Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 25, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Contract signing expected this weekend Hahs Call on Vigneault to Lead troops Media rangers Down but they know they re not out the Montreal canadians have offered their head coaching Job to Alain Vigneault most recently coach of the Beaufort har fangs of the Quebec major Junior hockey league Quebec Media reported yesterday. Radio Media a Quebec radio Chain said Vigneault was expected to sign a contract on the weekend with a news conference to be held tomorrow. Vigneault resigned As coach of the har fangs last week. Be journal de Montreal meanwhile said the final Cut was Between former Quebec Nordques coach Michel Bergeron and Vigneault. The Hahs coaching Post opened up when Mario Tremblay quit just Days after the team was ousted in the first round of the playoffs by new Jersey. Vigneault who turned 36 on May 14, also received a Job offer from the new York islanders whose coach Rick Bowness is a close Friend. A one things Clear a Bowness said from Uniondale . A Zalain will be in the nil next in Coke 600 on top week in and week out on the Winston cup circuit Jeff Gordon gets most of the attention. Terry Labonte has to Settle for getting the most Points. I Aboite is in a familiar position heading into today a coca cola 600 at Charlotte motor Speedway he a atop the season Driver standings. Quot i feel Good about our season even though i done to feel like we be done quite As Well As wed like a said Labonte the defending Winston cup Champion who is still looking for his first Victory of 1997. A a we be let a couple of opportunities slip by when in be Felt we be had chances to win. You done to have opportunities to win every week so whenever you have an Opportunity you done to want to let it slip by. But Overall. In a Happy with the Way things have gone this champs fight it out the second round of the $1.79 million us Volvo Pua championship at Virginia water England turned into a Battle of former masters champions a Ian woos Nam and Nick Faldo. Woosnam shot a 4-under-Par 68 yesterday for a 135 total and a two stroke Lead while four time Champion Faldo had a 67 for a share of second place. Colin Montgomerie chipped in twice for a 3-under 69 and was within three strokes of Woosnam and Ernie Els Winner of the last three world match play titles on the same Wentworth course was five off the Lead after a round of 71. Faldo who had seven birdies and two bogeys was tied with fellow englishman David Gilford at 137. Gilford carded a 70.ronaldo pulls out crucial win it took 89 minutes of constant attack and a dozen failed threats but Barcelona a Star striker Ronaldo finally pulled out a crucial 1-0 Victory Over Deport Ivo at Barcelona yesterday to keep alive his teams title chances. Ronaldo the Spanish leagues top scorer notched his 34th of the season in characteristic fashion breaking away from a mass of defenders and using sheer Speed to drive toward de Porlito s goal and beat goalkeeper Jacques so goo with 30 seconds left in regulation time. It was Likely the brazilians Farewell to the ecstatic crowd at Camp nou stadium since his National team obligations Are scheduled to keep him out of the last three Spanish league games in which Barcelona is trying to snatch the Lead from real Madrid. Real now leads by Only two Points going into its match today at seventh place athletic de dim for French open the most familiar names in Tennis will bring their reputations to the French open starting tomorrow in Paris but they May be leaving their top games behind. Top ranked Pete Sampras who Hasni to won a match on Clay this year has an injured muscle in his left leg. No. 3 Thomas Muster who has 40 career Claycomo titles Hasni to won one this year. Meanwhile no. 2 Michael Chang and last years Champion Yevgeny Kapelnikov have been inconsistent. Boris Becker and Andre Agassi forget about them. Both withdrew because of injuries. Even the women a draw which is usually As predictable As saying Steffi Graf Monica Seles or Arantha Sanchez Vicario is wide open. A knee injury has limited Graf to two tournaments since february. Seles is trying to play her Way Back into shape and Sanchez Vicario Hasni to won a tournament in More than a year. And Martina hinges the reigning no. I in women a Tennis enters the tournament As its biggest question Mark. Hinges will play her first tournament since undergoing surgery to repair her left knee injured april 21 when she fell off a goes on Birdie Binge Annika Sor Enstam a Golf game usually is so Yawn Boring. Down the