Braves, D'Backs resume quest
ATLANTA (UPI) -- Curt Schilling sought to continue his National League playoff mastery Friday night as his Arizona Diamondbacks tried to go up 2-1 over the Atlanta Braves in the second game of their championship series.
The Braves, who countered with John Burkett, tied the series as a game apiece when they took Wednesday's encounter 8-1.
Schilling (2-0, 0.50 ERA) dominated the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round, tossing a pair of complete games, allowing just one run.
Schilling threw seven scoreless innings in his only start against the Braves this season -- a 7-0 Diamondbacks win on Aug. 10 at Turner Field.
New deal reported for Cards' La Russa
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Published reports said Friday Tony La Russa will remain with the St. Louis Cardinals and become one of the highest-paid managers in baseball.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that La Russa, who has won over 500 games in six seasons with the team, has decided to stay for a new deal worth $2 million or more per season for probably two years.
According to the paper, the details of the contract are still being worked out by the 57-year-old La Russa and Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty but could be completed in the next week.
"I'm looking forward to coming back," La Russa told the Post-Dispatch. "Let's go forward."
The former Oakland skipper, who guided the Athletics to a World Series championship in 1989 in the midst of three straight appearances in the Fall Classic, is 507-464 at the helm of the Cardinals, who claimed the National League wild card this season.
"Money isn't a factor and it's not going to be a difficult thing negotiating," La Russa said. "The key thing is that they want me, I'd like to come back and most of the players feel good about 'Let's try it again.'"
Seattle's Lou Piniella, San Francisco's Dusty Baker and Bobby Valentine of the New York Mets are the current managers making $2 million a year. Joe Torre of the three-time champion Yankees earns approximately $3 million per season and has reportedly been offered $5 million per year.
Buffs seek return to fb glory
By United Press International
Colorado hopes to emulate Oklahoma of a year ago when the Sooners began to restore their reputation as a national power with three impressive October wins.
After disposing of Kansas State and Texas A&M the past two weeks, No. 17 Colorado (5-1) goes for its third straight October conquest when it visits No.8 Texas Saturday. Texas (5-1) is seeking its 12th consecutive home victory.
It is the only college football game between ranked teams on a weekend when four of the top 10 teams are idle. Among those in action are No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 3 Nebraska, who stage their final tuneups before next week's Big 12 showdown in Lincoln.
The quarterback position will be at the center of attention in
Oklahoma, where the second-ranked Sooners (6-0) will start Jason White over Nate Hybl against Baylor in their quest of a 20th straight victory.
Nebraska (7-0) plays T4xas Tech Saturday. Fifth-ranked Oregon (6-0) will take the longest current home winning streak in the country (23 straight) into Saturday's Pac-10 Conference game with Stanford.
Sixth-ranked UCLA (5-0) opposes winless California on Saturday, No. 10 Fresno State (6-0) hosted Boise State Friday night and No. 18 Washington State ran its record to 7-0 with a 53-28 win over Montana State Thursday night.
In other games, No. 11 Tennessee (3-1) takes on SEC foe Alabama, No. 16 South Carolina (5-1) faces Vanderbilt and No. 19 Georgia (4-1) hosts Kentucky. Three other schools will try to remain unbeaten Saturday. No.
13 Brigham Young (6-0) hosts Air Force, No. 14 Maryland (6-0)
plays winless Duke and No. 23 Toledo (5-0) visits Ball State.
Card rookie hurt
PHOENIX, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Arizona Cardinals' rookie defensive lineman, will need surgery to repair a torn right MCL
and is out indefinitely, the team has announced.
A second-round draft pick out of Nebraska, Vanden Bosch was injured Wednesday when a teammate accidentally hit him from the side during drills. He watched practice Thursday wearing a knee brace.
The 6-4, 270-pound Vanden Bosch missed last week's 20-13 loss at Chicago with an ankle injury.
L.A., San Jose vie for soccer title
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 19 (UPI) -- For the first time in its six-year history, the MLS Cup is an all-California affair.
The Los Angeles Galaxy will take on the San Jose Earthquakes at 12:30 p.m. EDT at Columbus, Ohio's Crew Stadium on Sunday.
The Galaxy are making their third appearance in the finals -- a game they have never won. Despite a legacy of solid play in MLS, the Galaxy hold but one title, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, which they won this season over D.C. United.
The Quakes have never made it to the finals. However, their star defender, Jeff Agoos, has been in five of six finals, winning three times.
Chacon wins soccer MVP
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Miami Fusion forward Alex Pineda Chacon, the league scoring champion in goals and points, on Friday was named the MLS' Most Valuable Player.
The 31-year-old Pineda Chacon tallied 19 goals and 47 points while also breaking many Fusion records. He finished the regular season with a five-game goal-scoring streak, also a new franchise mark.
Pineda Chacon's seven-game winning goals led the MLS and he was named league Player of the Week four times this season, the most of any player. He is the first member of the Fusion to win the MVP. The native of Honduras received 44 percent of the vote to beat out teammate Diego Serna. Jeff Agoos of the San Jose Earthquakes finished third.
