A p ril 28, 1999
PageB3
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The Curtain Closes on a Class Act
Bi J O H N M O S S M A N
© T he A ssociated P ress
DENVER (AP) — For years, the
Denver Broncos’ offense consisted
o f John Elway and 10 other guys
Gradually, the Broncos became
more than a showcase for one daz­
zling quarterback. But now, with
Elway ’ s retirement set, the Super Bow l
champions enter uncharted terrain.
After 16 seasons, the unparalleled
m asterofthe two-minute drill is leav­
ing football.
Elway all but announced his re­
tirem ent Saturday in an interview
with Denver TV station KCNC in
Pebble Beach, Calif., where he was
playing in a golf tournament.
“For so m any years everything in
my family has revolved around me.
It’s tim e for that to change,” the 38-
year-old quarterback said. “I really
accom plished everything 1 wanted
to. T here’s no real upside to coming
back.”
If You Leave Him Out as a
Possibility, It’s Your Loss
T A L L A D E G A , Ala. (A P)
Some people w ere ready to write o ff
Dale Earnhardt. C ar ow ner Richard
Childress w asn’t one o f them.
“ D ale E arnhardt is the b est,”
Childress said after Earnhardt broke
a40-race winless streak Sunday with
a dom inating victory in the DieHard
500. “I f anybody gives up on him,
they’ve lost their m ind."
His fans didn’t give up. They were
joyous after Earnhardt drove his sig­
nature black No. 3 Chevrolet to vic­
tory at Talladega Superspeedway.
As Earnhardt sat high above the
front straightaway with his back to the
big pressbox windows after the race,
hundreds o f his fans stood below
chanting: “Eam -hardt, Eam -hardt.”
Between answers to num erous
questions, Earnhardt would half turn
in his seat and, grinning widely, wiggle
his fingers at the crowd, drawing a
roar that made his smile even bigger.
But he happily shared the spotlight
with Childress and Kevin Hamlin,
who got his first W inston Cup win
since becoming E amhardt ’ s crew chief
midway through last season.
The victory — only Earnhardt’s
second in the past 101 starts — was
a relief for Richard Childress Racing
and for Earnhardt, w ho will be 48
Thursday.
Still, like his car ow ner, he said it
was other people w ho w ere w orry­
ing. not him.
“ I t’s not been tough on m e,”
Earnhardt said. “It’s tougher on you
guys, keeping the stats and asking the
questions. We ju st race from w eek to
w eek and try to w in the next week.
“W e don’t w alk around and look
at each other and say, ‘It’s been a
w eek since we won. It’s been 100
weeks since you w on.’ ... W e know.
We talk about it. W e race to try to fix
that the next race.”
His com petitors ju st laugh when
asked if Earnhardt has lost anything.
“I w ish,” said Rusty W allace, who
was am ong the top contenders Sun­
day until getting caught up in a wild,
nine-car wreck. “ I ’d still rather have
ju st about anybody on my tail then
him. And getting around him when
h e’s leading late in a race ... forget
it.”
Dale Jarrett is the latest d rive r to
try — and fail.
The Decision is in...
IAAF Strips Race Medal
From Slaney
M ONTE CA RLO , M onaco (AP)
— M ary Slaney was stripped o f her
silver medal from the 1997 world
cham pionships after track authori­
ties determ ined M onday she failed a
drug test three years ago.
A lawyer for the prem ier U.S.
distance runner said the ruling by the
International Am ateur Athletic Fed­
eration was based on “ legal fiction."
“It is sad that the worldwide gov­
erning body for the sport o f track and
field would choose to prop up its
Elway reportedly considered an­
nouncing his decision two weeks ago,
but owner Pat Bowlen was in Australia
promoting the Broncos’ preseason
game there. Then last week, the an­
nouncement was put offbecause o f the
school shootings in suburban Denver.
Out o f respect for the victims, some
o f whose funerals were scheduled for
Monday, the Broncos further delayed
an Elway announcement.
