May 31 - Tradition No Stranger to Cooper, Monterey Baseball

May 31 - PDogs Clobber Alexandria Aces

May 31 - Mavs to Hire Cleamons: Chicago Bulls assistant Jim Cleamons will be hired Friday as coach of the Dallas Mavericks, the team said Thursday.

....Mavericks spokesman Kevin Sullivan said, "Jim Cleamons will be named as head coach tomorrow at noon. That's about all I can say at this point."
....Earlier, majority owner Ross Perot Jr. indicated the process was coming to a close.
...."We're through interviewing for head coach," majority owner Ross Perot Jr. said Thursday during an interview with Dallas-Fort Worth television station KXAS during a basketball clinic sponsored by the team. "I think we're down to the people we want; we just need to get it worked out."

May 31 (early) - Scott Steps Down: Leanne Scott, who guided Cooper to the past three Class 5A state team tennis championships and a record 57 consecutive matches won, has stepped down as head coach of the Cougar tennis team.

....Scott will remain on the Cooper tennis staff as an assistant while Jimmy Cole - who was the Cooper assistant tennis coach - has been elevated to the head tennis coaching job.
...."Jimmy is ready to do this, and I'm ready to let him," Scott said. "I wanted a few less responsibilities, and I didn't want to lose Jimmy to another head coaching job."
....Scott, 44, has served as Cooper's head tennis coach the past seven years and was named the Texas Tennis Association's Coach of the Year in 1993. While the Cougars have always performed at a high level during her tenure, Cooper's success during the past three seasons has gone unmatched on the statewide level.

May 31 (early) - Mavs Still Interviewing: Several candidates remain on the short list as the Mavericks continue to arrange interviews for the head coaching job, but team officials aren't revealing any favorites.

....Former Boston coach Chris Ford and former Phoenix coach Paul Westphal have been seen as more than likely possibilities for the position, but indications are the Mavericks will interview Chicago Bulls assistant Jim Cleamons.

May 31 (early) - Rangers Are May Marvels: The Texas Rangers have become the May marvels of the American League.

....A 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians Wednesday night not only gave the Rangers a sweep of the three-game series but tied the Indians for the most wins in the AL with 33.
...."This is a big confidence builder for us," said Texas manager Johnny Oates, whose team is leading the AL West by five games over Seattle with a 33-19 record, the best in franchise history after 52 games.
....Texas completed its first series sweep of the Indians since 1992 when Dean Palmer raced home on Sandy Alomar's passed ball with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning.

May 30 - Prairie Dogs Take Double-Header from Crickets

May 30 - Stadium Decision is Key to Houston Getting Future NFL Team

May 30 - Rangers Win 5th Straight: Dean Palmer raced home with the go-ahead run on a passed ball to cap Texas' three-run rally in the eighth inning Wednesday night, giving the Rangers a 5-4 win and a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians.

....The Rangers, who have won five straight games, defeated the Indians for the fourth time in six games between the division leaders this season.

May 30 - Wylie's Tyler commits to HSU: Brooks Tyler from Wylie has committed to play basketball for Hardin-Simmons University.

....The 6-4 Tyler averaged 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs last season. He was the team leader in points, rebounds, blocks and steals and was a first team all-District 6-3A selection.
....He graduated from Wylie with a 3.55 grade-point average.

May 30 - Two baseball playoffs here Saturday: Two high school baseball playoff games are scheduled Saturday at Hardin-Simmons University with the winners earning spots in the state tournament.

....Graham and Brownfield will play at 1 p.m. at Hunter Field in a Class 3A quarterfinal contest, while De Leon and Ranger clash at 5 p.m. in a Class 2A contest.

May 30 (early) - Lady Aggies Coach Resigns: Bob Brock, who led the Texas A&M Lady Aggies to the NCAA national softball title in 1983, resigned Wednesday to enter private business.

....In Brock's 15 years at A&M, he posted a 688-255 record and the Lady Aggies appeared in five NCAA College World Series.

May 30 (early) - Stapler Fine After Surgery: Brownwood High School head football coach/athletic director W.T. Stapler underwent surgery Wednesday to remove five bone spurs from his vertebrae.

....He was doing fine after the three-hour surgery at Baylor Hospital and was told by doctors that everything went fine. He expects to return home on Sunday if he continues to do well.

