December 15, 1999
(The Jlortlanò (JMwruer
® Metro/Sports
Ken Griffeyjr. jolts Mets Suns coach Danny Ainge resigns
A sso c ia ted P ress
^ s scx iated P ress
Griffey on their minds. They do not
plan to badger Seattle about the 10-
time All-Star, but their offer - pitchers
Armando Benitez and Octavio Dotel
and outfielder RogerCedeno - is likely
to remain open.
“At this point, I don’t think he wants
to go to the Mets,” Mariners GM Pat
Gillick said. “ You ’ re always hopeful
something will change.”
Said Phillips: “I’m always willing to
leave that door ajar.”
“1 don’t feel like we were wasting
time,” he said. "1 think it was a worthy
effort to pursue, and an exciting one
to pursue.”
After just three seasons on the job,
Danny Ainge is giving up coaching
the Phoenix Suns at the age o f 40 for
the sake o f his family.
Now an even younger coach will try
to guide the Suns into contention.
Scott Skiles made his debut Tuesday
when the Suns hosted the Detroit
Pistons. At 35, he is the youngest
coach in the NBA.
"Scott has prepared him self since he
was a little kid to be a coach,” the
Suns’ Jason Kidd said. “ Scott is one
who has written down play after play
since he’s been in the league. We all
respect him. W e’re all going to be
open-minded and trust him. That’s
the biggest thing.”
Ainge’s resignation, announced on
M onday, took the e n tire Suns
organization by surprise. Skiles,
Ainge’s top assistant, said Ainge
told him ofhis plans on the plane ride
home from Dallas, where the Suns
lost Saturday night.
AshCClAIUlfShSS
"I was shocked to say the least,”
Wearing blue jeans and a green winter jacket, Heisman Trophy winner Ron Skiles said.
Dayne stepped into the back seat o f a car parked in front o f the Downtown Ainge has six children, ages 4 to 19,
and he said he became increasingly
Athletic Club.
After months of Heisman hype, and an hour o f nerve-wracking anticipation aware that he was not living up to his
Saturday night, a relaxed Dayne and a few buddies drove off for a few hours responsibilities as a father and
husband, responsibilities that are
o f celebrating.
Earlier in the evening, Dayne, dressed in a blue pinstriped suit, was shaking emphasized by his Mormon faith.
so hard in his chair he had to move away from Marshall quarterback Chad “It really comes down to just wanting
to make a statement to my family that
Pennington, seated next to him at the Heisman presentation.
“I wish I was calm as can be,” Dayne said. “I wanted to move from Chad. I didn ’ t they are more important than my
want him to feel how hard my leg was shaking. Once I moved away, I was able career,” Ainge said.
to relax a little bit.”
And when he stood up to approach the lectem in the Heisman Room, he was
He would be bigger than the Empire
State Building, the brightest star in
town since Reggie. Only one problem:
Ken Griffey Jr. does not want to play
inNewYork.
Junior jolted the Mets late Monday
night, blocking a deal they had worked
overtime to set with the Seattle
Mariners. “ It’s been made clear to us
that he would prefer not to be traded
to the Mets,” New York general
manager Steve Phillips said.
The Mets packed up and left the
winter meetings Tuesday, still with
Ron Dayne wins
Heisman by landslide
still unsure o f himself.
“I didn’t know what to do, shake the finalists’ hands, hug my coach, carry him
around, or carry my uncle around and put him on my shoulders, he said.
Dayne turned family troubles into family triumph with his sensational season,
and many o f his relatives were with him on his greatest day.
Those attending the ceremony included his girl friend, Alia Lester, and their 2-
year-old daughter, Jada. Also in the crowd were Dayne’s legal guardians, uncle
Rob Reid and Reid’s wife, Debbie, along with Dayne’s birth mother, Brenda
Dayne.
Dayne moved in with the Reids as a teen-ager after divorce and drugs ravaged
his family. Rob Reid couldn’t have been more proud o f Dayne.
“I never thought it would end up this way,” Reid said, “never in a million years.
Dayne’s acceptance speech lasted about a minute, which for the media-shy
star is like an hour-long special.