Middle. On the Green. Two putts for a Par. Few mistakes. An occasional Birdie. Effective but even by her own admission Boring. Yesterday though the 26-year-old swede entered a new dimension by firing five birdies on the front nine in the . Penney Lyga skins game. She even amazed herself. Sor Enstam a unusual Birdie Binge helped her win four skins Worth $80,000 to take the Lead heading into today a final nine at Stone Briar country club at Frisco Texas. Thanks to four carryovers the 10th Hole will be Worth $140,000. The Only other of the four Lyga tour stars to dip into the $540,000 purse was last years rolex Rookie of the year Karrie Webb who bagged one skin Worth $20,000. Defending Champion Laura Davies who set a skins record with $340,000 last year and �?T95 Champion Dottie Pepper were shut More miracles left for new York a photo Joe Bryksa Winnipeg free press Christie Van Hees gets ready to serve at the final match of the women a championships lion killer Greenfeld loses racquetball Crown by Marvin Mcdonald sports reporter Mike Ceresia not Only walked into the Lions Den he threw the King a Sherman Greenfeld a off his coveted National racquetball Crown. What was More daring was the determined visiting Ontario shot maker from Sarnia who dumped the nine time defending Champion in three straight games yesterday on Greenfeldt a Home supreme Racquet courts. A partisan crowd at the 1997 Canadian senior championships watched Winnipeg a Greenfeld lose the final 11-7,11-10,11-2. Meanwhile Kelowna a 19-year-old Christie Van Hees played like an aggressive Young lioness in winning the women a Crown 3-0 Over her 34-year-old British Columbia compatriot Debbie Ward of Prince George on scores of 11-2,11-4,11-2. A i Felt like i had a lot to prove a a said the 34-year-old Ceresia following his Victory. A Sherman had beaten me lots in my Back Yard and i wanted to return the Greenfeld said earlier in the tournament he Felt confident but would have to be on top of his game if he wanted to retain his title. Ceresia said the second game showed the 34-year-old Greenfeld was faltering. A it was the key game a Ceresia said. A a Sherman a in fantastic shape and if i did no to Stop him head gain the Greenfeld squandered leads of 7-2 and 10-7 at that juncture. A the did no to serve As Well As he usually does a said Ceresia. A that allowed me to go Down the line Wall. A that was critical As Sherman moves Forward so Well and can move like a cat from Side to Side at mid court. Making him play Back along the Wall was to Ceresia a credit he took Greenfeld out of his game. However the Winnipeg Ger Wasny to alone in losing his game plan. A my plan was to be aggressive serve Tough and place my shots a Ward had said heading into the final. She had every reason be confident As she had disposed of the defending women a Champion Josee Grandmaitre of Montreal 3-2 earlier. Unfortunately for Ward Van Hees stole her game plan. A my hard driving Low serves seemed to upset Debbie a said Van Hees who has been playing racquetball since she was six years old with her Grandfather father and Brothers. A it was one of the Best games of my life a Van Hees said of her disposing of Ward in 23 minutes. A i just kept her off balance by alternating my serves to her forehand and most observers on hand including Long time player Rusty Wischuk said Van Hees looks ready to win another to championships. That a difficult to do just ask Greenfeld. It Surprise if these 1997 championships will be remembered As the year of lioness and lion pm Fletcher Steps Down Fletcher six year reign ends Canadian press Toronto a Cliff Fletcher is out at Maple Leafs gardens. Fletcher stepped Down yesterday As president general manager and chief operating officer of the Toronto Maple Leafs ending Days of speculation surrounding his future. The 61-year-old executive left after agreeing to a settlement Over the two years remaining on his contract with the National hockey league team. Under his six year reign the Leafs Rose from the Bottom of the standings to make the playoff semifinals in 1993 and �?T94, rejuvenating interest in the storied franchise across the country. But the Leafs have fallen into troubled times the last two years failing to make the playoffs this season. Fletcher 61, will be replaced by assistant general manager Bill Watters on an interim basis while the team looks for a new pm. Former Buffalo pm John luckier is rumoured to be a leading candidate. The Leafs have been touched by scandal and criticism All year. Aside from its woeful performance on the ice the franchise was rocked by a