' •' & K S s m ÿtorUanh ©bsmier sa fe PageB3 • ■ .«a.;, k July 21,1999 A Don King’s Promotional A Rite Of Passage | British Open Ratings Slip Slightly as Lawrie Captures Playoff This year, lawrie, who started Sunday tied for 14th place at 10-over- par, won a playoff with 1997 British Open winner Justin Leonard and France’s Jean Van de Velde, who led I by five shots going into the final round. Van de V elde needed just a double- bogeyonthe 18thholetoclinchawin, but his triple-bogey forced the play­ off. The three players tied at 6-over- par 290 at the end of four rounds. Lawrie was the first Scotsman to twin the British Open since Sandy | Lyle in 1985. B y C ollie J. N icholson commentary Ratings measure the number of lu .S . households with televisions I watching the game, while the share is the numberofhouseholds with televi- I sions turned on watching the event I Cone Comes Back to Stadium As a Hero NEW YORK (AP) - David Letterman asked for him. So did Regis and Kathie Lee. The Hall o f Fame called, and umpires sent over some | balls to be signed. Everyone wanted David Cone on | Monday. “1 was completely disoriented for a I penodoftime,”theNewYorkYankees ace said. “I probably still am ” Cone took awayjust one memento from his perfect game Sunday against Montreal. He kept the final ball, and plans to give it to his dad. Cone’s jersey will end up in Cooperstown once it’s presented to Hall ofFamerepresentativeson Aug. 3 before a game against Toronto. Other souvenirs from his first no-hitter since a seven-inning job in Little League - and the 14th perfect game in modem I history - will go to help chanties. A tier talking to fellow perfect-game pitcher David WelLs in Toronto follow­ ing his gem Cone spent the night out toastingwithDerekJeter.Tino Martinez and Chuck Knoblauch 1 le talked with I his family back in Kansas City - his lather listened to the final innings on the | radio, via the Internet. All the activity on Yogi Berra Day - Don Larsen, who pitched a perfect game at Yankee Stadium in the 1956 World Series, threw out the ceremonial first ball - left Cone I a bit “frazzled,” he said. Over the years, Don King made boxing feel good about itself by promoting the biggest events in the sports’ h isto ry ...T h at’s what sets him apart. To say that King is a boxing icon is an understatement that is tanta­ mount to claiming that Walt Disney was a minor movie mogul or that Bamum and Bailey were minor min­ strels searching for a big top they could call their own. To denigrate King— the acknowl­ edged best promoter the fight game has ever seen— is an exercise that takes the green out o f envy and is an abuse o f one’s right to be silly. The abuse o f silliness, however, is an exercise that is being done against King all over again and some­ thing that envious sportswriters and the U.S. Justice Department seem to be making sport of. It is hard to believe, in view o f K ing’s excellent record as a pro­ moter, that there are still dissidents out there who seem bent on giving D on’s reputation another shellack­ ing. Like in the past, though, King is likely to come out o f all o f the acrimony, the innuendo and the false claims smelling like a rose. T a lk and new s show h o st Geraldo Rivera said on a recent “Geraldo Rivera Live show,” on CNBC Television, “The govern­ m ent has sucker-punched King three tim es.” Each time King has e m e rg e d e x o n e ra te d and the chances are better than even he will survive this latest try at besm irch­ ing his dignity a fourth time. Criticism o f King is based on per­ ception, not reality, as famed boxing Irwin Wins Third Ameritech Senior Open in Five Years LONG GROVE, 111. (AP) - On | I the first day o f the Ameritech Se­ niors, Hale Irwin had one o f those | [rounds where everything was oft. Putting, chipping, driving - it was all just kind o f blah, and his score, a 1 - lover 73, reflected it. He thought about practicing after-1 ward. Instead, he put the clubs away, wotked out and then called his son for some putting advice. “I had a good workout, got rid of | some of my frustrations," he said. “My son just gave me that little bit of I aputting tip, and I putted very well the ' | last two days.” That’s an understatement. “He made every putt he needed to I make,” said Raymond Floyd, Irwin’s I playing partner Sunday. That’s why Irwin has yet another | trophy. He shot a 5-under 67 Sun­ day for a 1-stroke victory at the Ameritech Senior Open. It was his I second straight victory at the | Ameritech, and third in five years. Armstrong has lead going into 15th stage of Tour de France ST. GAUDENS, France (Ticker) | — The Tour de France resumes today as American Lance Armstrong carries j asevenmmute,44secondcushioninto I the 107-mile 15thstagetoPiau-Engaly. Monday ’ s final rest day at the event | was not without incident as stage 11 winnerLudoDierckxsensofBelgium | [was excluded by the Italian team Lampre-Daikin after admitting to tak­ ing a