May 29 - Cooper, Monterey to Play One Game: After a day of disagreement, Cooper and Lubbock Monterey finally agreed to a one-game playoff Saturday at 1 p.m. in Midland to decide the Region I-5A championship.

....The field which will be used in Midland hasn't yet been determined.
....Cooper coach Jim Mavroulis wanted to play a best-of-three series, but he and veteran Monterey coach Bobby Moegle couldn't agree on sites.

May 29 - Rodriquez Leads Rangers to Win: Ivan Rodriguez hit two home runs and Dean Palmer homered and drove in four runs Tuesday nignt, leading the Texas Rangers past the Cleveland Indians 11-3.

....Albert Belle hit his major league-leading 21st home run for Cleveland. Kevin Elster homered for Texas, which won a matchup of division leaders for the second straight night and beat the Indians for the third time in five games this season.

May 29 - PDogs Lose to Crickets: Lubbock took advantage of two Abilene errors in the seventh inning Tuesday night to pull out a 2-1 victory over the Prairie Dogs at Scott Field.

....The loss in front of 882 fans ended the Prairie Dogs' four-game winning streak and dropped them to 4-5 on the season.
....Abilene was leading 1-0 going to the top of the seventh when its defense let the game slip away.

May 29 (early) - Beard New ACU Assistant Coach: Chris Beard is the new men's assistant basketball coach at Abilene Christian University.

....He has been the assistant coach at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio the past year. Before that, he was a student assistant coach at the University of Texas under Tom Penders, for three years.
....New coach Shanon Hays and athletic director Stan Lambert announced the hiring. Beard replaces Scott Galloway, who now has other duties at ACU.
....Incarnate Word was 20-9 this past year and won the Heart of Conference championship.

MORE SPORTS: Over the weekend, The Cooper Cougars put away Arlington Martin, 9-3, to move into the Region I-5A final for the eighth time and seventh time since 1985. They'll meet Lubbock Monterey this week.

....Also, both the Abilene Christian men and women track teams won national championships in Riverside, Calif., the sixth such crown for the women. The men finally ended St. Augustine's seven-year reighn at the NCAA Division II national outdoor track championships.

May 28 - The Southwest Conference's Last Dance

May 27 - Prairie Dogs Nibble the White-Wings: A four-run first inning ignited Abilene's bats, and the Prairie Dogs went on to pound out an 11-5 win over the Rio Grande Valley White- Wings Sunday night at Har- lingen Field.
...The win was the third consecu- tive for the Prairie Dogs as man- ager Phil Stephenson saw his team sweep the WhiteWings. The Prairie Dogs, now 3-4, begin a four-game set with the Lubbock Crickets at 7:05 p.m. tonight at Scott Field.
...The Prairie Dogs led 4-1 after one inning and 6-3 after three innings. Abilene added a single run in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth to open a 10-3 cushion.
...Rio Grande Valley battled back with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings before the Prairie Dogs scored their final run in the eighth inning.
...Winning pitcher Jared Baker, 1-1, went seven innings, allowed six hits, five runs, four earned runs, walked four and struckout two.
...Paul Gonzalez, Rod Brewer and Manny Gagliano each hit home runs for the Prairie Dogs.
The loss dropped Rio Grande Valley to 4-6 on the season.

May 25 - Cougars Hold on to Win Over Martin

May 24 - TIAA Changes Name to American Southwest Conference

May 24 - Cougars Prepare for Playoff Games with Martin

May 24 - Rangers Lose: David Howard stole home, the second Kansas City player to do it in two days, and Craig Paquette and Sal Fasano hit solo homers Thursday night as the Royals beat the Texas Rangers 4-2 for their fourth straight win.

May 24 - ACU Golfers Slip: Abilene Christian University slipped two notches to eighth place going into today's final round of the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship at the Oak Tree Country Club West Course.
....The Wildcats shot a 307 Thursday for a three-round total of 909. Florida Southern leads with an 889 total.
....Brandon Scott is ACU's low man at 225. Jeff White and Tommy Rosales have 54-hole scores of 226.

May 24 - HSU Golfers Finish 18th: Hardin-Simmons University finished 18th Thursday in the NAIA Men's National Golf Championship at Indian Springs Country Club.
....The Cowboys shot a final-round 327 Thursday and failed to make up any ground among the 18 teams which survived the cut from the original field of 34.
....HSU's top finisher was J.D. Rankin, who tied for 22nd with a 72-hole score of 304. He shot a 79 Thursday.

