Arizona begins title defense
PHOENIX, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Fireballing southpaw Randy Johnson, headed for a fourth consecutive Cy Young Award, gets the start Tuesday night when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game One of a rematch of last year's National League Division Series.
The 6-10 Johnson, perhaps the game's most intimidating, entered the playoffs last season with a major league record six-game postseason losing streak. It extended to seven in Game Two against the Cardinals after he allowed three runs and eight hits in eight innings. Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer off Johnson in the first inning.
Johnson made five more appearances after that one and won each, including Game Seven of the World Series against the New York Yankees, when he replaced fellow flame-thrower Curt Schilling and retired all four batters he faced as the Diamondbacks won, 3-2, to become the fastest expansion team to become world champions. Last season, Johnson and Schilling combined for nine wins in the postseason.
"I think Randy and Curt are an advantage in a one-game series or a 50-game series," said Diamondbacks Manager Bob Brenly. "I mean having those two guys available is certainly something we like a lot. This year in particular because of the way the schedule is set up. In the Division Series, we can pitch those guys conceivably four our of the five games, and that's something we like."
Although Johnson and Schilling remain, several key players are not around.
Luis Gonzalez, who delivered an RBI single off closer Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game Seven of the World Series, will not be able to contribute this year as he is sidelined with a separated shoulder. Second baseman Craig Counsell, rightfielder Danny
Bautista and lefthander Brian Anderson all are sidelined.
St. Louis goes with Matt Morris, who pitched brilliantly but was 0-1 in two Division Series starts last season. He opposed Schilling both times and allowed just two runs and 13 hits in 15
innings.
"I'm sure it's going to be difficult anyway," said Morris about facing a lineup without Gonzalez and Counsell. "These are professional hitters. It's a great team. You know, losing Gonzo is a big blow to them, obviously right in the heart of their lineup. It allows us to pitch to more guys and pitch to some key guys."
The Yankees also begin their quest to return to the World Series as they host the Anaheim Angels in Game One of the American League Division Series Tuesday night.
New York had won three straight World Series before losing to Arizona last year, and bolstered its offense by acquiring All-Star first baseman Jason Giambi, third baseman Robin Ventura and rightfielder Raul Mondesi.
New York also added a starting pitcher to an already deep staff as lefthander David Wells returned to the Bronx after being sought after by the Diamondbacks in the offseason.
Six-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, who has battled nagging injuries this season, takes the mound at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night.
Clemens is just 1-3 with a 4.86 ERA in six career Division Series starts, but owns a 27-8 career record against the Angels.
While with the Boston Red Sox in 1986, Clemens went 1-1 with a 4.37 ERA in three starts against the Angels in the AL Championship Series.
"This is the best time of year, the most excitement around the city," Clemens said. "Not only do we have high expectations, our fans and the city, they have high expectations for us also. We're supposed to go out there and shine and do well. But we have to play well."
While the expectations are always there for the Yankees, they were not for the Angels, a team that finished 12 games below .500 last season and was not expected to contend with the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners in the AL West.
Anaheim got off to a 6-14 start but finished with a franchise-record 99 wins to reach the postseason for the first time since 1986, when the Angels lost in seven games to Boston.
"I think the patience to see this lineup get together and play was what was needed," said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia. "They certainly did that after that 6-14 start, they'd been incredible. I think it's a credit to those players keeping it together and believing in themselves."
Jarrod Washburn, who was not yet in high school when the Angels last made the playoffs and lost that series to Boston, opposes Clemens.
Oakland, which lost in five games to New York in the Division Series the last two years, plays Game One of the other ALDS against the upstart Minnesota Twins Tuesday afternoon. The A's have
three different 20-game winners in as many years and start righthander Tim Hudson.
Hudson received poor run support early in the season, but finished with a 15-9 record and a 2.98 ERA. He has won eight straight decisions since a loss at Anaheim on July 24.
Lefthanders Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, who combined for 42 wins, will start Games Two and Three for Oakland.
"We just didn't want to start juggling the rotation down to the last week," said A's Manager Art Howe. "They were all in a nice groove doing what they were doing. If you start
changing a day here and there, you don't know how it's going to affect people, and we have the utmost confidence in all three pitchers. I think sometimes, you can overrate the fact that maybe a team doesn't hit lefties or righties too much, when you are running a quality righthander out there, like Tim Hudson, it doesn't matter what the numbers are out there on the other side, I don't think."
First-year manager Ron Gardenhire has the Twins in the postseason for the first time since 1991, when the club won the World Series. Gardenhire, whose club had a balanced lineup, will start Brad Radke in Game One.
The other NL Division Series between the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants begins Wednesday.
