Giants take command in NLCS
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Two swings of the bat by Rich Aurilia and a thoroughly dominating effort by Jason Schmidt combined Thursday night to give the San Francisco Giants command of the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
San Francisco took a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series, which will resume Sunday on the Giants' home field.
Aurilia hit a solo homer in the first and a two-run blast in the fifth, both of them traveling to left-centerfield and both coming off Woody Williams.
Williams, pitching for the first time in 20 days, gave up four singles along with the two Aurilia homers and kept his team in the game. But the Cardinals made little noise against Schmidt, who gave up one run on four hits over 7 2/3 innings with one walk and eight strikeouts.
In his last eight regular-season starts, Schmidt had a 6-2 record. He struggled, however, in the third game of the NL Division Series against Atlanta in what turned out to be a 10-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Schmidt bounced back Thursday night, overpowering the Cardinals with his fast ball up in the strike zone.
After an off day Thursday, the ALCS resumes Friday in Anaheim with the Angels and Minnesota Twins having one win each. The Angels will have 18-game winner Jarrod Washburn going while the Twins tabbed lefthander Eric Milton, who won his only start in the Division Series.
Virginia Tech holds off Boston College
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Lee Suggs rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns and Kevin Jones added 144 yards and a score Thursday night as the fourth-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies held on for a 28-23 Big East Conference victory over stubborn Boston College.
With the game tied at 14-14, Jones capped a 14-play, 74-yard drive with a four-yard run to put the Hokies ahead for good in the final minute of the third quarter.
After Sandro Sciortino kicked a career-long 49-yard field goal to get Boston College within four points with 10:35 to play, the Hokies marched back down the field and extended the advantage to 28-17 on Suggs' 27-yard run down the left sideline.
Eagles quarterback Brian St. Pierre made it 28-23 on a one-yard keeper with 49 seconds remaining. But the two-point conversion failed and Virginia Tech cornerback DeAngelo Hall recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Virginia Tech (6-0, 1-0 Big East) has started the season with six wins in each of the last five years. The Hokies extended their winning streak in the series to seven games.
Rain disrupts NASCAR qualifying
CONCORD, N.C., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Heavy rain disrupted qualifying runs Thursday night for the NASCAR UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway.
With 18 cars already making qualifying runs, the session will resume Friday at 8 a.m. EDT.
Jerry Nadeau had the fastest speed of the 18 drivers with a lap at 184.666 miles per hour in a Dodge Intrepid. Michael Waltrip was next at 184.112 mph in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo and was followed by four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon at 183.499 mph in a Chevrolet.
Bill Elliott ran fourth at 183.449 mph in a Dodge and Kevin Harvick fifth at 183.418 mph in a Chevrolet.
Matt Kenseth and Elliott Sadler will be the first two drivers to make qualification attempts when the session resumes, although rain is predicted all day Friday in the North Carolina area.
Last week, qualifying was canceled at Talladega Superspeedway when a 30-minute shower delayed the schedule enough that series officials concluded it would be took dark for the entire field to make qualifying runs.
NASCAR officials decided to set last week's starting grid based on the Winston Cup standings. That ultimately may happen Friday if the rain does not stop.
Other top names that have yet to qualify include Ryan Newman, Jeff Burton and Winston Cup points leader Tony Stewart and his closest pursuer, Mark Martin.
Toronto enjoys big opening night
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Alexander Mogilny and Mats Sundin each scored twice and Ed Belfour stopped all 32 shots in his Toronto debut Thursday night, giving the Maple Leafs a 6-0 blanking of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Mogilny wasted no time atoning for his mediocre first season with the Maple Leafs, scoring during a two-man advantage at 5:24 of the first period and again early in the second to make it 3-0.
Belfour, who signed as a free agent after Curtis Joseph left for the Detroit Red Wings, needed just one game to match his shutout total from all of last season and pull within two of Patrick Roy for the active lead with 59.
Pittsburgh had chances but wasted nine power-play opportunities, including a pair of two-man advantages in the second period.
Sundin assisted on both of Mogilny's goals and gave Toronto a 2-0 lead with a wrist shot that beat Johan Hedberg at 8:36 of the opening period. The Leafs' leading scorer for each of the last eight seasons, he scored again midway through the third to extend the lead to 4-0.