May 24 - Moonga Takes ACU's First First: Fallody Moonga waited until the final event to give Abilene Christian University its first victory at the NCAA Division II outdoor track championships.
....Moonga pulled away from Carl Leonard of Edinboro on the last lap to win the 10,000 meters in 30:26.47. Moonga had stayed in front by just a couple of steps most of the 25 laps before winning by 20 meters.
Otherwise, ACU had to settle for three second places, two by the women.

May 24 (early) - Merkel Hires Trent Coach: Tim Cope, Trent's football and track coach for the past five years, has been hired as a coach by the Merkel school board.
....At Merkel, Cope will become the freshman football and girls basketball coach, and head varsity golf coach.
....Cope guided the Trent Gorillas to a 8-39 record in football and produced 17 regional qualifiers and one state qualifier in track.

May 24 (early) - Winless PDogs Hit the Road: The Abilene Prairie Dogs, after an 0-4 start at home, begin their first road trip of the season with a three-game weekend series with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings.
....It's a short road trip, however, as the Prairie Dogs return home Monday to begin a 14-game homestand against Lubbock, Rio Grande Valley and Alexandria.

May 23 - Cooper Baseball Team Feels Like Pressure Has Been Lifted

May 23 - PDogs Still Winless; Swept by Dillas

May 23 - Texas Tech and the University of Texas Host Baseball Tournaments

May 23 - ACU Golfers Make a Move: Abilene Christian University shot an impressive 298 Wednesday to move up to sixth place at the halfway point of the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships at the Oak Tree Country Club West course.
....The Wildcats began the day in ninth place.
....Brandon Scott led the ACU charge with a 1-over-par 71 Wednesday. He's in ninth place at 147.
....Florida Southern and South Carolina-Aiken are tied for the team lead at 589. ACU is 13 strokes back at 602.

May 23 - HSU Golfers Last: Hardin-Simmons University made the cut Tuesday, but the Cowboys were in last place among the 18 survivors after Wednesday's third round of the NAIA Men's National Golf Championship at Indian Springs Country Club.


....While HSU slipped to a 327 Wednesday and is in 18th place with a 54-hole total of 947, the Cowboys' J.D. Rankin continues to enjoy an outstanding tournament. He fired a four-over-par 76 Wednesday and is tied for 10th with a 225 score.

May 23 - Raise-A-Racket Saturday: The Raise-A-Racket Tennis Carnival - free to anyone in third through eighth grades - will be held from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday at Rose Park Tennis Center.

....The event is part of the "Tennis Across Texas" program initiated by the Texas Tennis Association in Austin. Free drinks from Southwest Coca Cola, chips and cookies compliments of United Snack Group, a dunking booth and prizes for everyone will be included.
.....The Raise-A-Racket tennis campaign was organized earlier this year in an effort to reach a goal of putting a tennis racket into the hands of every youngster in Abilene who wants to play tennis.
....More than 500 rackets were collected, 150 of which came from the community and 200 of which came from past efforts of the Abilene Tennis Association. An additional 150 came from the United States Tennis Association.
....Rackets will continue to be collected through July 1, and may be dropped off at any of the tennis clubs, Reeder's Auto Supply stores or Arby's.

May 23 (early) - Rangers Beat Twins: Dean Palmer and Warren Newson hit consecutive homers in the sixth inning as the Texas Rangers rallied from a two-run deficit, then held on for a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.

....Palmer snapped a 2-2 tie with a two-run drive to left off Twins starter Jose Parra (1-3), and Newson followed with his third homer of the season as Texas scored four times in the sixth.

May 23 (early) - Rangers Move Gil: The Texas Rangers activated shortstop Benji Gil off the disabled list on Wednesday and optioned him to Oklahoma City, their Class AAA farm club.

....Gil, 23, has rehabilitated from surgery March 26 to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. The Rangers had signed Kevin Elster to play shortstop until Gil's return, but Elster has put up All-Star numbers.

May 22 - This Week's Cooper Playoff Game Another Kind of Rivalry

May 22 - Prairie Dogs Lose Again to Dillas

May 22 - Rangers Lose to Twins: Rich Becker's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth capped a two-run rally that give the Minnesota Twins a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

....The win snapped the Twins' four-game losing streak and handed the Rangers their fourth loss in five games.

