The Montana Standard from Butte, Montana • 8

8 The Montana Standard. Butte, Monday. June 18. 1990 LI Attractions 10 'Standard1 Major league games 9 Legion results 9 Scores, results 1 0 unt Copper KflDiigs weirsatilaty on It By Bruce Sayler Standard Sports Writer Matt Whiteside graduated from college last month and began a career then changed it. Brian Scheetz never even concocted that he'd meet anybody from Montana.

Now. he has and probably knows more about it than most of his teammates. Terry Burrows has good reason to be the most nervous player in camp and not just because he's been tabbed as the opening day starting pitcher. The three hurlers are part of a Butte Copper Kings team that Manager Bump Wills described on Sunday as looking strong in pitching and ji speed with good hitting and defen- 'uj sive capabilities and long-ball if potential. The Copper Kings begin their Pioneer League baseball season Wednesday night at Alumni Coliseum with a 7 o'clock game against the Gate City Pioneers of Pocatello, Idaho.

While the last two teams the Texas Rangers (Butte's maior- 8 league parent club) provided the Peltier in 1989 before the Butte team lost to the Great Falls Dodgers in championship series both those years. Whiteside hung up his glove after a sterling career at Arkansas State, which ended with graduation ceremonies last month. The 21-year-old right-hander then took his degree down the road to the Wal-Mart discount store chain headquarters and landed himself a position as a fitness consultant in the executiveemployees gymnasium at the corporation's base. "I found I was coming to Butte on June 3," he said. "That was right after the Rangers told me they drafted me and I signed." The Charleston.

native related the story as if he'd never thought twice about the decision. Scheetz joined Whiteside at a bench under the Alumni Coliseum grandstands as rain beat on the roof Sunday during a players' picnic put on by the ever-hospitable Butte Copper Kings Booster Club. He said Montana never crossed his mind while he was growing up in Gladstone, Mo. "Then, when I got to college (Illinois-Chicago), my roommate was Jim Clinton," the 22-year-old righthander said. "Do you remember Clinton, a native of Lewistown, was valuable as a utility player for the Copper Kings last summer and is now playing for Gastonia, N.C., in the Class A South Atlantic League.

"So, I got to hear a lot about Montana from Jim," Scheetz said. "Then, this year at extended spring training (in Port Charlotte, Fla I got to be friends with Spooch McCutcheon. Remember him?" McCutcheon was the Copper Kings center fielder in 4987. "So, I heard more about Montana and about Scheetz continued. "Now, I'm here, myself.

Almost feel like a native after be-Hg around those two guys." Then Scheetz's face went glum and he dropped his head. "Too bad about Spooch," he said. "You know, he got released (by the Rangers) the first week of April and he didn't leave until the end of May? Kept hanging around Florida. Just didn't want to go home. I was with him the night he finally left." The experience is a reminder to Scheetz, a veteran of one pro season in the Gulf Coast League, that dreams can end viciously quick in this competitive world.

The left-handed Burrows, a June draftee from McNeese State, brought to camp shiny stats of a 10-2 won-lost record and a nationally ninth-ranked earned run average of 1.59 from college baseball's spring season. He'll be on the mound Wednesday night if the rain doesn't fall and the stork doesn't fly. -x i ui mil mi i if iiiiiiiiiiiw i Staff photo by Mike Walsh 1 -upti mugs weic aiuuucu wuu a nucleus of blue-ribbon prospects, this year's club may show a more even dispersal of talent throughout the roster. The highest draft choice in camp is fifth-round pick Jon Shave, a shortstop from Mississippi State. The Rangers gave Butte first-rounders Monty and Don Harris in 1988 and '89, respectively.

Texas' top pick this year, pitcher Dan Smith of Creighton, will likely spend the season at the Rangers' spring training complex in Port Charlotte, throwing under supervision and not being assigned to any minor league team. RUSTY GREER swings at a pitch as during Butte Copper Kings batting prac-catcher Victor Reyes extends his mitt tice Sunday at Alumni Coliseum. "And, Posey can swing the bat," Wills said. But, Wills' favorite topic, early in the practice season, is team speed. He said the Copper Kings are loaded with it.

"Shannon Penn (second baseman) is the quickest player in the Texas Rangers organization top to bottom," the manager, son of former Los Angeles Dodgers base-stealing great Maury Wills, said. "David Hulse (outfielder) stole 57 bases in 60 attempts in college (at Schreiner, Texas, Junior College) ball this spring. (Out-fjelder Malvin) Matos and Shave both have good speed, too." Also, Miguel Castellano, an infielderoutfielder, led the Gulf Coast League in thefts last season with 19. "Overall, offensively, defensively and with our speed and pitching, I. think we'll be pretty well-rounded," Wills said.

