Schilling faces Yankees in Game 4
NEW YORK, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Curt Schilling takes the mound to face New York on Halloween night, which makes it a scary proposition for the Yankees.
With the Arizona Diamondbacks owning a 2-1 advantage in the World Series, Arizona manager Bob Brenly decided to start his ace on three days rest.
"He knew that there was a possibility that he would pitch in Game 4 and he's prepared for it," Brenly said. "He said all along, he's preparing to pitch Game 4 whether I allowed him to or not. So it's a good thing that mentally he's ready to pitch."
Schilling has been brilliant in the postseason, going 4-0 with a 0.79 ERA. He pitched seven strong innings in Game 1 on Saturday, allowing just three hits as the Diamondbacks opened the series with a 9-1 victory.
However, Schilling has pitched on less than four days' rest just once in his career, and that hardly is a barometer.
Schilling tossed two scoreless innings at San Diego on July 18 in a game that was suspended due to an electrical problem. He came back three days later and threw seven shutout innings while striking out 12 in a 9-2 triumph at San Francisco.
"This is the World Series," he said. "I just thought that the way I felt after the other day and the way I felt over the last three days, the possibility that if I pitched, if this could go seven games, I would be available for Game 7. I didn't want to shortchange us a team, if I felt good enough to take the ball."
Schilling will make his second career start at Yankee Stadium. He pitched a complete game last season for Philadelphia in an interleague game, allowing three runs and four hits in eight innings of a 3-1 loss.
World Cup star dies in training accident
INNSBRUCK, Austria, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- World Super-G champion Regine Cavagnoud of France died today of brain injuries suffered Tuesday when she collided at high speed with the trainer of the German team during a training run.
Cavagnoud finished third in the Super-G World Cup standings last year and won a gold medal in her specialty at last season's the World Championships.
After the accident, she was flown by helicopter from the Pitztal glazier and underwent a four-hour operation.
"Cavagnoud died this morning from her severe injuries," a hospital statement said. "After numerous examinations, it was clear the majority of her brain was not being supplied with blood and was not functioning."
German trainer Markus Anwander was listed in critical condition.
Police investigating the accident said it appeared both French and German teams were training on the course at the same time.
After the last German team member had gone past, Anwander walked a few feet onto the course just as Cavagnoud came blazing over a hump.
After they collided, both Anwander and Cavagnoud tumbled down more than 100 yards of the mountainside.
McGriff to return to Cubs
CHICAGO, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- First baseman Fred McGriff will be back with the Chicago Cubs next season after exercising a player option today.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
In the playoff hunt just before the trade deadline, the Cubs acquired McGriff to provide Sammy Sosa some protection in a lineup that had little power.
Although he was hesitant to leave his hometown of Tampa Bay, McGriff did well in the cleanup spot, hitting .282 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI in just 49 games with Chicago.
McGriff finished the season with a combined .306 average, 31 homers and 102 RBI. He reached the 30-homer mark for the ninth time and 100 RBI for the seventh time.
The 38-year-old is a sure-fire Hall of Famer as only he and Hank Aaron have collected at least 80 RBI in 14 consecutive seasons.
During a 16-year career, McGriff has 448 homers -- 26th all time -- and 1,400 RBI while also playing for Toronto, San Diego and Atlanta.
NFL agrees to extend labor agreement
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The National Football League today ratified a three-year labor agreement extension that will eliminate the threat of any strikes or lockouts through the 2007 season. The players, however, have yet to sign off on the extension.
Originally agreed upon in principle in June, the agreement between the NFL Management Council and the NFL Players Association would be the fourth extension since 1993. There has not been a labor-related stoppage in the NFL since the 1987 strike.
One of the biggest factors in the post-Sept. 11 climate is safety. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said both the league and players are committed to ensuring that safety-related costs are covered by both sides.
How much each side will spend toward safety is one of the main issues that still needs to be resolved beore the players ratify the agreement. In addition, how the league would divide losses if future games need to be canceled because of unforseen events also needs to be worked out.