May 22 - McMurry Women in 11th Place: McMurry University is in 11th place going into today's final round of the NAIA Women's National Golf Championship at Bailey Golf Ranch.

....The Lady Indians have a two-day total of 753. McMurry's Shellie McWhorter is tied for 16th with a 36-hole total of 174.
....Lynn College (Fla.), with a 631 total, owns a 65-stroke lead over runner-up Spring Hill (Ala.).

May 22 - HSU Gets 2nd Point at Championship: Hardin-Simmons University picked up its second point Tuesday of the NAIA National Tennis Championship with a victory in men's doubles.

....HSU's Brent Henager and Chris Proctor won their opening-round match over a team from Bethel College (Kan.) and will face Jeff Parker and Mark Nesci of Oklahoma City University at 8 a.m. today in the second round.
....The two points puts the Cowboys tied for 33rd place after the first two days of competition in the NAIA men's national tournament.

ACU Golfers Tied for 9th: Abilene Christian University is tied for ninth place after Tuesday's first round of the NCAA Division II men's national golf championships at Oak Tree Country Club's West Course.

....The Wildcats shot a 304 and are tied with Valdosta State (Ga.) for ninth. North Florida and Florida Southern share the first-round lead at 292.
....Brad Scott of Cal State-San Bernardino is the individual leader with a two-under-par 70.
Low man for ACU was Tommy Rosales with a 75.

May 22 (early) - SWTSU Coach Honored: Howard Bushong, baseball coach for Southwest Texas State University, has been named Southland Conference coach of the year.

....In his third season with the Bobcats, Bushong led the team to their first-ever post-season appearance and a Texas Division title with a 19-11 mark in conference play and a 27-32 overall record.

May 22 (early) - Teaff to HSU: Brad Teaff, a senior at Merkel High School, has committed to play basketball for Hardin-Simmons University.

....The 6-4, 220-pound Teaff was a three-year starter for the Badgers, who were District 6-3A champions last season, finishing with a 26-10 record. He averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game was a first team all-district selection.

May 21 - PDogs Aren't Going to Panic After Losing Two Straight

May 21 - NCAA II Golf Tourney Begins: Abilene Christian University, defending champion Florida Southern and tournament host Central Oklahoma will be joined by 15 other teams as the NCAA Division II national golf tournament begins today.
....Golfers from 18 teams, who qualified at regional tournaments May 6-8, will play 72 holes on the west course at Oak Tree Country Club. They will play one round each on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
....ACU, which won the title in 1993, is making its 10th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.

May 21 - HSU Golfers in 18th Place: Hardin-Simmons University is in 18th place after the first round Monday of the NAIA men's national golf tournament at Indian Springs Country Club.

...The top 17 teams out of the field of 34 will survive the cut after today's second round.
....J.D. Rankin led HSU with a 76. NAIA West Sectional medalist Scott Tibbitts of Howard Payne shot a 74 and is tied for 10th place.
....Western Washington leads the tournament after the first round.

May 21 - HSU, McMurry Eliminated: Hardin-Simmons University, McMurry University and Howard Payne each scored only one point and have been eliminated from singles competition Monday during the first day of the NAIA national tennis tournament.
....The doubles competition begins today.
....The only victory for HSU was Chris Proctor in men's singles, who won his opening-round match by default. He lost in the second round.
....Jennifer Pittman of McMurry also won her first-round match in women's singles, but fell in the second round. So did Howard Payne's Brad Echols in men's singles.

May 21 (early) - Committee: Houston, Build More Stadiums: A sports advisory committee recommended Mondaythat Houston build new stadiums for baseball and basketball and renovate the Astrodome for football but offered few specifics how to cover the $625 million construction tab.
...."The preferred plan is not perfect," Peter Coneway, chairman of the Houston and Harris County sports Facility Public Advisory Committee said of the 25-page report released by the panel. "We seek to offer today more than advocate. We're not trying to make judgments about other issues important in our community."
....The report comes in the wake of the National Football League Houston Oilers' decision to take a lucrative offer from Nashville and move to the Tennessee city.
....The owner of Houston's major league baseball team, the Astros, also has served notice he may move. And the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association would like a new arena with more revenue-generating luxury boxes and a larger overall capacity, although the team has a lease with the existing city-owned Summit arena through 2003.