His wife is home in Lake Charles, expecting the couple's first child due any day. So, he's never far from a telephone. The Rangers have made arrangements for him to be home as soon as necessary for the big event bigger even than the launching of his pro baseball career. If Burrows is called away, the ball goes to one of two right-handers Steve Dreyer, a June draftee from Northern Iowa, or Tyrone Washington, a veteran of the 1989 Gulf Coast League season who Wills said was the best pitcher he had at extended spring training this year. Fans of the home run should keep an eye on catchers Greg Blevins and Marty Posey and first baseman Brian Mouton, Wills said.

Blevins belted 28 for Southwestern Louisiana in the college season and Mouton, at 6-3, 220, has power design. Sources said Smith pitched a high number of innings in college ball this spring and the Rangers are cautious about overworking him. "After just two days of workouts, it's hard for me to compare what we have here with what we've had here in the past," Wills said. "I don't want to sell these guys short. It's just that it looks to me that we'll be playing a lot more players this year because we have that versatility- "And, having those variables should be a help for when we have injuries." Copper Kings league championship possibilities may have been derailed because of season-ending injuries to hot-hitting outfielders Thayer Swain in 1988 and Dan Donald, Irwin turn U.S.

Open into 18-hole playoff challengers chances to win. Wright, the LPGA rookie of the year who zoomed into contention with a season-best 64 Saturday, had the best chance. She was tied with Johnson at four under after nine holes. However, the par-4, 370-yard 11th hole proved the turning point. MEDINAH, 111.

(AP) Hale Irwin's victory lap was a little premature. About 24 hours premature. The 45-year-old Irwin thought his long-distance, last-hole birdie putt perhaps 50 feet was the winner in the 90th U.S. Open Golf Championship. But the long putt, which finished a round of 67 Sunday and sent Irwin on a joyous romp around the 18th green, simply set up a long wait.

He had underestimated the grit of one of golf's also-rans, Mike Donald, who had nine holes to play his last-round scoring romps and was five under for the day until he chopped up the par-5 14th. Johnson breaks through, wins Atlantic City classic SOMERS POINT, N.J. (AP) -Chris Johnson ended a three-year LPGA victory drought by shooting a par round of 70 Sunday to capture the Atlantic City Classic by two strokes over Pamela Wright of Scotland. The victory was the fifth for Johnson, and it came in a tourna ment in which no one was able to take command on the final day. There were only seven sub-par rounds Sunday, none from the leaders.

Johnson, who held a share of the lead in each of the final three rounds, started the day tied with Wright and Dale Eggeling. Johnson, 32, took the lead for good with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 165-yard second hole at the Sands Country Club and never surrendered it, winning with a 5-under-par 275 total and earning $45,000. Johnson, however, did give her WHOLESALE KITCHENS NOW, You Con Buy QUALITY Kitdwn ottOW BUILDER 11 nMWin when Irwin ran not trotted, ran around the green slapping high-fives with startled spectators and blowing kisses. Donald, winner of a single title in an 11-year PGA Tour career, carried the burden of the lead in one of golf's great championships through a string of 13 consecutive pars. He made a bogey from a bunker and then toted a tie into the clubhouse with a gutsy closing round of 71.

Two hours after Irwin had celebrated a third U.S. Open victory, Donald matched his 8-under-par 280 total and set up Monday's 18-hole playoff. On the surface, it would appear to be no contest. In one corner is Irwin, undeniably one of the great players of his generation and a potential Hall of Famer, winner of 17 tour titles and the U.S. Open in 1974 and '79.

The methodical, articulate Irwin long has been noted by his peers as 1 one of golf's great grinders, a man able to extract the most from a difficult situation. On the other side is Donald, a scrambler and a struggler, a man who delivered flowers and umpired baseball games for a living after he lost a golf scholarship at a junior college. His credentials are modest. He went through nine seasons on the tour before achieving his first victory in 1988. And, due to lack of performance, he was in danger of losing his playing rights on the tour in 1987 before he birdied eight of 10 holes in the last round of the last tournament of the season.

But both Irwin and Donald know strange things happen in playoffs. Example: In 1955, an obscure golfing vagabond named Jack Fleck scored a three-stroke U.S. Open playoff victory over the greatest player of the era, Ben Hogan. "I'm going to have the chance of a lifetime and I'm going to go out there and take it," Donald said. "Today there were 27 guys within a few shots.

Tomorrow I've got a 50-50 chance." Irwin was considerably more subdued. "The difficult part for me will be bringing back the adrenalin surge. My scores have been up and down this week. I haven't had the same consistency Mike had," he said. The playoff, scheduled for 12:15 p.m.