Mets fire Bobby Valentine
NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- In a move not unexpected but still surprising, Bobby Valentine Tuesday was fired as manager of the New York Mets, two days after they finished last in the National League East with a 75-86 record.
Both Valentine and General Manager Steve Phillips had received votes of confidence from team owner Fred Wilpon in recent weeks, but he changed his mind, retaining only Phillips.
The Mets were touted as a World Series contender in 2002 after a busy offseason in which they acquired stars Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Jeromy Burnitz and Pedro Astacio. However, they were never a serious threat to the Atlanta Braves and lost a National League-record 15 straight home games at one point.
The season ended in controversy following a report in Newsday that seven Mets players allegedly smoked marijuana during the season. The report claimed that Valentine worried about drug use on his team as far back as spring training.
Valentine spent six-plus seasons as manager of the Mets and twice advanced to the postseason. His highlight was taking the Mets to the 2000 World Series against the New York Yankees before losing in five games.
After that, the team began a mysterious downward spiral, starting with a disappointing third-place finish in 2001 with a mark of 82-80.
Kurt Wagner undergoes surgery
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, the NFL's MVP two of the last three years, Tuesday
underwent surgery to repair a broken right pinky. He is expected to be out 8-10 weeks.
"The surgery went well, and we anticipate that with rehabilitation, he will recover function over eight to 10 weeks," said Rams head physician Dr. Matthew J. Mattava, who performed the surgery with Dr. Richard H. Gelberman at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
The 55-minute procedure involved the insertion of four pins into the proximal phalanx bone, which is the bone that runs along the outside of the finger from the large knuckle nearest the wrist to the middle knuckle closer to the tip of the finger.
Warner sustained the injury in the Rams' 13-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys Sunday. He broke the same finger in October 2000, but this was a new fracture.
"In 2000 the fracture was close to the central knuckle," said Dr. Gelberman. "This fracture was at the other end of the proximal phalanx bone, near the joint at the knuckle where the finger attaches to the hand. The bone was broken in three places and displaced."
Warner will wear a splint to protect and immobilize the finger for approximately four-to- six weeks. He will begin therapy to restore strength and range of motion. The pin will be removed after five-to-six weeks, and then Warner can begin rehabbing the finger to perform tasks such as throwing a football and receiving a snap from center.
The loss of Warner is a tremendous blow to the defending NFC champions. At 0-4, the Rams are off to their worst start in 39 years.
Warner was hurt when he tried to brace himself after being knocked to the turf by blitzing safety Roy Williams of Dallas.
He got off the pass, but it was picked off by defensive end Greg Ellis, giving Warner a league-leading eight interceptions this season.
Jamie Martin replaced Warner and was 24-of-37 for 262 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Warner, a Pro Bowler each year since he became a starter in 1999, threw for a career-high 4,830 yards last season.
St. Louis has been besieged by injuries and already is without Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace and starting outside linebacker Tommy Polley, who also have been sidelined by crippling injuries.
Webb out for season with pectoral tear
CINCINNATI, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The Cincinnati Bengals have announced that perennial Pro Bowl offensive tackle Richmond Webb will miss the remainder of the football season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Webb was hurt the injury during Sunday's 35-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will undergo surgery in the near future.
Coach Dick LeBeau reportedly had been contemplating starting first-round pick Levi Jones in recent weeks over Webb. Now, Jones will be pressed into the starting lineup for the seven-time Pro Bowler.
"I've been preparing like I'm a starter," Jones said. "I'm just going to have to settle down and play football."
Webb, a 6-6, 325-pounder, had started 20 straight games since signing with the Bengals prior to the 2001 season.
Selected with the ninth overall pick in 1990 by Miami, Webb made seven Pro Bowls during his tenure with the Dolphins. He started in the Pro Bowl as a rookie, replacing injured Hall of Famer and former Bengal Anthony Munoz.
The loss of Webb is just another blow for the hapless Bengals, who have lost their four games by a combined 119-25. Next Sunday, they play at Indianapolis.
The Bengals have been woeful offensively, allowing 14 sacks in four games and averaging 3.5 yards per offensive play.
Raptors excuse Olajuwon from camp
TORONTO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Aging center Hakeem Olajuwon of the Toronto Raptors, who has been limited in recent seasons because of an ongoing back problem and other physical ailments, has been excused by the team from its training camp.
He will remain on the team's active roster until a decision on his playing status is made at a later time.
General Manager Glen Grunwald said late Monday that the future does not look promising. The Raptors signed Olajuwon, 39, in 2001 after he had played his entire pro career with the Houston Rockets.
