drought in Pecos? Hold a
rodeo.

Car washes and picnics may work in other places, but in
Reeves County, the West of the Pecos Rodeo has traditionally
been the best way to attract showers.

Tuesday night was no exception, as the pre-rodeo performance
at the Buck Jackson Rodeo Arena was delayed by about 45
minutes, after the first real thunderstorm of 1998 passed
over Pecos about 7:15 p.m.

When competition finally began, Chris Littlejohn took the
early lead in bull riding, while Corley Cox did the same in
ladies' barrel racing and Arnold Felts took top honors in
the first event of the 116th edition to be completed, senior
steer roping.

The seniors roped on Monday and Tuesday, although the first
official performance doesn't begin until tonight at 8:30
p.m. at the Buck Jackson Arena. All events will take place
at that time, while Tuesday's special performance was
limited to steer roping, barrel racing and bull riding.

Twelve-time world's champion steer roper Guy Allen had the
best effort on Tuesday with an 11-flat time in his second
go-round, while Felts was just one-tenth of a second behind.
He later survived a 10 second penalty in the senior division
to win the title there, with a 50.3 total for three rides.
Butch Myers of Athens, Tx., had a 20.1 time to win the final
go-round, and wound up second overall, with a 52.3 time.

Felts' time Tuesday was 24.1 seconds, and A.R. Northcott of
Odessa was third, with a 25.3 time.

Littlejohn rode H34 Jump for eight second and 83 points in
Tuesday's final section of bull riding, taking a seven point
lead over Gilbert Carrillo of Stephenville. Jay Bryant and
Mark White were next, each scoring 75 points, and Rois Kelso
placed fourth on the night, scoring 74 points.

Tonight's events will feature six-time all-around world's
champ Ty Murray, who is also the current leader in the
all-around standings. He'll compete in the bull riding and
saddle bronc events. Rookie of the Year leader Craig Chavez
will also be among the bull riders tonight, while saddle
bronc riding will feature two-time West of the Pecos and
world's champ Craig Latham, and former Pecos rodeo champs
Billy and Dan Etbauer.

Last year's bareback riding champion in Pecos, Chad Klein,
is also scheduled to compete, as are 1997's steer roping
winner Jerry Cox, former calf roping world's champ Herbert
Theriot, and leader after the first go-round, Chad Hagen.

Another former Pecos champ, Trevor Brazile, currently second
to Murray in the all around rankings, is currently first in
steer roping, following Tuesday's performance. His 11.4 time
was good for a 23.2 second total for two attempts, just
head of Allen, who is at 23.4 seconds. Lionel Burns was
third on Tuesday, going 11.4 seconds, while J.B. Watley and
Buster Record are third and fourth overall, at 25.7 and 26.2
seconds.

In calf roping, Mark Ivy of Mountain Home and former world's
champ Joe Beaver of Huntsville took the second go round lead
after Tuesday morning's session. They each had a 9.8 second
times, to a 10.1 time for Justin Moases and a 10.2 effort by
Terry Kitchens. Overall, six-time world's champ Roy Cooper
holds the lead, at 21.6 seconds, to 26.3 seconds for Stran
Smith, 24.4 for Marty Jones and 25.4 for Neal Felton.

Bobby Hurley and Allen Bach are currently second go-round
leaders in team roping, after a 6.8 second effort on
Tuesday. Bret Boatright and Kory Koontz are second with a
7.2 time, and lead in the overall with a 15.2 second total.
Rowdy Rieken and Shawn Darnell are second, at 15.6 seconds,
and former champs Jake Barnes and Clay O'Brien Cooper are
third, with a 16.0 time.

In steer wrestling, D.L. Funderburgh of Stephenville and Ted
York of Trinity lead the second go round, with 4.2 second
times. Keith Webster leads the overall, at 8.9 seconds,
while Clyde Hemes and Chantz Greene are tied for second with
9.5 times, and Jeff Lewis is just behind, at 9.5 seconds.

The rains hit just before the start of the barrel race,
muddying the arena and forcing tractor and shovel crews to
come in to fix up the surface. That was done several times
during the competition, in which Cox, from Cotulla, took the
early lead with a 17.85 time.

Phyllis Newton of Carlsbad, N.M. was next, at 18.07 seconds,
and current leader in the overall national standings, Sherry
Cervi, of Midland, was third, with an 18.13 time.

Argentina again gives England penalty


By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
PARIS, July 1 -- England hates the penalty shootout.
English fans really hate the penalty shootout.

For the third time in eight years at a major tournament,
soccer's founding nation fell victim to a newfangled quirk
of the game. The seemingly random arrow of
five-kicks-a-side, used to bring an end to endless ties,
pointed the other way once again.

To make it worse, the opponent was longtime rival and
political foe Argentina, which beat England in the Diego
Maradona ``Hand of God'' game 12 years ago.

``We are almost distraught,'' England coach Glenn Hoddle
said after Tuesday's loss that sent the Argentines to a
quarterfinal against the Netherlands. ``It's a bitter,
bitter pill to take. ... It's a very difficult way to go out
of the tournament.''

Back home, the losers were lionized.