Other NHL results: Buffalo 5, New York Islanders 1; New Jersey 2, Ottawa 1; Columbus 2, Chicago 1; Tampa Bay 4, Florida 3 in overtime; Anaheim 4, St. Louis 3; Vancouver 3, Calgary 0; Philadelphia 2, Edmonton 2.
Brand named NCAA president
INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Myles Brand, whose impressive resume includes the firing of Bobby Knight, was named Thursday as the fourth president of the NCAA.
He will take over the job Jan. 1.
Brand will replace Cedric Dempsey, who announced his retirement last January. His eight-year tenure as the CEO of the NCAA ends New Year's Day.
The president of Indiana University, Brand accepted a contract that will run through 2007. He was the unanimous selection from a group of three finalists interviewed earlier Thursday by the NCAA executive committee.
Brand, 60, has been Indiana president since 1994 after holding the same position at the University of Oregon from 1989-94. He also is CEO of the Big Ten Conference but is best known as the man who oversaw Knight's firing.
Knight, the controversial basketball coach who since has moved on to Texas Tech, was axed by Indiana in September 2000.
Furyk, Howell share lead
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Jim Furyk continued his success in Las Vegas Thursday, carding a 6-under-par 65 to tie Charles Howell III for the lead after the second round of the 90-hole Invensys Classic.
Furyk had six birdies through a bogey-free day at the TPC at The Canyons to reach 12-under 131, an aggregate stroke lower than Howell after playing the only par-71 layout in the three-course rotation Thursday.
A member of the United States Ryder Cup team, Furyk has played 36 holes without a bogey as he seeks his eighth career victory. He is the only multiple winner of this 20-year-old event, claiming the title in 1995, 1998 and 1999.
Playing Southern Highlands Golf Club, Howell posted a 7-under 65 that included an eagle and five birdies. He carded a 5-under 67 on Wednesday at the TPC at Summerlin.
The PGA Tour's reigning Rookie of the Year, Howell earned his first career victory last week at the Michelob Championship, holding off Brandt Jobe by a stroke at Kingsmill Golf Club in Virginia.
While Howell has the momentum and Furyk the history, it remained anyone's tournament as 59 of the 143 players were within five strokes of the lead.
Vick will miss a start
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves said Thursday that quarterback Michael Vick will not start Sunday, but may be available for duty against the New York Giants.
Vick sprained his non-throwing shoulder when he was sacked by end Simeon Rice in the third quarter of Atlanta's 20-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday and was replaced by Doug Johnson, who will start this weekend. Vick is listed as doubtful.
Rookie Kurt Kittner, a fifth-round pick from Illinois, is Atlanta's third-string quarterback.
Report: Oakley to Washington
WILMINGTON, N.C., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Charles Oakley started his NBA career with Michael Jordan in Chicago. Now it appears the veteran power forward may finish his career alongside Jordan in Washington.
The Washington Post reported that the Washington Wizards will sign Oakley to a one-year, $1 million contract by the end of the week.
The reported signing also would reunite Oakley with Wizards assistant coach Patrick Ewing, who played alongside Oakley for 10 years with the New York Knicks.
Washington has been seeking to add toughness to its front line and is hoping Oakley can fill the bill. However, Oakley turns 39 in December and is coming off the worst season of his 17-year career.
Carin Koch leads Tournament of Champions
SEMMES, Ala., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Carin Koch of Sweden established a career low and course record Thursday with a 10-under-par 62 that gave her a three-shot lead at the LPGA Tournament of Champions.
Seeking her fourth straight tour victory in her quest for a record-setting 14 this season, Swedish superstar Annika Sorenstam opened with a 6-under 66.
Koch had four birdies in a row twice and finished with another to close a bogey-free round at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Course. It was her lowest round in eight years on the tour and best by three shots this season.
Se Ri Pak of Korea was second after firing a 65, a shot better than Sorenstam, Emilee Klein, Janice Moodie of Scotland and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc of France.
Camby to miss a month
DENVER, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby will need surgery to repair a tear in his right hip and is expected to miss at least the first month of the regular season.
No timetable has been set for Camby's return.
Camby played only 29 games for the New York Knicks last season due to an injury in the same hip. He was acquired in the draft day trade that sent Antonio McDyess to New York.
The 29-year-old Camby has never played more than 63 games in a season. He missed 21 or more games in three of his four seasons with the Knicks.
Camby averaged 11.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game with New York last season. He has averaged a double-double in each of the last two seasons, including career highs of 12.0 points and 11.5 rebounds in 2000-01.