"I don't foresee him playing for the Raptors in the foreseeable future," Grunwald said. "He will remain in Houston while he considers his options. It was a gamble I think we lost on. It could've worked great, but it didn't and we have to move on now. I'm still happy with our team. I'm still happy optimistic about the season. It would be nice to have Hakeem playing but it doesn't look like that's going to be the case."
Olajuwon faces an arduous rehab process if he decides he wants to continue playing, but doctors are not optimistic. His biggest problem is with a troublesome disc in his back which does not give any indication that it will get any better or less painful in the near future.
The Raptors are already planning to play the 2002-03 campaign without him, retirement or not. Either way, the team will have to absorb some kind of salary hit.
"Hopefully we'll collect on disability insurance if he's unable to play, but other than that really, the effects on our salary cap and luxury tax implications remain the same," Grunwald said. "There are some exceptions in the league for injured players, and we may be able to make use of those to some degree, but not any more than the minimum."
The Raptors may be forced to use Antonio Davis, a natural power forward, at center until 7-0 Eric Montross proves he has sufficiently recovered from the stress fracture in his foot that kept him from playing in the tail-end of the regular season and the 2002 playoffs.
Olajuwon averaged only 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest in 37 starts for Toronto last season. The Raptors acquired him from Houston in August 2001 for draft picks and signed him to a three-year, $17 million deal.
Olajuwon has played in 1,238 games since being drafted by the Rockets out of the University of Houston in 1984. With the Rockets, he had career averages of 22.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per contest, and a league-record 3,740 blocked shots.
He missed 21 games with a right quadriceps strain and an infected toe last season.
In 1994, Olajuwon became the only player to win the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA Finals MVP honors in the same season.
Pistons trade Rodney White to Denver
DETROIT, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Forward Rodney White, who was the ninth overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, has been shipped by the Detroit Pistons to the Denver Nuggets.
The price was fairly high for the Nuggets, who sent center Mengke Bateer, forward Don Reid and a 2003 first-round pick that belonged to Milwaukee for White.
"It's difficult to trade a young talented player like Rodney White, but we feel this move adds depth to our front line and gives us flexibility for the future," said Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars.
White, 22, spent just one season at North Carolina-Charlotte. He did the same at Detroit, playing just 16 games and averaging 3.5 points and 1.1 rebounds per contest as he was buried behind Michael Curry and Corliss Williamson, who was named Sixth Man of the Year.
The Pistons also used their 2002 first-round pick on Tayshaun Prince of Kentucky, another small forward who outplayed White during the team's summer league.
The trade makes the rebuilding Nuggets even younger. On draft day, General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe swung a deal that landed the Nuggets teenage foreigners Nene Hilario and Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
The trade is the second for Detroit in less than three weeks.
They sent star guard Jerry Stackhouse, forward Brian Cardinal and center Ratko Varda to the Washington Wizards for guards Richard Hamilton and Hubert Davis and swingman Bobby Simmons, who since has been waived.
Bateer, 26, appeared in 27 games, including 10 starts, with Denver last season and averaged 5.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 15.1 minutes.
Bateer, signed by Denver as a free agent last February, joined Wang Zhizhi as the second Chinese player to join the NBA. The 6-11, 290-pounder teamed with Zhizhi and Yao Ming, the first overall pick in the 2002 draft, on the Chinese National Team.
Reid, 28, begins his second stint with the Pistons after being drafted by them in 1995. He averaged 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in five seasons with the Pistons.
The 6-8, 250-pounder averaged 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 68 games with the Orlando Magic last season and was traded to Denver on Aug. 1.
Reid has played in 402 games with Detroit, Washington and Orlando, averaging 3.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13.3 minutes.
Wizards bring back Bobby Simmons
WILMINGTON, N.C., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Less than three weeks after they traded swingman Bobby Simmons to the Detroit Pistons, the Washington Wizards Tuesday re-signed the small forward.
Terms were not disclosed.
Simmons was sent to the Pistons along with Richard Hamilton and Hubert Davis in a blockbuster trade that brought them Jerry Stackhouse. Simmons was waived by the Pistons last Tuesday.
"We are excited to have Bobby Simmons back with us at training camp," said Wizards General Manager Wes Unseld. "He is a hard-working young man who we're obviously very familiar with."
Simmons played in 30 games for the Wizards last season, averaging 3.7 points per contest. He missed 42 games on the injured list with patella tendinitis in his left knee.
The second-year pro left DePaul University in 2001 after his junior year. He was the only player in school history to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 three-point field goals.
Hornets re-sign Lee Nailon
NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The New Orleans Hornets have re-signed veteran small forward Lee Nailon, who showed his value when Jamal Mashburn was injured last season.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Nailon averaged 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest in 41 games as a starter, scoring in double figures 34 times last season. He recorded a career-high 27 points twice.
