Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Skins, Jets By RICH TAYLOR has its Sports Editor hot U The Washington Redskins and the be New York Jets will square off on rets to Saturday, August 24 in Williams- Rosen Brice Stadium in the preseason fi- At i nale for both teams. The Redskins and ur are coming off a disappointing Toss a 24-21 loss to Cleveland this past by W Friday night, while the Jets will try footbi to bounce back from Saturday's compe 24-10 defeat at the hands of the Foil* Super Bowl champion New York game Giants. cial gu Richardson Sports, the group at- "Opera lempung to iana an infl trancnise pating for the Carolinas, is hoping for a will bri sell-out crowd in order to impress as the the NFL expansion committee. At olina ai this writing, over 50,000 of The Williams-Brice's 72,400 seats have ceremc been sold. Anthen The festivities begin Friday with ing arti a celebrity golf tournament spon- compai sored by the Greater Columbia sponsoi Chamber of Commerce Metro The Sports Council at Windermere by Wli Club. The field is loaded with named USC sports Figures, including 1980 and wil Heisman Trophy winner George pie. It Rogers and NBA great Alex perforr English. "We N On Saturday, pre-game and half- Othe time entertainment will involve includt some 1,200 performers. The pro- "Living ceedings get underway at 4 p.m. to a fin with some 200 entertainers, includ- one to ing marching bands, cheerleaders, songs, clowns, doggers, and jugglers, Marine roving through the parking lots and their v and the Hospitality Village where medley more than 20 companies are host- cast jo ing pre-game parties. tional In addition to catered food and Americ drink, each building in the village crescei NFL seas By DAVID BOWDEN make t Football Genius their p< The National Football League is ^ gearing up for another season of Rams i blood and glory. If the NFL is as seem 1 exciting as last year, football fans me- L3 are in for a hellacious good time, n The 49ers loaned the champion- the Su ship to the Giants temporarily, but Just dc they will be sure to take back their someth crown this season. Unless Anyway, the following is a brief will go overview of what will happen in the 1991 season. Remember, these NFC C predictions are only my opinion, Detn so just think of them as you would ing, bui the word of God. Teams are listed act toge in order of how I think they will divisioi finish at season's end. runninj Barry ! NFC West receive San Francisco 49ers: The Nin- make ai ers will have a harder time beating has the up on the rest of the West than from a] usual, but will still win the divi- the Cen sion. Look for another historic Minn Montana season, but the offensive tery wh line, running game and secondary ter; the; are all weaker than usual. This sea- receive! son will prove what coach George best ha Seifert is made off. If the Niners Georgia go back to the NFC Championship defense game, credit will go to George (not if every to forget Joe; they're already sume tl building his annex in Canton). playoff New Orleans Saints: The Saints Gree have a fantastic group of lineback- has rrr ers and QB Steve Walsh should player t improve. The Saints play the Nin- outs in ers and the Rams very well, and Sharpe should get a wild card if Walsh would doesn't totally wash out the pla; Atlanta Falcons: Coach Jerry tent run Glanville has a lot of raw talent to pect de; work with, and their pre-season ception defensive back acquisitions give My adv them some much needed help at is simp that position. The Falcons are times a moving on up, and they could Chict Winners, D.. A ADON eUCTMTKI WAtph A Baseball Fan hot-hou! As we muddle through the dog J^e 01 days of August, the pennant races de^rvin in Major League Baseball are heat- Teny ing up. reer sea; In every division save the Na- "J1311 tional League East, teams are bat- starting ding for position to make a move ^ in September. Surprises are many, P'aYer ^ both winners and losers. amazed THE WINNERS: making a list tenes> sl like this, you cannot look past the ^TTre: AUanta Braves. The combination T1 T of young players and veteran men- and Lor tors have turned this cellar-dwellar team into the Cinderella story of a; 1991. GM John Schuerholz and 'eague " manager Bobby Cox have done percent wonders not only for the team, but sto the facilites as well. Long You c known as one of the least desirable perform: stadiums to play in, as well as to Tom G1 > ready 1 own band, ranging from the itin band Combo Latino to ach music band Trade Seci the jazz group The Terry Trio. . 