“W e’re shooting for a mid-week
p re ss c o n f e re n c e , m o st lik e ly
W ednesday,” Broncos spokesman
Jim Saccom ano said Sunday night.
Bow len bought the Broncos in
1984 and never has know n a team
without Elway.
“ I think it’s going to be odd for all
o f us,” he said.
Running back Terrell Davis told
the D enver Post: “This really lets
some air out o f your system. It’s
going to be tough to com e back and
not see him in the huddle.
“ I really think this year w e’re go­
ing to face as much adversity as w e’ve
ever faced. W e’re really going to see
how much resolve this team has now.”
B u t o ffe n s iv e g u a rd M a rk
Schlereth took another view.
“ I think in the early years, it w as a
one-m an show w ith John h ere,”
Schlereth said. " It’s not like that any­
m ore.”
In fact, Elway acknowledged sev­
eral seasons ago that it w asn’t his
team anymore.
“ It’s T errell’s team now,” he said.
W hile Elway earned his second
straight Super Bowl title and the
gam e's MVP honor last January with
a 34-19 win over Atlanta, he missed
all or part o f six games with ham ­
string, back and rib injuries.
Instead, it was Davis, a 2,008-
yard rusher and winner o f the league ’ s
M VP award, w ho carried the team.
W ith Elway gone, Bubby Brister
steps in. Brister slipped seam lessly
into the lineup last season and guided
the Broncos to a 4-0 record while
Elway was out. But how will he hold
up during a 16-game schedule? And
will Brister at QB put more pressure
on Davis?
Even Shanahan has some qualms
about his new quarterback.
Brister, who turns 37 in August,
hasn ’ t started more than eight games in
a season since 1990. The backup is
Brian Griese, a third-round draft choice
in 1998 with limited experience.
So, the Denver Rocky Mountain
News reported, the Broncos agreed
to sign Chris Miller, who turns 34 in
A ugust and retired four years ago
because o f concussions.
“It’s agreat addition," Brister said.
“ If something happens, he has a lot o f
experience. You can ’t have enough
good quarterbacks.”
Brister is looking forward to tak­
ing over an offense that tight end
Shannon Sharpe likened to a Ferrari.
his only previous Derby starter.
is taken in concentrated form to im ­
Denver Broncos' John Elway
sham drug-testing program at the
prove performance.
expense o f one o f its greatest ath­
A Clean-up Man, for Real
The IAAF suspended Slaney, c laim-
letes,” lawyer Doriane Colem an said.
ing
USATF
was
slow
to
investigate.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mark
Slaney is free to com pete since
USATF
imposed
its
ow
n
suspen­
McGwire
never did it. Neither did
the IAAF said she had retroactively
SPORTS STANDINGS
sion.
But
Slaney,
backed
by
her
spon­
Babe
Ruth
nor Hank Aaron.
com pleted her tw o-year ban.
1983 SPRING STANDINGS
sor N ike, challenged the ruling, and
Nobody in baseball history had
A three-m an IAAF arbitration
SOFTBALL
in Septem ber 1997 the U.S. federa­
ever hit two grand slams in one in­ BASEBALL
panel said the 40-year-old runner
yy
L
To
Wilson
tion cleared her. The IAAF also later
ning. Until Fernando Tatis came along. Madison
10
1
L
tested positive for high testosterone
Madison
9
2
F,W
cleared Slaney to com pete but re­
With home run king McGwire play­ Lincoln
levels before the 1996 Olympics.
Marshall
8
3
C,F,M
Wilson
ferred the case to arbitration.
ing setup man, Tatis hit a pair ofbases-
The IAA F im posed a ban on
Franklin
7
4
L,L,M,M
Cleveland
Slaney now joins other prom inent
loaded homers in the same inningFri-
Slaney that ran from June 1996, when
7
4
M,JM,C,L
Franklin
nam es in track found guilty by the
day night. Both were off Chan Ho Park
Grant
the test was adm inistered, to June
6
5
C.M.W.M
Marshall
Lincoln
IA A F: Ben Johnson, Butch Reynolds
in the third inning o f the St. Louis Roosevelt
1998. Thus, Slaney loses the medal
5
6
Benson
Cardinals’ 12-5 win over Los Angeles.