``Heroes,'' the tabloid Express declared on its front page.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who watched the match
with his children at 10 Downing Street, said the team
``showed the English spirit at its very best.''

An estimated 28 million people in Britain watched the
match, and the national power service said electricty usage
surged to levels registered when the ``Who Shot J.R?''
episode of ``Dallas'' was shown in Britain in 1985.

As England's notorious fans with tickets filed out of
Saint-Etienne's Stade Geoffrey Guichard and those without
shuffled out of the city's bars, there was some violence,
although not on the scale of the running battles that
consumed three nights in Marseille when England played their
last month.

World Cup organizers today said 36 arrests were reported
after the match, mostly for theft, public drunkenness and
attacks on police.

The English fans seemed too depressed to rumble.

``Penalties, sad. Penalties, sad,'' muttered one fan,
shaking the shaven head on which he had painted huge red
intersecting stripes to represent his country's flag. ``The
best team went out.''

Penalties were also England's curse in the 1990 World Cup
semifinals and in the 1996 European Championship semis. Both
times, the Germans won the shootouts -- and then went on to
win both titles.

The Argentines, suddenly unabashed enthusiasts of the
spot-kick roulette wheel, would like to follow the same
trail.

``It's the most dramatic way to end a game,'' said
Argentina's coach, Daniel Passarella. ``It's very hard to
watch it from the sidelines. ... It's very sweet to send the
English back home. Very sweet.''

The victory kept Argentina's record in World Cup shootouts
perfect -- 3-0, making 11 of 14 shots.

Argentina's victory completed the quarterfinal pairings.
The Argentines will play the Dutch at Marseille on Saturday.
Croatia, which defeated Yugoslavia 1-0 in Tuesday's other
game, will face Germany in Lyon, also Saturday.

Friday's games are Italy-France at Saint-Denis and
Brazil-Denmark at Nantes. Wednesday and Thursday are the
first off days since the tournament began June 10.

At Saint-Etienne, Argentina goalkeeper Carlos Roa made the
stop on David Batty's penalty kick to win the shootout 4-3
after 120 minutes of gripping action left the score 2-2.

There were three goals, including two penalties, in the
first 16 minutes. England played the last 75 minutes with
only 10 men after David Beckham was ejected for kicking
Diego Simeone in retaliation.

``There's no doubt it was the toughest second-round match
of the World Cup,'' Passarella said.

Of course, any winning coach will say that, including
Croatia's Miroslav Blazevic, who expressed superlative glee
after leading his seven-year-old nation into the final
eight.

``Never has a country as small as Croatia produced such a
result as we did today,'' Blazevic said. ``We have
eliminated a team with a great tradition. Our players
achieved a big goal. We're happy, happier, the happiest.''

Croatia is the first country to make the quarterfinals in
its World Cup debut since East Germany in 1974.

The lone goal in the victory was Davor Suker's penalty kick
in first-half injury time. Argentine referee Javier
Castrilli called the foul on midfielder Gabriel Popescu,
whose legs became entangled with those of Aljosa Asanovic as
they chased the ball in the penalty area.

NBA doors are locked on players


By CHRIS SHERIDAN
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK, July 1 -- The NBA is closed today. Doors won't be
reopening anytime soon.

For the third time in four years, a lockout is in effect.
This latest one began at 12:01 a.m., looking like it will
last throughout the summer.

``The league is locking us out. We want to play,'' players
union president Patrick Ewing said. ``There's still a lot of
time before the season starts, so we'll see what happens.''

Without any 11th-hour negotiations taking place, the lockout
commenced without any discernible fanfare. A work stoppage
was so much of a certainty that the league office announced
it almost 36 hours in advance.

Team personnel are now barred from speaking to their own
players or any of the 148 free agents, including Michael
Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman of the Chicago
Bulls, who will now have to wait indefinitely to see where
-- and whether -- they'll be playing next year.

``We're more unified this time,'' said Ewing, part of a
massive overhaul of union leaders since the last time the
league imposed a brief lockout in 1996. ``We're strong. We
believe in what we're doing. We're fighting for our
rights.''

Such strong words of unity could be put to the test if the
lockout extends into the beginning of next season. Most
players aren't due to receive their first paychecks until
Nov. 15, and the league may want to see how players with $2
million contracts and $2 million lifestyles react to a
significant loss of cash flow.

Many around the league predict the lockout will last at
least into mid-December, basing their feelings on factors
like the owners negotiating a new $2.6 billion television
contract that obliges NBC and Turner Sports to make their
first-year payment even if a lockout remains in force. That
money would later be ``returned'' in the form of reduced
payments over the final three years of the deal or, in TNT's
case, the right to broadcast additional games.

The NBA said it had no choice but to stop operating until it
could find a way to bring the salary growth in line with
revenue growth.

The collective bargaining agreement that expired at midnight
was supposed to run for six years. But owners had the right
to reopen it if the amount of money being paid toward player
salaries exceeded 51.8 percent of basketball-related income.
That number has grown to 57 percent.

``David (Stern) said he wants that number to be between 48
and 50 percent. He asked me for a number and I turned around
and asked him for one,'' said union director Billy Hunter,
who has been present for all nine negotiating sessions since
early April. ``I won't give him a number, because that's a
hard (salary) cap.''