"Lee proved to be a valuable part of our team last year and we upgraded his contract as a result of that performance," said Hornets Executive Vice President Bob Bass. "He has a great ability to score and was one of five players to average double figures for us last season, so we felt the need to upgrade the qualifying offer that we had on the table in the summer."
Nailon, a second-round pick by the Hornets in 1999, played in 79 games overall last season, averaging 10.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 24 minutes per contest. He scored a career-high 27 points twice and hit a game-winning shot as time expired at Houston on Feb. 1.
Raptors ink top draft pick
TORONTO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The Toronto Raptors late Monday signed first-round draft choice forward Chris Jefferies.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but under the collective bargaining agreement, Jefferies is expected to make a minimum of $2.078 million over three years.
Jefferies was taken by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 27th pick in the draft before his rights were traded to the Raptors. Now, he is finally is under contract.
"I wasn't too worried about it," Jefferies said. "I figured it would get done. Now I don't have to think about this stuff at all for the next few years."
The 6-8 Jefferies left Fresno State after his junior season. He averaged 17.3 points in 21 games before suffering torn cartilage in his knee and missing the rest of the year.
Jefferies, 22, spent two seasons at Fresno State after transferring from Arkansas. He is coming off knee surgery that cut short his junior season at Fresno State. He's still not 100 one-hundred percent, but his strength has improved considerably after the past few months of aggressive rehabilitation.
Titans lose two more starters for Redskins
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The Tennessee Titans Monday learned that they will be without wide receiver Derrick Mason and cornerback Samari Rolle for some time because of injuries.
Mason, the Titans' leading receiver, will miss 3-4 weeks with a separated left shoulder, and Rolle, the club's top cornerback, is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a strained right hamstring.
Both players were hurt in Sunday's 52-25 drubbing at Oakland.
Mason, who established an NFL-record with 2,690 all-purpose yards in 2001 while also returning kickoffs and punts, has 23 receptions for 357 yards this season.
"Derrick Mason has a separated shoulder," said Coach Jeff Fisher. "It's an AC joint. It's not dislocated, but separated. It's going to be placed in a brace and he will probably be in that for 3-4 weeks. It was similar to what Eddie Berlin had last year and he was back in four weeks, so it's reasonable to think that we'll have a chance of getting him back after the bye week."
With him sidelined, Kevin Dyson, who has been a disappointment since being drafted in the first round in 1998, could become the main target of quarterback Steve McNair.
Losing their top corner is a significant blow for the Titans, who have surrendered 707 yards through the air, seven touchdown passes and 83 points in losing their last two games.
"He does have a significant hamstring strain," Fisher said of Rolle. "There was a great deal of swelling. It's not torn nor is it going to need surgery in order to be corrected. It's more along the line of Tank's (Williams) which is 3-4 weeks."
Veteran Dainon Sydney is listed behind Rolle on the Titans' depth chart.
Tennessee (1-3), which has lost three straight games, hosts Washington next Sunday.
UMass gives Lappas contract extension
AMHERST, Mass., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Steve Lappas, the men's basketball coach at the University of Massachusetts, late Monday signed a one-year contract extension.
Terms were not disclosed.
Lappas, who went 13-16 last year in his first season at UMass, now is signed through the 2006-07 season. He became the 19th coach in the program's history last year after nine seasons at Villanova.
"We are very pleased with the direction our men's basketball program is headed," said UMass Athletic Director Ian McCaw. "Coach Lappas and his staff have done an outstanding job recruiting very talented student-athletes, and we are looking for great things in the coming years under his leadership. His record, both academically and athletically with his programs, speaks for itself."
Massachusetts jumped out to a 4-0 start last season, including wins over Oregon and North Carolina State. It was the school's best start since 1995-96, but the Minutemen slumped to the finish.
Lappas owns an overall record of 243-188 in 14 seasons as a Division I coach, including eight postseason tournament trips.
Former Oregon football coach dies
EUGENE, Ore., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Len Casanova, who retired in 1966 as the winningest football coach ever at the University of Oregon, died early Tuesday at the age of 97 after a prolonged illness.
Casanova coached the Ducks for 16 years and compiled a record of 82-73-8, still good for second on the school's all-time list. He served as athletic director from 1967-70, remained active within the athletic department and was inducted into the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.
Casanova's teams made several memorable bowl appearances, including a 10-7 loss to top-ranked Ohio State in the 1958 Rose Bowl. Five years later, Oregon defeated Southern Methodist, 21-14, in the Sun Bowl.