L,M,JM,W,C
and K atrin Krabbe.
she won at Paris in the 1,500 meters.
Cleveland
Grant
2
9
“What an accomplishment: I get
Another high-profile case is pend­
“ Let them com e and try to get the
Roosevelt
1 10
goose pimples ju st thinking about it," Benson
ing. U.S. sprinter Dennis M itchell is
$20,000 (in prize m oney) that she
Jefferson
Jefferson
0 11
going to arbitration after testing posi­
said St. Louis managerTony La Russa,
won in Paris,” lawyer Jim Coleman.
GIRLS TENNIS
who also had a great seat last year MENS TENNIS
tive
for
high
testosterone.
To
L
W
Doriane’s husband, said. “They don’t
Cleveland
0
8
during
M
cGwire’s
70-homer
season.
Lincoln
say they’re going to ask for it back,
Lincoln
L
1
6
Grant
"W
hat
have
they
got,
100
years
o
f
It’s
Derby
Time
Again
in
but the order suggested they might.
Wilson
L
1
6
Wilson
baseball, and this is the first time it’s
... T hey’ll never see the m oney.”
Kentucky
Grant
G.L.W
3
5
Franklin
ever been done? Wow."
He called the test “bogus.”
L.W.G.F
Benson
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Bob,
4
3
Benson
Tatis, w ho had never hit a grand Cleveland
Franklin
“W hat they should have been do­
B F.W.L.G
5
3
W ayne and N ick have com bined to
slam
and
totaled
ju
st
24
homers
in
Marshall
6
2
ing is trying to find a w ay to prove
Roosevelt
win the K entucky Derby six times in
Jefferson
6
1
h
is
p
re
v
io
u
s
225
m
a
jo
r
league
Madison
when a female athlete has used test­
the 1990s, and it w ouldn’t be surpris­
Roosevelt
8
0
gam es, also set a record w ith eight Marshall
osterone. Rather than doing that,
ing if one o f the trainers is in the
Madison
No team
Jefferson
RBIs
in
one
inning.
they've been trying to find a way to
w inner's circle again Saturday.
He was stunned.
save a test that doesn’t w ork.”
“ I feel good about this Derby,”
GIRLS TRACK
L I
W
MENS TRACK
“
I can ’t believe it happened. I did
Added Slaney's husband, Rich­
Benson
0
4
Bob Baffert said. “ I’ve got two horses
Madison
not expect to hit another one. I’ve Benson
Grant
1
ard: “According to the IAAF. you're
3
w ho are contenders. I hope one o f
Lincoln
never been a home run hitter. I just Franklin
1
3
guilty until you prove your innocence. ’’
them w ins.”
Madison
1
3
try to m eet the b all. I’m not like Mark Grant
Slaney repeatedly has proclaimed
I f General Challenge or Prime Tim-
Cleveland
2
2
Lincoln
M cGwire,” said Tatis, who at 5-foot-
her innocence. Earlier this month,
ber — first and second, respectively,
Wilson
2
2
Wilson
10
and
170
pounds
is
7
inches
shorter
she sued the IAAF and the U.S. Olym­
in the Santa Anita D erby— does win,
Franklin
3
1
Cleveland
and 80 pounds lighter than the St.
pic Com mittee, w hich adm inistered
Jefferson
Baffert will be the first person in any
3
1
Marshall
Louis first baseman.
Marshall
3
the original test.
