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f • Sutter elected to Hall of Fame Red Sox hitter Rice, reliever Gossage fall short of390 votes neededfor Cooperstown honors Ronald Blum THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK—Bruce Sutter was elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday, just the fourth relief pitcher given baseball’s highest honor. Sutter, the first pitcher elected to the Hall with no career starts, was listed on 76.9 percent of the ballots cast by 10-year members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The split-finger pioneer collected 400 of a record 520 ballots. “It was a call that you always hope for, but you never really expect it to happen,” Sutter said, adding that he cried when he received the notification. “I didn’t think it would affect me or hit me as hard as it did.” Players needed 390 votes (75 percent) to gain election. Boston Red Sox slugger Jim Rice fell 53 short, finishing second with 337 votes (64.8 percent), one ahead of reliever Goose Gossage. Sutter was on the ballot for the 13 th time, the first player elected so late since Ralph Kiner in 1975. Rice was appearing for the 12 th time and has three years remaining on the writers’ ballot. Gossage was on the ballot for the seventh time. It might be difficult for Rice and Gossage to gain votes next year, when Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn and Mark McGwire appear on the ballot for the first time. Each voter may select up to 10 players. The other players in the Hall who primarily were relievers are Hoyt Wilhelm (elected in 1985), Rollie Fingers (1992) and Dennis Eckersley (2004). Andre Dawson was fourth with 317 votes, followed by Bert Blyleven (277), Lee Smith (234), Jack Morris (214), Tommy John (154) and Steve Garvey (135). Pete Rose, baseball’s banned career hits leader, received 10 write-in votes in what would have been his final year of eligibility. Stricken from the ballot after going on the banned list for betting on Cincinnati while managing the team, Rose was written in on 249 of7,207 ballots(3.5 percent) over 15 years. Sutter was a six-time All-Star and the 1979 NL Cy Young Award winner, compiling 300 saves during a 12-season major career with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis and Atlanta. He is 19th on the career saves list. He credited Fred Martin, a Cubs’ minor league pitching coach, with teaching him the splitter and Mike Roarke, another Cubs’ coach, with working on it with him. “It just tickles me stilt when you see Roger Clemens, as great as he is, throw a split-finger and the hitter just swings and misses. They don’t see that ball that well,” Sutter said. “Jack Morris threw an awful good one and Mike Scott. There’s a lot of great pitchers over the years that I think that pitch definitely helped their career.” Sutter said fellow relievers Gossage and Smith also should be in the Hall. “I just think sometimes that the voters try. to compare us with the starting pitchers,” he said. “We can’t compete with their statistics, their innings. or their strikeouts. I think if you compare us against each other, I think you’ll see we’re all pretty equal. ... Without us, it’s tough to win.” When he first appeared on the ballot in 1994, Sutter received 109 votes (23.9 percent). His percentage rose to 66.7 last year, when Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg were elected and Sutter fell 43 votes short. “Were my stats good enough? I didn’t know,” Sutter said. “You just kind of keep hoping.” Rice’s percentage increased to 64.8 from 59.5 last year, and Gossage’s rose to 64.6 from 55.2, which bodes well for the pair. The highest percentage of votes gained by a player who wasn’t elected in a later year was 63.4 by Gil Hodges in 1983, his final time of the ballot. Orel Hershiser (58 votes) and Albert Belle (40) were the only players among the 14 first-time candidates to receive 5 percent, meaning he will remain on the ballot next year. Among those dropped were Will Clark (23 votes), Dwight Gooden (17), Willie McGee (12) and Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen (5). Sutter will be inducted into the Hall during ceremonies on July 30 in Cooperstown, N.Y. The Veterans Committee doesn’t vote this year, but a special Negro leagues and pre-Negro leagues selection committee meets Feb. 27 in Tampa, Fla. Juan Bias / THE GAMECOCK USC guard Lauren Simms has led the team in scoring the past two games. The Gamecocks travel to LSU Thursday. USC women look for upset at LSU Gamecocks defense to try to contain nations top player; undefeated Tigers dlichael Aguilar FOR THE GAMECOCK USC’s women’s basketball team fought long and hard Jan. 4 and took Tennessee through the most of both halves before falling short to the No. 1 team in the nation. Kentucky was no different, as the Gamecocks on Sunday fell to an early 22-8 deficit only to battle back with too little, too late, however. Carolina’s defense has played an instrumental role in providing the Gamecocks with a foundation to keep themselves in tight games. The Gamecocks held the Lady Vols to a season-low 2 5 first-half points, including stretches of five and six minutes in the first half when the Volunteers didn’t make a field goal. The Gamecocks on Thursday take on No. 3 LSU. The Tigers are 13-0 ana nave snown rew signs of weakness throughout the season. Senior guard Lauren Simms has performed well for the Gamecocks lately. She has led the team in scoring the last two games and had a season-high seven rebounds against Kentucky. Simms must lead a steady performance and good defense by the Carolina backcourt to counter the stellar backcourt of the Tigers, led by 2005 National Player of the Year Seimone Augustus. Augustus i 1 is averaging nearly 20 points per game. There to meet Augustus will be the nation’s top ranked field-goal percentage defense in the Gamecocks. USC leads the SEC in 3 point field-goal defense, blocked shots and offensive rebounding. LSU has played a tough schedule, including four teams ranked in The Associated Press Top-25 poll. Carolina has had four days of rest and preparation for one of the biggest games of the year. USC’s women’s team is no stranger to playing the role of underdog after playing Tennessee close and upsetting then-No. 12 Minnesota. The Gamecocks should be in a familiar position when they take on the No. 3 Tigers. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu hoops • conTinueDPRomio “What we have to be concerned about (with USC) is that they shoot very well, and they are long and athletic. We are going to have to do a really good job defensively and handling the ball.” Last year, USC beat Ole Miss 76-70 in Columbia, but the Rebels knocked the Gamecocks out of the SEC Tournament, winning 53 52. This year’s squad is led by last week’s SEC Player of the Week, Dwayne Curtis. The 6-foot-8-inch, 290-pound center leads the team in scoring (14.4 points per game), rebounds (7.6 per game), and steals (1.6 per game). Curtis has had four straight 20-point performances and against Alabama put up 21 points and 14 rebounds. The Rebels also rely on the backcourt play of Bam Doyne (10 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game) and Todd Abernethy (9.6 points per game, 2.5 rebounds per game, 2.9 assists per game). Last season, Abemethy won SEC Sixth Man of the Year. As a starter this season, he has flourished into a regular contributor. The game tips off at 8 p.m. at C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm. sc. edu RILEY • CORTinUEDFROmiO early departures each boast one amazing season in which they shined and their other seasons were solid. The problem is, solid doesn’t cut it in the NFL. Now both will have to rely on strong showings at the combines and the hope that they catch the eye of a professional team scout. Simpson and Joseph are only two of those placing their futures on one day in April. Dozens of other non senior players have made their declaration for fame and fortune or failure and flop. Players such as the two departing from the USC roster are joining a growing list of early exiters with names such as Ashton Youboty (cornerback, Ohio State), and Anthony Cromarty (CB, Florida State) filling the talent poll rich in defensive talent. Mix in the amount of senior players who will be at combines around the country, and suddenly Simpson and Joseph have a long row to hoe. For Gamecock students it was the start of a new semester, a fresh beginning. But for two of our classmates, it was the start of a gamble both hope will pay off. • II kTA , GETS THE ADRENALINE GOING. I YOURS ANDWHOEVER READS ABOUT ■t ON YOUR RESUME.