banned substance. Dierckxsens claimed the 123-mile leg from Bourgd’Oisans to St. Etienne on Thursday and subsequently passed | a mandatory drug test. However, the 34-year-old Belgian | champion confessed to taking the cor- ticoid Synacthen to cure some ten­ dinitis. Riders must declareifthey are I using such medication or face the I possibility of sanctions Dierckxsens had a prescription to take the drug, but did so without in­ forming his team’s staff. Monday he was sent home by lanipre-Daikin, which does not have a nder in the top | 20 in the overall standings trainer Don Turner pointed out. While the government’s effort to make King the proverbial three-times loser has been unsuccessful, the smart choice now, it seems, would be for the feds, and the media, to toss aside the silliness and look at the good that King has done for the sport as well as what he has contributed to society. King is in a stew right now over whether or not he conspired with International Boxing Federation President Bob Lee, Sr. to influence ratings and ranking o f fighters. Detractors say he did. King and Lee insist that they have done noth­ ing wrong. It is not Don’s nature to take licks quietly. For what it’s w orth, it may be noted that both King and Lee are A frican-A m ericans and the m ost prom inent members o f their race in boxing today. W hile the IBF is at center ring in this controversy, it may also be w orthy o f noting that the other two m ajor fight or­ ganizations— the W orld Boxing A ssociation and the W orld Box­ ing Council— have summarily hon­ ored King for his contributions to the fight game. In 1994, the WBC named King “The Greatest Prom oter o f All- Tim e.” Also in 1994, the WBA named King “The Prom oter o f the Century.” Thus, there seems to be no squabbling and no adversary feelings among the other two box­ ing organizations about K ing’s re­ vered place in boxing. Their decla­ rations along with K ing’s uncount­ able— but very notable— accom­ plishments and achievement in box­ ing are the very stuff o f which leg­ ends are made, plus proof enough that King is a man o f considerable talent and unbesmirchable charac­ ter, despite what you hear and read to the contrary. What Don King has done for box­ ing would fill volumes. To wit, here are just some o f what King has done to move boxing to an exalted status: • King was the first promoter to advocate that professional boxing immediately institute well-posted, official round-by-round scoring— a major issue, currently being consid­ ered, in boxing today. He made his seven-point proposal in a New York Times article, Oct. 3, 1993. • In 11 major promotions in 1993, more than 300,000 people purchased tickets to watch fights promoted by King. • King was the first fight pro­ moter to establish his own television network the Don King Sports and Entertainment Network (DKSEN). It was established in 1982 and tele­ vised a fight once a month. • King formed the second pay-per- view sports and entertainment net­ work, King Vision in January 1991. • King was the promoter for such classic boxing matches as “The Thrilla in M anila,” “The Rumble in the Jungle,” “The Sound and the Fury,” “The Grand Slam o f Box­ ing,” and other multi-million dol­ lar fights that featured such boxing luminaries as M uhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Evander Holyfield, to m ention a few o f the m any o f boxing’s all-time greats. King’s promotion o f Holyfield vs. Tyson was the largest TV audi­ ence in the history o f boxing. The fight was watched by more than 1.5 billion people across the globe. • King was the first fight promoter to put three world heavyweight cham- Don King pionship bouts on one card—Nov. 9, 1996, at the MGM Grand — Tyson vs. Holyfield (WBA); Moorer vs. Botha (IBF), and Akinwande vs. Zolkin (WBO). • On February 20, 1963, King promoted the fight between Julio Cesar Chavez and Greg Haugen in Mexico City that drew 136,274 fight fans, the largest live attendance in the history o f boxing. • King was the originator o f the record-setting $ 150 million Jackson Victory tour. He also negotiated the Michael Jackson Pepsi-Cola com­ mercial, one o f the most successful TV spots in history. • No other promoter can match K ing’s record. No other can come within hailing distance. No other will fill his place in the history of boxing. The records that he has achieved, including being named to the sports’ Hall o f Fame, will stand well into the next millennium. K ing's reputation for greatness is not just associated with boxing. He has been a mover and a shaker and a giver to more community and civic causes than even he can enumerate. When a cause has called. King has responded, in no small manner. He has been especially kind to education, contributing million of dollars to colleges and universities all over the nation. Two years ago at the New Orleans Superdome at the famed Bayou Clas­ sic, King was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Grambling