CDT, was very nearly a Both Nick Faldo, the Englishman who won the last two Masters, and Open rookie Billy Ray Brown, came to the final hole with a chance to tie. Each needed a birdie to do it. And each had the opportunity. Faldo was at eight under par and had a playoff berth in hand until he three-putted the 16th. He put his approach on No.

18 within 12 feet of the flag and his putt to tie looked good. In fact, it hit the back of the cup only to roll away and leave him with a 69 and 281 total. Brown, the husky son of a former pro football player, remained in the hunt despite a double-bogey 7 on the seventh hole. He got back within striking range with a birdie at 17 and gave himself a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th for the playoff. But it missed on the low side and he bent over his putter in anguish, one stroke too high after a par round of 72.

Australian Greg Norman appeared to be on the way to one of I 1 5 7 KARMAN, QUALITY, KITCHEN CABINETS Buy Direct and Save "We meet and beat all competitors prices" cncc in-home iSTIMATES Kitchen and Bathroom RmodHng Spaclollgti .,7 -x- SHEA'S 723-6100 lor Fr" Irth. J.lw I.tlm.., improvement enter 1103 HAflftlSON AVE. IUTTE AP Laserpnotos DONALD misses a birdie putt on No. 18 uur 34tn year Irwin celebrates after sinking his No Trespassing on Your Public State Land Irish, Egyptians play to scoreless tie Being linked to probe steams Pistons' captain DETROIT (AP) Isiah Thomas, one of the most decorated players in the NBA, wants to leave no doubt that his involvement in an FBI gambling investigation is nothing but "a friend of a friend of a friend's problem." The Detroit Pistons captain angrily denounced reports by WJBK-TV and two newspapers during the' weekend that checks cashed for him at a grocery store owned by a target of the investigation had entered the probe. "The only reason I think I'm involved in this is because my name is Isiah Thomas," he said Saturday.

"We opened up all the records to the IRS and the FBI. They looked at everything. No problem." The television station, in its 6 p.m. news Sunday, stressed that its story never said Thomas was a target of the gambling investigation. To prove that, WJBK-TV re-broadcast the Friday report.

"At no time did we ever say that Isiah Thomas is the focus of or targeted by the investigation," news director Mort Meisner said. "We said that his name had only surfaced in connection with the investigation. In fact we went to great pains to say he was not the target of the investigation." Sources told WJBK-TV and the Detroit Free Press and Oakland Press in stories published Saturday that a grand jury had subpoenaed checks totaling at least $100,000 that Thomas cashed at a grocery store owned by a neighbor and friend, Imad Denha. Authorities have linked Denha to Henry Allen Hilf, the central figure in the gambling investigation, the sources said. FBI agents raided Hilf's condominium twice in January 1988 and seized betting slips, adding machines, telephones, lists of telephone numbers and about $60,000 in cash and travelers' checks, WJBK PALERMO, Sicily (AP) Ireland missed a number of second-half.

scoring opportunities and was WORLD CUP SOCCER held to a 0-0 tie by Egypt on Sunday, the fourth draw in a many games in World Cup Group F. The result left the four teams in the group with two points after two matches. England and the Netherlands also had a scoreless tie Saturday night. And all four teams have a 1-1 goal differential. England plays Egypt in its final game, while Ireland faces the Netherlands, both on Thursday.

Spain 3, South Korea 1 UDINE, Italy (AP) Midfielder Michel's virtuoso performance gave him the first hat trick of the World Cup, lifting Spain past South Korea 3-1 Sunday night. Michel shot Spain ahead in the 24th minute with a hard right-footed volley off a setup by Francisco Vil-Iaroya. He scored the winner in the 62nd minute with a curling free kick from outside the penalty area into the corner of the net, then capped his sensational night in the 81st minute with a close-range shot after beating two defenders. Belgium 3, Uruguay 1 VERONA, Italy (AP) Captain Jan Ceulemans finished off an impressive night of offensive ingenuity with a goal while his team was down one man on Sunday, helping Belgium to a 3-1 victoryover Uruguay and into the second round of the World Cup. Defender Eric Gerets was sent off just before halftime with two yellow cards.

But Ceulemans stunned Uruguay with a 20-yard drive in the first minute of the second half, adding to earlier goals by Lei Clijsters and Enzo Scifo. Uruguayan substitute Pablo Ben-goechea connected in the 73rd minute, when Belgium was momentarily playing with nine men because of an injury. Belgium scored two splendid goals for a 2-0 lead at halftime. "Dad, isn't Ihere something we can do?" "Mavtx- not as indiiduals son. but we can contribute to a coalition that actiely fighting and winning access for you." The price to win is cheaper than a trespass fee.

or not to go al all. Send what you can to reclaim your public land. Please do it today. SUM T3 2S thhrr in a trip to Alaska Ask for Details Send your Contribution to: The Coalition. Box 3986.

Butte, MT 39701.