After thanking his coach, Barry Alvarez, and teammates, he turned to his
family.
“I ’d like to thank my daughter, Jada, for being the biggest inspiration in my life,
and I’d like to thank the real Heisman winner, forme, Uncle Rob, who is always
there for me and is always someone to talk to and tell jokes with.
Imported
J
oLxJC C O £ j
All name brand cigarettes
$3.00
GPC 2.10
Americanspirit $4.00
Marlboro Cartons $25.00
We have hum an & synthetic hair at low prices
Phone cards at 2.5 cents per min
We also have top hats & baseball caps
O n the co rn er of 26"* & A lberta 331-1422
Email us at tltorresa@aol.com
The Joyce Washington Memorial
Scholarship Fund Presents
Les Schwab/Blazer Alumni vs.
The Portland Observer's Cory Cougar’s
Charity Basketball Game
January 23, 2000 at 4 p.m.
Join the celebration and see the P ortland Observer family
and friends take on the Portland Trailblazer s Alumni
Team. This benefit will create scholarship funds for those
less fortunate and will create a monument to what Joyce
Washington stood for.. .equal opportunity and an
education for everyone.
Self Enhancement Center Inc.
3920 N. Kerby Avenue, Portland, OR
$4 Door
$3 Advance
Call Mark Washington for tickets or special group rates at 288-0033
Johntae’s Imported Tobacco & Accessories
2535CNE. Alberta
331-1422
Mrs. C ’s Wigs
707 NE Fremont
281-6515
ATisket ATasket
1305 NE Fremont
7344-7344
Simply Cellular
3939 NE MLK Blvd. Suite 109
280-8000
Even a seven-game winning streak
didn’t cheer him up.
“I felt like I had a lot o f little kid in me
when I played,” Ainge said. “I feel
like that little kid is dead because I
haven’t been able to enjoy it.”
Ainge had a 136-90 record with the
Suns. His current team’s 13-7 record
was tarnished by some lackluster
p e rfo rm a n c e s, m o st re c e n tly
Saturday’s loss at Dallas.
Y et A in g e sa id the te a m ’s
performance had nothing to do with
his resignation.
“If we were 17-3, I’d be making the
same decision,” he said.
However, Kidd thought Ainge was
becoming increasingly frustrated by
the team ’s play.
“As a coach you kind o f get fed up,”
Kidd said. “ I think he was worn out
and tired.”
Skiles likely will bring a tougher
approach to the job. The new coach
has a distinctly different personality
from Ainge, who is easygoing and
masks his intensity with humor and a
boyish grin.
“Scotty is a different person. H e’s
more a disciplinarian,” said Penny
Hardaway, who as a rookie played
with Skiles in Orlando. “He’s a guy
that’s not going to take a lot o f
nonsense. It’s going to be a different
story around here because Danny
was more laid-back, more friendly.
Scotty is the same, but he’ll yell at
you when he has to.”
Ina 10-yearNBAcareerthatincluded
Purses
Wallets
Pop’s
Chips
Candy
stops in five cities,
Skiles played with three
c u rre n t
Suns
H a rd a w a y ,
Tom
G u g lio tta and Rex
Chapman. Skiles still
holds the NBA record
for most assists in a
game at 30 while playing
for O rlando against
D enver on Dec. 30,
1990.
Skiles said it will be up
to him to earn the
players’ respect as a
coach.
@ ■= ÊWS
Quality Used Cart
O ffice 282-3340
Lotts-O -C ars
2616 NE A lberta
Portland, O R 97211
C ell 957-0948
P ager 441-3512
Community Based Used Cars
Affordable
Easy Financing
Buyers’ Guarantee
Low Down Payment
Cars $200.00 to $1000.00
88 Ford Taurus $900.00
83 T-Bird
$850.00
86 Dodge Blazer $700.00
88 Dodge Dynasty $999.00
86 T-Bird
$999.00
81 Buick
$550.00
Cars $1000.00 - $4000.00
88 Plymouth Voyager $ 1800.00
91 Convertible Dodge Shadow $4000.00
88 Convertible Chevy Z24 $3500.00
89 Ford Tempo
$ 1800.00
83 Chevy S -10 Pickup $1300.00