May 21 (early) - Wylie Players Honored: Wylie sophomore pitcher Grant Gregg and Ballinger senior Brian Ruppert werenamed co-most valuable players on the all-District 6-3A baseball team selectedby the league's coaches.

....Other Wylie players receiving first-team honors were catcher StevenThessing, pitcher Jerrod Brown, first baseman Greg McMinn, infielders ChadGreaves and B.J. Anders, outfielder Marc Deffenbaugh, designated hitter JasonCusick and utility player Jacob Pruitt.
....Wylie's Jathan Floren also shared newcomer of the year honors with CordBowman of Ballinger.

May 21 (early) - Bandera Downs to Liquidate: Bandera Downs, which closed last summer, will liquidate its entire facility at public auction on Thursday.

....The racetrack, which opened in 1990, ceased operation on June 20 after attendance and wagering fell. That came after last year's opening of Retama Park between San Antonio and Austin.
....Wagering dropped 50 percent and attendance slipped 30 percent at Bandera, which forced a closure and an audit by the Texas Racing Commission.
....The audit found that Bandera owed more than $1 million to horsemen who raced at the track, vendors and governmental fees.

May 20 - PDogs Lose Home Opener: The Abilene Prairie Dogs - new or not - picked up Sunday right where they left off - they lost at home.

....Abilene, which had the worst home record in the Texas-Louisiana League last season, fell in its season opener, 7-5, to Lubbock at Scott Field.
....The loss drops the Prairie Dogs to 19-32 all-time at their home park.

May 20 - ACU Sending Thinclads to Championships: Abilene Christian University will be sending 30 athletes to the NCAA Division II outdoor track championships, which start Thursday in Riverside, Calif.
....Fourteen women will be competing in 24 events, while 16 men will be in 25.
....Five men who were provisional qualifiers were added to the field Sunday night.Albert

May 20 - Belle Helps Bop Rangers: Belle extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a two-run single, helping Charles Nagy and the Cleveland Indians defeat the Texas Rangers 8-5 Sunday.
....Belle's hitting streak is the longest of his career, and also the best in the majors this season. It is the longest string by an Indians player since Julio Franco's 22 straight in 1988.

May 19 - PDogs Open Season Today....plus, related feature on Rod Brewer

May 19 - Wylie Baseball Team Ousted from Playoffs

May 19 - Mavs Hope to Get Lucky in the Lottery

May 19 - Rice wins SWC Tourney: Jacques Landry hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in an eight-run seventh inning as Rice defeated Texas 16-8 Saturday night for the last Southwest Conference baseball championship.
.....The game was the 82-year-old SWC's final athletic event before the league officially dissolves this summer.
....The Owls (42-21) were among the hottest teams in the nation until a disappointing 9-15 conference record, but they swept all four of their tournament games. Among them were two victories over regular season champion and historic SWC titan Texas (38-22).
....Rice had never appeared in an SWC postseason tournament final until Saturday. The Owls will join Texas and Texas Tech in NCAA postseason play this week.

May 19 - Rangers Break Cleveland's Home Streak: The Texas Rangers stopped Cleveland's 13-game home winning streak Saturday, besting the Indians 6-3 behind Damon Buford's go-ahead single in the seventh inning.

May 18 - Wylie Baseball Team Loses, Has to Play Today

May 18 - ACU Ousted from Post-Season World Series Try

May 18 - PDogs Ready for Opener Sunday

May 18 - Rice Big SWC Surprise Winner: Rice reliever Matt Anderson retired three straight potential tying runs as the Owls defeated Texas, 9-6, Friday night to emerge as the only team still unbeaten in the Southwest Conference postseason baseball tournament.

....Texas will play the winner of Saturday's Texas Tech-Baylor game in the double-elimination tournament. One more loss for any of those three teams means elimination for them.
....The Texas-Rice game featured the final two unbeaten teams in the tournament. Rice advanced to the title game either Saturday or Sunday.

May 18 - Rangers Blow Big Lead: Manny Ramirez's grand slam capped a six-run seventh inning Friday night as the Cleveland Indians overcame a seven-run deficit and beat the Texas Rangers 12-10.