Also at the owners' meeting, the league approved a $186.5 million deal that will keep the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome through 2010.
The agreement calls for the state to provide the Saints with $12.5 million in guaranteed operating cash for each of the next two seasons and for Gov. Mike Foster to appoint a committee to study the possibility of building a new stadium or completely re-engineer the team's current home, also sight of the Sugar Bowl and this season's Super Bowl.
49ers sign Rick Mirer
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The San Francisco 49ers today provided some insurance for quarterback Jeff Garcia's bad knee, re-signing veteran Rick Mirer to a one-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but there were reports the deal is to be prorated for $477,000 over the rest of the season.
The 49ers had to release three players to make room under the salary cap. They waived linebacker Shane Elam and defensive end John Milem while releasing offensive tackle Mark Bristol from the practice squad.
Mirer was with the Niners through training camp and preseason before being released on Sept. 4. But the team needed some insurance after Garcia injured his right knee Sunday in Chicago.
Garcia has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 1,410 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions but was hobbled by his injury in San Francisco's overtime loss Sunday.
The injury forced the 49ers to bring back Mirer, who will be the third quarterback behind Garcia and Tim Rattay when the team hosts Detroit on Sunday.
Anke Huber retires from WTA tour
MUNICH, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Anke Huber, Germany's No. 1 female tennis player, retired today after losing in the opening round of the season-ending Sanex Championships.
Huber fell to Justine Henin of Belgium, 6-1, 6-2, to finish her 13th and final season on the WTA Tour with a 35-20 match record.
Turning 27 on Dec. 4, Huber said she was tired of the repetitive nature of the tour and wanted a "normal life." She previously had announced this year would be her last.
Huber is 19th in the WTA rankings. She reached the final at the Paris Indoor and Strasbourg International events this season, but is without a title since July 2000, when she claimed the Polish Open.
On the court, Lindsay Davenport extended her tour winning streak to 13 matches with a 6-3, 6-3 dismantling of Amanda Coetzer.
Third seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium and sixth seed Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia also advanced on Tuesday.
Art Wall dies at 77
DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Art Wall, who completed one of the greatest comebacks in golf history en route to the 1959 Masters title, died today. He was 77.
Duke University, where Wall starred in the late 1940s, made the announcement but did not reveal the cause of death.
Wall won 14 PGA Tour titles, including four during a memorable 1959 season, when he birdied five of the last six holes to erase a five-stroke deficit and edge Cary Middlecoff by a shot at The Masters.
The Pennsylvania native was the PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1959, when he led the money list and captured the Vardon Trophy for the lowest stroke average.
Wall also played for the United States Ryder Cup team in 1957, 1959 and 1961, going 4-2. Among his wins was a 7 & 6 triumph over Christy O'Connor Sr. in 1959, when the U.S. won the second of its five straight Ryder Cups.
Woods heads field for Tour Championship
HOUSTON, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods headlines a field that is limited to the top-30 money winners on the PGA Tour this season as the best golfers in the country begin play Thursday in the Tour Championship.
This year's tournament will actually include just 29 players because world No. 2 Phil Mickelson has decided to remain at home with his recently expanded family. Phil and Amy Mickelson became parents of a second daughter earlier this month.
The spotlight will be on Woods, as always, but his mystique faded a little this season.
"I think that intimidation factor is gone a little bit," said Chris DiMarco, who won last week's Buick Challenge. "I think people know that he can be beat and know that he is human."
That is especially true this week. The field includes superstars David Duval, Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh of Fiji, Ernie Els of South Africa and Davis Love III. They will compete over the Champions Golf Club.
Georgia State center dies in wreck
ATLANTA, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Georgia State center Andre Tooks died today from injuries suffered Tuesday in a two-car crash near campus.
Tooks was at the main intersection of the school's arena when a sports utility vehicle ran a red light and struck his car, knocking him into a light post.
Paramedics immediately transported Tooks to Grady Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Atlanta Police reports will determine if charges will be filed against the other driver.