5:45 children aged 12 years ider will compete in a "Tip, nd Tackle" event sponsored | VOC-radio. Former USC ill stars will direct the tition. owing team warm-ups, preceremonies begin with spelest speakers and veterans of tion Desert Storm" particiin the coin toss. Parachutists ing in the game ball as well South Carolina, North Carad American flags, highlight of the pre-game >nies will be the National i sung by Christian recordist Nancy Stainback and aclied by a fireworks display red by The State newspaper, halftime show, sponsored 5-TV, has been appropiately "Operation Celebration", 11 involve around 1,000 peowill open with dozens of ta ners dancing and singing ef eed a Parade." r numbers to be performed ca e "Grand Old Flag" and is 1 in America," building up pi ale designed to bring every- or their feet. To a medley of se units from the Army, Navy, se s and Air Force will make 0/ay onto the field. As the gz comes to a close, the entire b ins together in an inspira song entitled This- Is E< a." As the music builds to a sk ido, sparkling pyro foun- wi son for he play-offs if they play to re< )tential. N< Rams: As much as I respect th; coach John Robinson, they th< o be on the way down to lin st year was a fiasco for the fo lany predicted would be in Sn per Bowl. QB Jim Everett no >esn't have that intangible ling to be a great player, on he gets focused, this team thi nowhere fast P? thi entral an oit Lions: Yes, I'm reacht the Lions are getting their N1 ither in a very weak Central i. Detroit has the premier rej g back in the NFL with bu Sanders. Ex-Virginia wide Ea ;r Herman Moore should lin n immediate impact Detroit dui offense; if they can keep bat llowing 30 points a game, ant itral is theirs for the taking. old esota Vikings: It is a mys- dut ly this team doesn't do bet- ye< / have one of the best wide Be rs (Anthony Carter) and the j s-been running back from wil t (Herschel Walker). Their len is among the league's best in one stays healthy. Let's as- fat ley do and the Vikes get a a \ berth. ter, n Bay Packers: The Pack the / personal favorite NFL hai ind one the very best wide- i the league, a Mr. Sterling the out of USC. Despite this, I Jin be surprised if they made the yoffs. They lack a consis- ten ning game and have a sus- wil fense (with the notable ex- the of linebacker Tim Harris). 1 ice to coach Lindy Infante wil >le, throw to Sterling 20 me game. bac igo Bears: The Bears will eitl losers game in, has turned into a cai ;e of baseball at its best. lea ty of Atlanta is long- on< g of a pennant race. fir: Pendleton is having a ca- to{ son at third base, as is util- wa Jeff Blauser, who won the ; jod at snortsiop wiin quai- the ing. Otis Nixon, another gai aving a career season, has 19! viewers and opposing bat- lik tealing every base in sight str adway and Greg Olson are eig ting well, and Ronnie Gant hel inie Smith can't be over- a Gant, who started out hor- jUa 5 come on to vie for the Ma iad in dingers and slugging ma ge, and is near the top in hai :an't look past the pitching frc inces of the Braves either. tw< avine is the NL's leading do :o clash -^SSSm " ^y " j^iii ILv 1 Hp; ' B^ilSi^^p I I??B1P ins will create a dazzling visual feet. But for those of you who could ire less about the theatrics, there still a pro football game to be ayed. And it should be a good le. The Redskins, 1-2 in the preason, look to end the exhibition ason on a positive note while the 3 Jets will try to win their last ime before the "real" season ;gins. Former Gamecock great Brad iwards, a starter for the Redins in the defensive backfield, ill be making an appearance in ecasted ik this year. Jim Harbaugh and ^al Anderson are the ONLY ings the Bears have going for ?m. Almost the entire offensive le and defensive squad are ready r Social Security. Forget the :c ? ?* j: luuisuiiiiiii, u yuu want iu see uisaurs, see a Bears game. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The ly team in the Central worse in the Bears. Do you really exct this perennial loser to do anyng? Let's watch them squander other high draft pick. 7C East New York Giants: They will not )eat as Super Bowl champions, t they will be hard to beat in the sL The Giants are stocked with ebackers (including USC proct Corey Miller) and running :ks. However, Lawrence Taylor 1 Carl Banks are both one year ler, and they will not be as pro;tive as they used to be. Another it, and they will be just like the ars. Philadelphia Eagles: For a team Lh a huge amount of young tat, they can't seem to get it done the playoffs. Getting rid of that idiot Buddy Ryan will do them vorld of good. If the Giants fal, the Eagles will be there to grab division title. Otherwise, they /e a lock on a Wild Card Dallas Cowboys: Don't expect m to go to the Super Bowl, but imy Johnson's Cowboys have draft picks to make things injsting. Barring catastrophe, they I be in a race with the Saints for third Wild Card berth. Washington Redskins: One word