1
Roosevelt
racing capacity to win the Kentucky
Everything fell into place for Tatis Jefferson
Roosevelt
4
0
She claim s the te sto ste ro n e-
Derby three straight years.
to
make
baseball
history.
epitestosterone test is unreliable for
The last horseman to be in position
GIRLS GOLF
I
yy k
Eric Davis was out with an injury, MENS GOLF
w omen who take birth control pills in
to win three straight was D. W ayne
0
6
Wilson
so Tatis moved up a spot to bat
their late 30s or 40s.
Lukas. He sent out Thunder Gulch to
Grant
5
0
cleanup. M cGwire singled to load Grant
The IAAF disputes that argument
Wilson
win in 1995 and followed with Grind­
4
2
Cleveland
the bases once, then flied out to leave
Franklin
and said the decision by USA Track
2
4
stone, but in 1997 his Deeds Not
Franklin
Cleveland
them loaded the next time.
4
2
& Field on Sept. 16, 1997, to clear
Lincoln
Words finished 13th as Baffert won
Roosevelt
3
Davis missed his second full game Benson
3
Slaney was “erroneous.” The IAAF
with Silver Charm. Baffert’s winner
Madison
9
2
Madison
with
an
injured
left
hand,
hurt
when
said M onday’s ruling was "final and
last year was Real Quiet.
Benson
6
0
Jefferson
he was hit by a pitch in the seventh
binding," with no right o f appeal.
Lukas will try to return the favor
Marshall
6
0
Marshall
inning o f T uesday’s game.
“Mary is fine," Jim Colem an said.
Jefferson
at Churchill Downs w hen he sends
7
3
Roosevelt
“She was prepared for what hap­
out Charism atic and Cat Thief.
pened in M onaco. It’s o f no concern
“ I th in k the h o rses th at are
to her. She’s totally ignored it. It’s a
b attle -te ste d w ill be there at the
F ° °
nonevent as far as w e’re concerned.
e n d ,” said L ukas, w h o se tw o colts
U S A T F e x e c u tiv e d ir e c to r
ce rtain ly are ju s t that.
C raig M asback called the decision
Charism atic, fourth in the Santa
"a trag e d y .”
Anita Derby and a w inner o f the
“Clearly, she’s one o f the great
Lexington at Keeneland, will be
athletes in the sport and a pioneer,"
fjyuui
making his 15th start. Cat Thief,
M asback said.
winless in four starts this year but
“T-E testing for women is not
second twice and third once in Grade
supported by scientific evidence ...
I stakes in his last three, will be going
never mind for her particular test. I
to the post for the 12th time.
think it’s unfortunate that the IAAF
“I’m grateful to be in this posi­
decided to pursue this case after we
tion," said Nick Zito, who will try to
exonerated her. They should come
win his first Derby since 1994 (Go for
up with a legal test, not pursue some­
Gin) with Adonis, w innerofthe Wood
one w ho is innocent.”
Memorial at Aqueduct, and Stephen
The IAAF imposed the ban after
Got Even, w inner o f the Gallery
the arbitration panel said there was
Fumiture.com at Turfway Park.
“ failure to establish by clear evi­
Zito likes the Derby rivalry h e ’s
dence that an abnormal T-E test was
formed with Baffert and Lukas.
attributable to pathological or physi­
“ I would love to finish it off,” he
ological conditions.”
said o f winning the final Derby o f the
Slaney, the 1983 world champion
‘90s. I would love to have that honor.”
at 1,500 and 3,000 meters, gave a
Zito also said he d id n ’t w ant to
urine sample during the 1996 U.S.
seen the 1990s end with four trainers
O lympic trials that showed a T-E
have two Derby wins apiece. That
ratio above the 6-1 limit.
would happen should Carl N afzger
The T-E test detects the presence
win with Florida Derby winner Vtear.
o f testosterone, a naturally occurring
Nafzger won in 1990 with Unbridled,
Tickets avallatole at TieketMaster outlets. Ftose Garden Box Office and the Forest Dragons ticket office
muscle-building horm one that also
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FIRST 5001!
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