Patriots vs. Rams on Super Sunday
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- America's most high-profile sporting event will be played for the 36th time today surrounded by a unprecedented barrier of protection designed to make sure that what is merely a football game stays that way.
The St. Louis Rams, first team in the history of the NFL to score at least 500 points three straight seasons, and the New England Patriots, a mere 5-11 a year ago, will meet to determine which gets to own the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the winner of the Super Bowl.
As usual, the game will be watched by more people than vote in a presidential election and will attract advertisers who pay millions of dollars to transmit 30-second messages about their products and services.
This Super Bowl, however, will be anything but usual. Having been declared a national security event in the wake of Sept. 11, the game will take place on a virtual island created by the Secret Service and FBI. Barrier fencing has created a no man's land extending two blocks all around the Louisiana Superdome and the event will be protected by a blanket of air cover as well.
Officials have said that for every uniformed officer visible to the fans who walk through the various check points en route to the stadium, there will be three more they do not see.
Once the kickoff arrives at 6:33 p.m. EST, the game will carry all the elements past Super Bowls have. The nerves will be on edge and every key play will be magnified to the point that they could take their place among the most remembered moments in NFL history.
"When you get to this point," said New England running back Antowain Smith, "you realize that it is the biggest game of our careers, so you have to go out and play like it."
Both teams have won eight games in a row, but St. Louis has been installed as a 14-point favorite -- chiefly because the Rams have offensive threats at every turn and also because New England has managed only two offensive touchdowns in its two playoff games.
In their six playoff contests over the last three years, however, St. Louis has recorded just one victory by more than 12 points, that being the divisional round triumph this season over the self-destructing Green Bay Packers.
Kelly elected to Hall of Fame
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Jim Kelly, the only quarterback to take his team to four straight Super Bowls, made the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday in his first year of eligibility, but coach Bill Parcells was snubbed again.
Kelly led the Buffalo Bills to an unprecedented four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl from 1990-93, but the team lost each time.
Parcells coached in three Super Bowls and won two, but he nearly took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job last month when Tony Dungy was fired and the Hall of Fame's Board of Selectors apparently believes that Parcells will coach again. Hall of Fame rules require that a coach be retired in order to be inducted.
Joining Kelly in the Class of 2002 were Pittsburgh Steelers receiver John Stallworth, Oakland Raiders tight end Dave Casper, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Dan Hampton and Coach George Allen, the nominee of the Hall's Senior Committee. Allen died in 1990.
Parcells and Miami Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg were among the final seven finalists pared from a list of 15 by the Board of Selectors on Saturday morning, but they did not receive the 80 percent approval needed for election.
World Team wins All-Star Game
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Tommy Salo and Nikolai Khabibulin stopped all but two shots over the final 40 minutes Saturday and the World Team scored five unanswered goals in the third period to rally for an 8-5 triumph over North America in the NHL All-Star Game.
Salo made 15 saves in the second period and Khabibulin stopped all 20 shots in the third for the World Stars, who won for the second time in five tries under the NHL's current All-Star format.
North America took a 5-3 lead into the third period, but Espen Knutsen of the Columbus Blue Jackets -- the first Norwegian to play in the All-Star Game -- started the World rally with 12:08 remaining.
Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings, who won Friday night's hardest shot competition, tied it just over nine minutes later. The Russian Olympic team member cut across the high slot and blasted a shot that appeared to tip off the stick of St. Louis Blues defenseman Chris Pronger and got past goalie Sean Burke of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Vancouver Canucks captain Markus Naslund put the World team ahead for good with 1:43 to play. Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin hit his Swedish countryman with a pass that sent him behind two defenders and in alone on Burke. Naslund flicked a shot over the goalie's left shoulder for his second goal of the game.
Duke fights off Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Jason Williams scored 28 points to lead all five starters in double figures Saturday night as the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils posted a 98-88 victory over Atlantic Coast Conference rival Clemson in a game that featured a near brawl late in the second half.
Blue Devils forward Dahntay Jones put in a dunk with 3:26 left and said something to Tigers Coach Larry Shyatt as he went back on defense.
Shyatt approached the court and yelled back at Jones as the coach was held back by one of his assistants. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski then confronted Shyatt and the officials quickly calmed things down.
No technical fouls were called.
Mike Dunleavy scored 22 points, Jones netted 16 and Chris Duhon added 15 as Duke (20-1, 8-1 ACC) recorded its eighth straight win overall and 12th straight over Clemson (11-11, 2-7).
The day's biggest upset came when Marquette surprised fourth-ranked Cincinnati, 74-60, ending the Bearcats 20-game winning streak.