II describe the 'Skins season: i diocrity. They won't be really 1, but they won't be in the hunt i tier. Mark Rypien will prove of pro lHiHotA fr\r tliA Pt; VrvnnfY Ua in IU1UUIV iv/l UIV V/J JL VSUU?? lig 15 ding the league in victories, seci in ERA and strikeouts, tied for 5t in complete games and in the ) five in innings pitched. But it, there's more. Steve Avery has exploded since > All-Star Break and has won 13 Ties. John Smoltz, an All-Star in 90, started off with Gant, but e the slugger has come on ong, winning six of his last ;ht. The team has also gotten p from veteran Charlie Leibrant bullpen with "Senor Smoke" in Bereunger and an impressive irvin Freeman has preserved ny games for Atlanta. Armando Reynosos, a rightnded starter recently promoted im Richmond, has won his first starts. His only problem is he esn't speak English. He knows in Cola. FJiHfe, * j, BlSiit - $f " wSmm&i Is i s .? ? & .MMiig - 2 21 Bra Ex-USC star Brad Edwards Williams-Brice Stadium for the first time since USC's 20-7 victory over Clemson in 1987. In that game, Edwards returned an intercepted pass for a touchdown. Another player to watch is Washington cornerback Darrell Green. Green recently defeated the Raiders' Ron Brown, a former Olympic gold medalist, in the finals of the NFL's Fastest Man competition. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 777-SCAT or 1-800-326-4000, or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet i by exp once again that he is not a NFL starting QB. Earnest Byner is a great all-purpose running back, but so what? Another so-so year in D.C. v Phoenix Cardinals: The Cards ought to be used to being the patsy for the rest of the division, but they could upset some teams. They almost beat the Giants twice last year, and coach Joe Bugle is full of surprises. AFC West Los Angeles Raiders: Last time I checked, every Raiders starter was a Heisman Trophy winner. Coach Art Shell has a comocopia of talent to say the least. Shell has three decent nuarterbacks on the roster (and no?.*- of them are named Jay Schroeder). There is only one other team to worry about in their division, and they are... Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have one of the best running games and the best pass rush and secondary in the NFL. They will make the playoffs easily and will nrnhQhi\! ma Ire* iKo A CP Phomn piV/I/UI/IJ iiiuivv uiv/ ru v vnauip" ionship Game. The Chiefs are most definitely on the rise. San Diego Chargers: The Chargers running game and strong defense could earn them a Wild Card, but they just don't have the horses to advance in the playoffs. Give the Chargers' brilliant GM Bobby Beathard a few more years, however, and they will be a power. Seattle Seahawks: Chuck Knox is a fantastic coach, but it will take a miracle for the Seahawks to make the playoffs. This team just doesn't have the talent to compete in their brutal division, despite rookie QB Dan McGuire. Denver Broncos: This sorry exbaseba "win," apparently, so I guess it's alriaht Right fielder David Justice, out with a bad back since June, has begun a rehad assignment at Class A Macon, and should start against Cincinnati tomorrow if all goes well. At the time of this writing, the Braves were 1 1/2 games behind the hated-Dodgers, with six headto-head games remaining. The Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals are also laying claim to a piece of fairy-tale magic. The Tigers, who rank among the bottom in pitching and hitting, can assume first place in the AL East this weekend in their tete-a-tete sereis with division leading Toronto. Right fielder Cecil Fielder is on USC Night at offers great ck From Staff Reports 'Take me out to the ballgame" is the refrain the Columbia Mets want to hear people singing. To interest you in just that, the Mets will offer USC Night at Capital City Stadium on Aug. "21 to all faculty, staff, students and their families. President John M. Palms will join the fun as he throws out the first ball of the game. Other activities are being planned to recI ognize the university during the game, including the awarding of prizes. Admission will be specially priced at $1 per person for the Mets' Aug. 21 game against the Fayetteville Generals, a Class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Just present vour linivp.rsitv i H .