sexual abuse scandal involving several gardens employees. Mourning 33 and bulls Dennis Rodman 91 get physical under the Basket yesterday. M.j., Pippen turn it up associated press _ by John Dellapina new York daily news new York a the rangers Are right where they belong now. In a nearly hopeless situation in which the Only ones who really believe they still have a Chance Are the players and coaches themselves. Their entire playoff run has been about getting to this Point. About somehow transforming the highest paid most renowned collection of players in the Nhi. Into a Gritty underdog. And now the questions Are does this rag tag Bunch of millionaires have any More miracles left do aging champions Wayne Gretzky and Esa Tikkanen have one More title bout left in them do superstars in their prime Mike Richter and Brian Leetch have one More game stealing performance left in their overtaxed bodies and on the third anniversary of the infamous game 6 of the rangers Dev ils series does their Captain and Leader Mark Messier still have the ability to lift them All onto his Broad shoulders one More time for one More Day of Defiance a one More Day of Sayi in a maybe tomorrow but we will not be eliminated today a recent Edge of the abyss games have not gone Well for the rangers. Rivo Springs ago facing a 3-0 deficit against the flyers in Madison Square Garden the rangers never were in game 4, succumbing meekly in a 4-1 loss that completed a resounding sweep. Last Spring under almost identical circumstances against Pittsburgh a split the first two on the Road and then lose two straight in the Garden a the rangers were blown out in game 5 by the pens. But this time figures to be different whether or not Messier has one More Thunderbolt left. Because this time the rangers Are farther along and have accomplished so much More. This time somehow pulling off this comeback would put them in the finals where they would be one huge Effort each from Gretzky Messier Leetch and Richter away from nirvana. This time they have had too Many great performances by Richter too much courage from Leetch and too much Calendar cheating wizardry from Gretzky not to believe it is Worth the trouble to play this thing out As lop As they can. Miami a Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen needed no help from the referees and Little assistance from their teammates to put the Chicago bulls within one Victory of yet another trip to the Aba finals. After playing so poorly in game 2 that they gave themselves derisive nicknames Jordan and Pippen repeatedly embarrassed the Miami heat and carried the bulls to a 98-74 Victory yesterday. Chicago leads the Eastern conference finals 3-0 and can Advance to the league championship series for the fifth time in seven years by winning Here tomorrow. No team has Ever blown a three game playoff advantage. A we controlled everything from the opening tip a said Jordan who scored 34 Points in 36 minutes. Quot offensively we were Able to get what we wanted. Defensively we were Able to take them out of what they wanted to heat coach Pat Riley complained Friday that Jordan gets favourable treatment from the referees a an age old complaint for opponents of the nine time Aba scoring Leader. Jordan had 16 free throws in game 2. A i just played my game a Jordan said. A i Wasny to worried about his attempt to manipulate the of Riley a marginal player in the 1960s and �?T70s, Jordan said a i wish i could have played against him. I probably would have gotten too there was no Chance of that yesterday but Jordan did reach 20 Midway through the second Quarter. And he needed Only one free throw to do it going 9-of-12 from the Field As the bulls took a 36-23 Lead. Pippen who finished with 21 Points also was outstanding. He and Jordan actually outscored the entire Miami team through three quarters 51-49. A a it san unbelievable experience to watch those two Guys when they re clicking like that and dominating a Chicago a Steve Kerr said. A but its More fun when the rest of us Are this series Jordan and Pippen have scored 162 of the bulls 257 Points a 63 per cent. Miami a Alonzo mourning meanwhile guaranteed that his team wont be swept by Chicago for the third time. The heat Are 0-9 against the bulls in the playoffs. A a we re going to win a said mourning who had nine turnovers and Only one Basket. Quot we re going to come ready. We will not play the Way we played the heat matched the Aba playoff record for fewest Field goals in a game with 21, shot 38 per cent and committed 32 turnovers. They Are averaging Only 73 Points in the series ;