....Ramirez lined a 3-0 pitch off Gil Heredia (1-3) into the left-field stands for his second career grand slam as the Indians won their 13th straight home game.
....Cleveland's Eddie Murray and Texas' Kevin Elster each had four hits with Elster hitting two homers and two of the Rangers' club-record eight doubles.
....Elster tied the club record with four extra-base hits in his first four-hit game since May 23, 1990.

May 18 - Wylie Girls Lose to Sweeny: After Wylie's 11-1 Class 3A University Interscholastic League semifinal loss Friday to Sweeny, Coach Stacy Herring talked about the Bulldogs' 20 errors. It was really eight, but, as Herring put it, "it seemed like 20."

....The wheels fell off the Lady Bulldogs' first state tournament appearance after allowing five runs in the fifth inning. Sweeny scored nine runs off six hits in the game's final two innings, despite being held to two runs on two hits the first four innings.
...."Too many errors," Herring said. "We came here, I guess, not ready to play. I've never seen us play like this."
....Sweeny (24-5), in its second state appearance, advances to today's 11 a.m. final against Bellville. Bellville (22-10) defeated Hooks, 2-0.

May 18 (early) - Attendance Lagging for NL Central-Leading Astros

May 18 (early) - Clark's Compass Helps Rangers Head in Right Direction

May 18 (early) - Baylor Eliminates Aggies: Baylor ace Kris Lambert shut down Texas A&M Friday on eight hits and no walks as the Bears defeated the Aggies 8-1 in a Southwest Conference tournament elimination game.

....Lambert struck out four and kept the A&M offense in disarray throughout the game. The Aggies managed more than one hit in an inning only once, when they collected three to earn their lone run in the sixth.
....Meanwhile, the Baylor offense roughed up A&M pitching for 15 hits, including a three-run homer by Marty Crawford in the Bears' four-run fourth. Crawford went 3-for-5 with three runs scored.
....Baylor (32-26) will play the winner of Friday afternoon's Texas Tech-TCU matchup on Saturday in the losers' bracket final.

May 18 (early) - Wilbert Montgomery to be Added to Hall of Fame: Wilbert Montgomery, who led Abilene Christian University to the 1973 NAIADivision I national championship, is among the first 10 men from the collegedivision to be added to the College Football Hall of Fame.

....Montgomery and nine other players from the college division, includingquarterback Terry Bradshaw of Louisiana Tech and running back Walter Payton ofJackson State, will be officially inducted into the College Football Hall ofFame in South Bend, Ind., on Saturday, Aug. 17.

May 18 (early) - HSU Women Finish Fifth: Hardin-Simmons University finished fifth Friday in theNCAA Women's Division II and III Golf Championship.

....Coach Jeff Goodin's Cowgirls began the final round in the fourth place, butthey struggled to a 354 team score Friday at The Meadows Golf Course, allowingFlorida Southern to slip past them into fourth place.

May 17 - Cougars Win Cross-Town Thriller, 6-5 ... Related Story: Crucial Sixth Inning Decision Leads to Win

May 17 - Golf's a Struggle These Days for Abilene's Bob Estes

May 17 - ACU Wins 1st Game in Tourney: ACU rallied for three runs in the final two innings for a 3-2 victory over Wingate (N.C.) University Thursday afternoon at Crutcher Scott Field in the opening game of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional tournament.

....The win allowed 16th-ranked ACU (41-16) to take off and relax until a 3 p.m. matchup today against top-ranked Delta State University, which is the top seed in the three-team double elimination tournament.

May 17 - Jazz Eliminate Spurs: The Jazz made it back to the conference finals for the third time in five years with a 108-81 rout Thursday night of the San Antonio Spurs for a 4-2 win in the best-of-7 series

....The Jazz will play the Seattle SuperSonics on Saturday in Game 1 of the conference finals.
....Game 6, just like Games 3 and 4 at the Delta Center, was marked by another struggle by David Robinson.

May 17 - Tulsa Beats Rangers: Hanley Frias hit a grand slam homer and finished with six RBI as Tulsa spanked its parent Texas Rangers 16-5 in exhibition play on Thursday.

....Brian Blair also had a strong night for the Drillers, the Rangers' Double A Texas League affiliate, going 4 for 5 with three RBI.

May 17 - Rice Upsets Tech: Dana Davis limited explosive Texas Tech to eight hits as upstart Rice beat the Red Raiders 7-3 Thursday for the Owls' second straight victory in the Southwest Conference tournament.

