Yankees win away from big show
NEW YORK, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The New York Yankees hoped to blow past Seattle in the fifth game of the American League championship series Monday night and breeze into their fourth straight World Series and fifth in the six years.
The Yankees came through with an emotional victory in Sunday's Game Four after rookie Alfonso Soriano belted a two-run homer off Mariners' closer Kazuhiro Sasaki in the ninth inning to give New York a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Andy Pettitte (1-1, 1.26 ERA), the only starting pitcher who has been on all four of the World Series clubs since 1996, was slated to start for New York, opposed by Aaron Sele (0-2, 5.63).
The four-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks landed the other berth in the World Series with a 3-2 decision over the Atlanta Braves Sunday night, taking their series 4-1.
Eagles, Giants tangle
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Coach Jim Fassel hoped to remain perfect against the Philadelphia Eagles when the New York Giants hosted their NFC East rivals on Monday night.
The Giants have dominated the rivalry, winning all nine meetings since Fassel took over as coach in 1997.
The last one was the sweetest for Fassel and the Giants, a 20-10 victory over the Eagles January 7 in the divisional playoffs. Ron Dixon returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and cornerback Jason Sehorn scored on an acrobatic 32-yard interception.
First BCS rankings Due
GREENSBORO, N.C., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The Bowl Championship Series was scheduled to release its first weekly rankings on Monday night, setting a pecking order of championship contenders.
For the fourth straight season, the BCS statistical rankings will decide the participants in the national title game, which this season is in the Rose Bowl on January 3.
The system was a source of controversy last season when Miami was left out of the title game in favor of Florida State, which lost to the Hurricanes earlier in the year and then lost to Oklahoma.
A similar scenario is a possibility this year. Eight schools in the coaches poll remain unbeaten, including each of the top five.
Miami (5-0) is atop both the coaches and media poll, but is not expected to be first in the initial BCS poll because of a relatively weak early schedule. The Hurricanes, however, can pick up ground later in the season when they play Washington (5-1) and Virginia Tech (6-0).
The ratings will be updated weekly and the teams with the lowest combined point totals in the final BCS poll on December 9 will play in the Rose Bowl.
Bears eye temporary new home
LAKE FOREST, Ill., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- With Soldier Field undergoing a $587 million facelift, the Chicago Bears will play their 2002 home games at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
The official announcement was made Monday by Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips.
Memorial Stadium has a seating capacity of 70,904, making it the obvious choice for the Bears. The most convenient site was Northwestern's Ryan Field, but it has a capacity of just 47,000 seats.
The agreement to play downstate in 2002 returns the Bears to their roots. The team started in Decatur, Illinois in 1920 shortly after team founder George Halas graduated from the University of Illinois in 1918. The team was known as the Decatur Staleys at its inception and had the familiar team colors of orange and blue. In 1921, Halas moved the team to Chicago, and after playing as the Staleys for one year, the team became known as the Bears in 1922.
Robinson lost for season
LAKE FOREST, Ill., Oct. 22 (UPI) --The Chicago Bears are off to a surprising 4-1 start, but their latest victory came at a high price. The team confirmed on Monday that wide receiver Marcus Robinson is out for the season.
Robinson tore the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
It is yet another setback for Robinson, who will undergo surgery within two weeks and faces eight to 12 months of rehabilitation. He had undergone back surgery in the summer and made a quicker than expected recovery, playing in all five games this season and recording 23 catches for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
But Robinson had to be carted off the field with six minutes left in the first half of Sunday's game after he injured the knee.
Robinson, 26, emerged as one of the top receivers in the NFL in 1999, setting a Bears single-season record with 1,400 yards receiving and 84 receptions along with nine touchdowns. Robinson's yardage total was second overall in the NFC.
Lions lose second receiver
PONTIAC, Mich.,Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The lone remaining winless team in the NFL suffered more than just another loss on Sunday/ Detroit Lions Coach Marty Mornhinweg confirmed Monday that injured starting wide receiverGermane Crowell may miss the rest of the season.
Crowell tore the patella tendon in his left knee while leaping for a pass in the end zone in the second half of Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Tennessee Titans. It is the second major injury to a Lions receiver. Last week, the team lost veteran Herman Moore for the season with a hip injury.
Crowell, 25, was second on the Lions with 22 catches for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He had four catches for 60 yards, including a 46-yard TD, in Sunday's loss.
The Lions are 0-5 for the first time since losing their first five games in 1989.
Davenport seeks third straight
LINZ, Austria, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Lindsay Davenport seeks her third consecutive tournament win and tries to defend her title at the Generali Ladies Open crown this week.
Davenport, the top seed at this $565,000 indoor event, defeated Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia in Sunday's final of the Swisscom Challenge in Zurich. Sunday's triumph was the sixth tournament win of the season and 36th in the career of Davenport, who claimed the Porsche Grand Prix two weeks ago.
The 25-year-old American has not lost before the quarterfinals of any of the 15 tournaments she has played, despite missing three months in the middle of the season with a right knee bone bruise.
Davenport defeated Venus Williams in three sets to claim last year's event. Williams was to have been the second seed this week but withdrew with an irritated left wrist. She has not played since winning the U.S. Open due to concerns following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Moving into the second spot in the draw is Wimbledon runner-up Justine Henin of Belgium.
Ivanisevic needs impressive showing
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia tried to move closer to qualifying for the ATP Tour's season-ending championship on Monday at the $800,000 St. Petersburg Open.
By finally winning his first career Grand Slam title at the All-England Club in July, Ivanisevic clinched a spot in the elite eight-man field for the Masters Cup to be held in Sydney, Australia next month, but only if he finishes within the top 20 of the ATP Champions Race 2001.
The 30-year-old Croatian plays Nicolas Massu of Chile in Monday's first round.
Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain booked his trip to Sydney last week, despite losing his only match at the Tennis Masters Series event in Stuttgart. He faces Rainer Schuettler of Germany in the first round here either Tuesday or Wednesday.