State University. S im ila rly , he re c e iv e d the N A A CO ’s President’s Award and was recently honored as the New York Republican C ouncil’s “ Man o f the Year.” For more than 30 years King has given away turkeys during holiday seasons to the poor and homeless. So many other King contributions have been made and kept well away from public notice. It is the nature o f the man to be giving and beneficent, perhaps like few other philanthro­ pists o f our time. He gives g e n ero u sly to the NAACP.unitedNegroCollege Fund, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Founda­ tion, the Indiana Black Expo, the Simon Weisenthal Center, the Na­ tional Hispanic Scholarship Fund the National Coalition o f Title V Chapter I Parents, W heelchairChari- tie s, the O ur C h ild r e n ’s Foundation.. and on and on and on. His beneficence has crossed ra­ cial barriers and goes by one guide­ line: Need. Thus, it seems pointless and with­ out factual basis for detractors o f King to again be working the rumor mill, creating innuendo, and framing allegations which can only be called sinister, purposeless and totally vin­ dictive actions. Davis Cup Celebration Sale! Sale! Sale! Crumbles B y STEVE WILSTEIN________________ © T he A ssociated P ress BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) - In the end, Tom G ullikson knew he made a bad deal with Pete Sampras, one that blew apart the team ’ s spirit and led to a shocking collapse against Australia. By accepting Sam pras’ insis­ tence that he play only doubles, G ullikson set up a w eekend o f ac­ rim o n y and s u s p e c te d flim flam m ery that tainted the cen­ tennial celebration o f the Davis Cup at its birthplace. "Maybe it is a character builder,” Gullikson said, trying to muster a weak smile after the Americans went d o w n in flam es, 4 -1 , in this quarterfinal. “Hopefully, we learn from these lessons and go on. Y ou’ve got to play the cards you’re dealt.” W hen G u llik s o n a c c e p te d Sam pras’ condition, he guaranteed endless speculation about a last- minute substitution for M artin or Courier. Gullikson had until Thurs­ day to change his mind, and when he put Martin and Courier in singles the Australians barely suppressed their glee. No sooner was that match over than Longwood was rife with ru­ mors about M artin being injured. Former Rage Coach on Blazers’ List Three- time Olympian and former Philadelphia Rage coach Anne Donovan has joined Lin Dunn, Linda Hargrove and K.C. Jones on the list o f candidates to become the Trail Blazers’ first WNBA coach and gen­ eral manager. Donovan was in her first season with the Rage when the American Basketball League folded in Decem­ ber. Despite being one o f the worst draws in the ABL, the Rage was in second place in the Eastern Confer­ ence at 9-5. B efore jo in in g Philadelphia, Donovan spent three years at East Carolina. She was an assistant coach on the 1998 Olympic team, and was an A ll-America forward at Old Dominion. Blazers senior vice president Harry Hutt said the team hopes to have its final interview done within the next week or so. The team is hoping to have the hire made by the end of the month. The Blazers must sell 5,500 sea­ son tickets by Oct. 15 to officially secure the franchise. The team is scheduled to begin play next summer ★ Jefferson Youth Football ★ Summer/Fall 1999 YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN A DEMO! Police Activities League (P A L) • Portland Youth Football (P Y F A ) Sign up information for the Jefferson Democrats Youth Football Program 1 <**> We will have sign-ups on Saturday July 31" @ Peninsula Park. @ Will also have sign-ups and Mini Skills Camp on Saturday. August 7* from 10 am to 2 p.m w Jefferson High School. The mini Camp is FREE to all ktds. If vou are going into the 5* and 6'" grades call for more information: Coach Clarence Bethune @ 775-0206 • Coach Ron Holmes @ 493-3566 Coach John Perry @ 240-4795 7'* and 8"1 Grades call: Coach Murray Todd @ 285-2568 H u m a n H a ir 'B raid in g H a ir G ullikson fed such talk by saying his players w eren’t 100 percent. So the A ustralians naturally questioned the Americans hon­ esty when M artin claim ed he felt woozy after practicing a h a lf hour and couldn’t play. Even Sam pras couldn’t believe it when G ullikson called him at 11:30 a m. - 90 m in­ utes before the m atch - and told him to warm up. When it was over, the A m eri­ cans had managed to turn a w eek­ end celebration into a wild mess. They had “the best player on the p la n e t,” as G u llik so n c a lle d Sampras, sitting out singles - the equivalent o f Michael Jordan sit­ ting out the NBA Finals. They lost badly on their own court. And they left the impression, right or wrong, they were willing to cheat to win. fo r‘Weaving 99c «Hair «Products ‘Buy One * get One Tree “T ree ‘B raid s $8 95 &Tlp Tom m y Çear «Wave C aps $099 2 95 *On Sglcgted Hair Troducts £Mrs. C ’s