....Davis threw 151 pitches in a complete game victory over Tech (45-12), which lost just its third game this season at Dan Law Field.
....Rice, which had one of the conference's best records until a disastrous 9-15 league season, led 4-3 until Tim McLaughlin ripped a three-run opposite field homer to left.
The victory gave Rice as many tournament victories this year as it had overall. The Owls were 2-12 in previous tournaments.
....Rice (37-21) plays Texas Friday night in the last winner's bracket game. Every other team has lost at least once, and Houston was eliminated.
....The Red Raiders, regular season runners-up to Texas this season, play Texas Christian in an elimination game Friday.

May 17 - Rhiddlehoover Picked for Game: Cooper's Jon Rhiddlehoover has been selected to play in the Shrine California/Texas All-Star Football Classic, July 20 at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif.

....Rhiddlehoover, who last Saturday finished fourth in the discus at the Class 5A state track meet, was a starter at offensive tackle last season for the Cougars. He helped lead Cooper to the regional quarterfinals.
....Rhiddlehoover is one of 36 players from Texas to have been selected to play in the game. He will play center for the Texas squad.

May 17 (early) - End of Era Postmark Available: Skip Medlock Jr. literally wants to put his own stamp on the Southwest Conference's final weekend of athletics.

....Medlock, a local postmaster and events chairman for the South Plains Stamp Club, is operating a mobile post office outside of the baseball and track stadiums, sites of the SWC's last championships.
....Fans who drop by the van with something to mail will have their envelopes canceled with the SWC symbol and the mobile unit's designation, the "End of an Era Station, Lubbock, TX 79409."

May 17 (early) - A&M Eliminates Houston: Brian Benefield tied Southwest Conference tournament records with five hits and four runs as Texas A&M eliminated Houston with a 12-10 victory Thursday.

....Despite Benefield's heroics, the game wasn't determined until the Aggies (37-20) scored four runs in the eighth to overcome a 10-8 deficit.

May 17 (early) - Ford in Line for Mavs Job: Former Boston Celtics coach Chris Ford, who already has interviewed for the Charlotte Hornets' job, reportedly will become the third person to interview for the Dallas Mavericks' coaching vacancy.

....Former Phoenix coach Paul Westphal was the first to be interviewed and Mavericks assistant Brad Davis also is being considered to replace Dick Motta, who became a consultant when new ownership took over the team May 1.
....In addition to Charlotte, Ford also has been linked to job openings in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

May 16 - BIG GAME TODAY and Eagles Eager, Cougars Cools as Big Game Approaches

May 16 - Tech Wins Tourney Opener: Clint Bryant drove in three runs and Jimmy Frush pitched a complete game in Texas Tech's 11-5 victory over Houston Wednesday night on the opening day of the Southwest Conference tournament.

... In other tourney action, Texas Christian defeated Baylor 12-5, and Texas A&M lost to Rice, 9-7.

May 16 - Rangers Lose to Royals: Chris Haney pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings Wednesday night and the Kansas City Royals ended a four-game losing streak, downing the Texas Rangers 3-1.
Texas lost for the third time in 12 games.

May 16 (early) - Nashville to Foot Relocation Fee: Nashville city officials are prepared to swallow a $25 million NFL relocation fee even though Nashville won't get the Houston Oilers for another two years.

....Nashville lawyer Byron Trauger, who helped negotiate the $292 million package to bring the team to town, said no legal action is expected to try to reduce the fee.
...."I have had no discussions with anybody about the possibility of that," he said. "We expected it to be that high, we planned for it to be that high, so we weren't taken by surprise."
....A $30 million contingency fee was built into the package and would cover the relocation fee along with stadium cost overruns. The city would pay $20 million with Oilers owner K.S. "Bud" Adams paying the remaining $5 million.

May 16 (early) - Tickets for PDogs' Opener $5: Tickets for the Abilene Prairie Dogs opening day game Sunday are now just $5 each with an open seating policy for that game only.

....Team officials have been forced to stop selling reserved tickets to that game after a computer problem erased all sales data for that event. The mishap occurred when team officials were attempting adjust the computerized ticketing system to remove and add rescheduled games.
....The more than 1,500 fans who have already purchased reserved tickets to that game will still be able to claim their reserved seats for that game. However, anyone purchasing the $5 open seating ticket will be able to sit in any other seat in the park - including reserved seating - not already claimed.
....Gates for the 2:05 opening day game against the defending Texas-Louisiana League champion Lubbock Crickets will open at 12:30 p.m.
....For ticket information, call 673-7364.