Elsewhere in the top 10, No. 2 Kansas downed Colorado, 100-73; No. 6 Florida crushed Mississippi St., 76-48; No. 7 Oklahoma went to overtime before edging Texas, 85-84; No. 8 Alabama bested LSU, 57-48; No. 9 Oklahoma State fell to Kansas State, 70-61; and No. 10 Syracuse suffered an 82-74 setback against Rutgers.
Chicago finally wins Western road game
SEATTLE, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A.J. Guyton scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, during which the Chicago Bulls made six three-pointers, scored 41 points and erased a 13-point deficit for a stunning 97-91 victory Saturday night over the Seattle SuperSonics.
The Bulls had dropped 25 straight road games to teams from the West since Feb. 6, 1999, when Elton Brand scored 21 points in a 100-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
This looked like another loss as Chicago missed its last eight shots of the third quarter and trailed, 69-56, entering the final period.
But the Bulls put together perhaps their best stretch of the season. They went on a 30-7 burst that included six shots from the arc, half of them from Guyton.
Other NBA results: New Jersey 98, Toronto 91; Utah 97, Portland 96; Philadelphia 86, Milwaukee 81; Detroit 115, Cleveland 107; Atlanta 101, Los Angeles Clippers 94.
Perez seeks first PGA Tour win
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Pat Perez birdied his final two holes en route to a 2-under-par 70 Saturday and took a four-stroke lead through three rounds of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Chasing Perez were two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen and Matt Gogel. In 2001, the 29-year-old Gogel -- in his rookie season on tour -- had a share of the lead through 54 holes only to have rain push the final round to Monday.
After a solid start, Gogel felt the pressure and shot a 40 on the back nine. Superstar Tiger Woods got hot and beat Gogel by a stroke.
Now the 25-year-old Perez, a rookie who missed the cut in his last two events, must deal with the pressure.
Perez's 15-under 201 was five shots better than Andrew Magee and six ahead of Jerry Smith.
Woods was in a tie for 35th, 13 shots off the pace.
Americans win Gold Cup
PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The United States won its first major soccer championship in 11 years Saturday, claiming the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2-0 victory over Costa Rica in the Rose Bowl.
Josh Wolff and Jeff Agoos scored goals for the Americans, who earned a berth to the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup and signaled they are for real.
The United States won an international tournament for the first time since 1991, when it claimed the inaugural event of this competition. Despite the Gold Cup's low profile, it is a major international tournament and the win is an important step for the Americans.
In front of an estimated 12,000 fans, the Americans put on a dominant performance, controlling the pace and tenor from the kickoff.
Wolff got the Americans on the board in the 37th minute when he collected a pass from Frankie Hejduk and outran Luis Marin to sink the ball past Erick Lonnis.
Wolff's last international goal came against Costa Rica last year in qualifying and provided a 1-0 win.
Yankees sign Hernandez, Mendoza
NEW YORK, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The New York Yankees avoided arbitration with Orlando Hernandez and Ramiro Mendoza Saturday as the righthanders agreed to terms on one-year contracts.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Hernandez made $2.05 million last season and was seeking $3.55 million in arbitration. The Yankees were offering $3 million. Mendoza, who made $1.6 million in 2001, was seeking $2.8 million compared with a $2.4 million offer from the Yankees.
Hernandez has been a dominant postseason pitcher since defecting from Cuba and signing with the Yankees in 1998. In 13 career playoff and World Series starts, he is 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA.
The 32-year-old Hernandez battled arm troubles last season and missed nearly two months after undergoing surgery on his left foot. He endured his second straight losing season in 2001, going 4-7 with a 4.85 ERA in 17 starts.
Hernandez is expected to battle with lefthander Sterling Hitchcock for the final spot in the rotation. He is 45-33 with a 4.13 ERA in 100 games.
Jones defends title
MIAMI, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- After engaging in a televised war of words with the undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins minutes before his fight Saturday night, Roy Jones, Jr. made short work of Glen Kelly to retain his undisputed lightweight title with a seventh-round knockout.
Jones (46-1, 37 KOs) knocked down Kelly in the third and sixth rounds before dropping the challenger for good with 75 seconds left in the seventh. Kelly got to his knees, but could not beat the count of referee Max Parker Jr.
A native of Australia, Kelly (28-1-1) was fighting for a title for the first time.
On the undercard, Ronald "Winky" Wright retained his IBF junior middleweight title with a fifth-round technical knockout of Jason Papillion. Wright dominated throughout and had Papillion in trouble late in the fifth when the bout was stopped.
The champion improved to 43-3 with his 25th knockout. Papillion fell to 34-7-1.