The last bargaining session a week and a half ago lasted
only 30 minutes.

``They say they want cost-certainty. They have cost
certainty. They are the ones with the checkbooks,'' Ewing
said. ``If they feel Patrick Ewing or Michael Jordan or
whoever is not worth what they're paying, then they have the
right to say `No, this is all we can pay.' Then it's up to
us to move on or go to another team and get what we feel is
right.

``In what other work do the workers put a limit on what they
can be compensated?'' Ewing said.

Around the NBA on Tuesday, players and team officials took
care of last-minute business.

At team offices, staffs were briefed on the rules of the
lockout. Trainers and medical personnel conferred with
players on moving treatment sessions away from team
facilities.

In Orlando, the Magic decided to waive Mark Price, while the
Boston Celtics picked up the option on Bruce Bowen's
contract and declined to do the same with Tyus Edney.

The Houston Rockets brought in two of their rookies, Michael
Dickerson and Cuttino Mobley, for a final workout. The coach
and general manager of the Toronto Raptors flew to Atlanta
to meet with Charles Oakley and finalize last week's trade
with the New York Knicks.

The Philadelphia 76ers bought out the final year of Derrick
Coleman's contract, and the Seattle SuperSonics released
Dale Ellis, the league's career leader in 3-pointers.

Michael Olowokandi, drafted by the Clippers as the overall
No. 1 pick last week, watched the Argentina-England soccer
game while preparing to fly home to England. He had been
working out at the Clippers' practice site since the day
after the draft.

``I'll keep doing the things I need to do, working on my
game and my conditioning,'' Olowokandi said. ``As much as I
need offseason work, this will only motivate me because it
stacks the odds against me even more.''

Griffey again top AL All-Star vote-getter


By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK, July 1 -- Ken Griffey Jr. is heading to Coors
Field. Not that he was counting on it.

Griffey was the leading All-Star vote-getter for the third
straight year and fourth time overall, earning a starting
spot in the AL outfield in results released Tuesday.

``I don't take anything for granted. I always make other
plans. I don't take it for granted until they give it to
me,'' Griffey said before Tuesday night's game against
Colorado.

This marked the ninth straight time Griffey was elected to
start. He'll be in the lineup next Tuesday for the game in
Denver.

The Seattle star hit his 33rd home run, tying him for second
with Sammy Sosa behind Mark McGwire's 37, against the
Rockies.

Griffey got 4,202,830 votes, well ahead of Baltimore third
baseman Cal Ripken, second with 3,402,657. Griffey's total
also topped McGwire, the NL leader with 3,377,145 in figures
released Monday.

The New York Yankees did not have a single player elected to
start despite the best record in the majors. They were sure
to have at least a couple picked today when the reserves and
pitchers for both leagues are announced.

While Griffey intends to play in the game, he has said he
doesn't intend to participate in the home run derby during
Monday's All-Star workout.

``I gave my answer more than a month ago,'' Griffey said.

Ripken was elected to play in his 16th consecutive All-Star
game, all of them as a starter.

``It's obviously an honor, a thrill,'' he said. ``I feel a
real sense of responsibility to go to the game.''

Ripken was elected despite a subpar first half. He is
hitting just .261 with seven homers and 35 RBIs.

``I'm sure I'm one of the guys this year where some doubt
will exist, but to put it in simple perspective: it's the
fans' game,'' Ripken said. ``In a lot of ways, this has
become a popularity contest. Any system has holes in it, but
for the most part this is a good system.''

The rest of the AL starting lineup has Cleveland's Jim Thome
(1,193,823) at first, Baltimore's Roberto Alomar (1,834,970)
at second, Seattle's Alex Rodriguez (2,571,985) at
shortstop, Texas' Ivan Rodriguez (3,012,549) at catcher and
Juan Gonzalez of the Rangers (1,900,735) and Kenny Lofton of
the Indians (1,467,423) joining Griffey in the outfield.

``Considering the talent at the position in the American
League, including my good buddy Derek Jeter, it's a
thrill,'' Alex Rodriguez said.

``Teams in first place usually get the guys there,'' he
said. ``I think a majority of my votes came from the kids.''

Ivan Rodriguez will make his seventh straight All-Star
appearance. Gonzalez, an All-Star for just the second time,
has 96 RBIs and is on pace to finish two ahead of Hack
Wilson's record of 190, set in 1930.

The closest competition was at second base, where Alomar
finished 184,000 ahead of the Yankees' Chuck Knoblauch
(1,650,428), At first base, Thome beat New York's Tino
Martinez (993,944) by nearly 200,000 votes.

Ripken had the largest victory margin, finishing with more
than four times the total of Cleveland's Travis Fryman
(843,642).

NL starters were announced Monday, with McGwire at first,
Houston's Craig Biggio at second, Colorado's Walt Weiss at
shortstop, Atlanta's Chipper Jones at third and the New York
Mets' Mike Piazza at catcher.

Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies, Tony Gwynn of the San
Diego Padres and Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants
were elected to start in the NL outfield.



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