-w- * 2 ~?r - ** y ST" > 1 Intramural Racquet ball Sir ' 1 1 ''' >ert ana cuse for an NFL franchise is still reeling from their epic defeat in Super Bowl XXIV at the hands of thp Ninp.rc Tnhn F.lwav will npvpr reach his potential because he is a Loser with a capital L. I'm just sorry USC alumnus Dan Reeves has to coach this mess. AFC Central Houston Oilers: This is the year the Oilers finally win their division. Warren Moon is at his peak and should run his team's run-andshoot offense to its full potential. Running back Alonzo Highsmith will also have a very good year. Pittsburgh Steelers: Young, mean and hungry, Chuck Noll's new Steel Curtain defense will be among the league's best. With tight end Eric Green and QB Bubby Brister leading the offensive charge, the Steelers should get a playoff berth. Cincinnati Bengals: With the exception of the three ex-USC players on the squad, I have nothing but contempt for this team. The Bengals are coached by the biggest jerk in the NFL (now that the aforementioned Buddy Ryan is out on his ass), Sam Wyche. Objectively, I don't think the Bengals are going anywhere this season due to a plague of injuries. Cleveland Browns: Call this a transition year for the Browns. New coach Bill Belichick will do good to keep his team over .500. The Browns will need lots of new talent before they will be contenders again. AFC East Buffalo Bills: I'm hardly going out on a limb by saying that the Bills will win the division. They are blessed with talent, on par with II select* his way to another home run crown and has already amassed 100 RBI's. Mickey Tettleton has having a superb year, and the Tigers are getting help from veterans Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker. THE LOSERS: New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, California Angels, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants. The Mets are the worst excuse for a self-proclaimed franchise in baseball history. The pitching isn't there, the hitting hasn't come around, and the leadership is nonexistent. Buddy Harrelson should be the next manager to get the axe O " Cf The talent is there, but something isn't working. Davey Johnson, where are you? In California, the Giants and Angels are floundering after enter Mets Stadium ial to students . card at the ticket window. Wednesday night is also discount beverage night. All drinks are 50 * cents until 8 p.m. Gates will open at 6 p.m., with game time at 7:05 p.m. City parking is available at a $1 per car behing the stadium located on Assembly Street If the game is called because of rain, an alternative date will be offered at the same admission price to university employees, students and their family members. : So come on out to the ballgame and see the Mets and help j the team celebrate the inaugural season of Capital City stadium. The Mets were the Southern Division champs in the first half of the season and currently are in second place. IVSl the Niners and Raiders. The Bills defense is practically a complete All-Pro squad. The Bills are the team to beat for the AFC Super Bowl spot. Miami Dolphins: The Fish will have a good record, but only because the bottom half of the division is so miserably weak. Dan Marino better face die music; he will never get a Super Bowl ring with this team. New York Jets: New QB Browning Nagle and second-year running back Blair Thomas will improve the horrible Jet? offense. A1 Toon finally has someone to pass him the ball with Nagle. The Jets made some good draft decisions (for once) and they may be on the rise. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts will be ahead of the Patriots only because the Pats will be even worse. Eric Dickerson will prove his worthlessness once again. QB Jeff George is the only thing the Colts have going for them. New England Patriots: Dick MacPherson is in for a long season as the Pats' head coach. They drafted well, but they had too many needs to be filled in one year. The Patriots could overtake the Colts, but that ain't saying much. To conclude, the 49ers, Lions, Giants. Raiders, Oilers and Rills will win their division. The Vikings, Eagles, Saints, Cowboys and maybe the Packers will produce the three NFC Wild Cards. The Chiefs and Steelers will definitely get AFC Wild Card slots, with the Chargers and Dolphins fighting for the third. I'll take the best team in each conference to go to the Super Bowl. Let's say 49ers 21, Bills 14. You heard it hear first. id ing the season with much expected of them. In the first half of the season, San Fran was one of the worst teams in the majors. To their credit, they have come on strong in the last few weeks, but their 7 1/2 game deficit may be too much. Farther south, the Angels have let a great opportunity slip by. Dave Winfleld is having a great season, but the team has plummeted and rests listing below .500. Oh yeah, I hate Darryl Strawberry and the Dodgers. This past week, Strawberry was quoted as saying he wasn't worried about Atlanta. Yeah right Darryl, I guess a game and a half lead is enough cushion for such a steady player as yourself. Oh look out for that wall, I'd hate for you to ram into and break a collarbone or something.