May 16 (early) - HSU Women in Sixth: Hardin-Simmons Univeristy slipped a notch to sixth placeat the halfway point of the NCAA Women's Division II and II Golf Championship.

....The Cowgirls carded a 362 team score Wednesday for a 36-hole total of 703at The Meadows Golf Course. The third round of the 72-hole tournament isThursday.

May 16 (early) - McMurry Women in NAIA Tourney: The McMurry University women's golf team will be participating in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics women's golf championships, beginning Monday in Tulsa, Okla.

....The team consists of sophomore Meredith Knight of Jacksboro, and freshmen Mandy Lopez of Round Rock, Shelley McWhorter of Memphis, Daisy Conley of Menard and Karen Thompson of Abilene.
....The Lady Indians qualified for the NAIA national tournament in only their second year of competition.

May 16 (early) - Astros Beat Cubbies: Derek Bell hit a two-run double and Sean Berry followed with a two-run homer to highlight a five-run third as the Houston Astros beat the Cubs 7-5 on Wednesday.

....Bell, who entered the game batting .211 (8-for-38) on Houston's current road trip, went 3-for-5 including two doubles to pace a 15-hit attack.

May 15 - Abilene High's John Michael Herrera: Playmaker at Second

May 15 - Cooper's Kyle Frush: Rock Steady at Second Base

May 15 - PDogs Have to Make Further Adjustments to Schedule

May 15 - Wylie Softball Team Enjoying Cinderella Season

May 15 - Robinson Keeps Spurs Alive: David Robinson recovered from his two-game slump and had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Spurs past the Utah Jazz 98-87 Tuesday night as San Antonio avoided playoff elimination.

....The Spurs closed Utah's lead to 3-2 in the best-of-7 Western Conference semifinal series. Game 6 is Thursday night at Salt Lake City.

May 15 - Tettleton Hot in Rangers' Win: Mickey Tettleton homered twice into the right-field upper deck and Dean Palmer drove in four runs Tuesday night as the Texas Rangers routed the Kansas City Royals 10-0 for their ninth win in 11 games.
....Ken Hill (5-3) pitched a four-hitter for his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career. He struck out five and walked three, pitching his league-leading third complete game.

May 15 - CHS Defensive Back Signs: Cooper defensive back Scott Harrison has signed to play football next season at East Central University in Ada, Okla.

....Harrison, who recorded two interceptions last season for the Cougars, was a second-team all-District 4-5A selection as a junior and senior. He was this year's recipient of Cooper's Fighting Heart Award in football.
....Harrison is also an outfielder on Cooper's baseball team, which has reached the Region I-5A quarterfinals and will play Abilene High on Thursday.

May 15 - Spring Training for AHS, CHS Closing Out: Abilene High and Cooper will close out spring training this weekend with their annual scrimmages at Shotwell Stadium.

....Cooper's Red and Blue Game will be Friday with Abilene High's Black and Gold Game on Saturday night.
....Cooper will get started with the freshmen at 6 p.m. and the varsity and junior varsity at 7 p.m. The Cooper Booster Club will have a hamburger supper beginning at 5:30 p.m.
....Abilene High will get started with its scrimmage at 6 p.m. Saturday.

May 15 (early) - SWC Champ to be Decided: The team that records the final out in this weekend's Southwest Conference baseball tournament won't just win the title and a bid in NCAA play. It will achieve immortality.

....The SWC's last championship will be awarded in perhaps its perennially strongest sport. The dying league's name likely will be carried on for a few weeks with as many as four teams being part of the national tournament.
....Baylor and Texas Christian lead off the double elimination tournament with the first game Wednesday morning. Rice-Texas A&M follows the opener, followed by Houston against Texas Tech.
....Texas, the usual favorite, won a first-day bye as SWC regular season champion and won't play until Thursday.

May 15 (early) - Bonneau Promoted at ACU: Britt Bonneau has been promoted from assistant to head baseball coach at Abilene Christian, the school announced Tuesday.
....Bonneau, 26, replaces Jimmy Shankle, who resigned recently so he could move to Lubbock and run a family business.
....The Lone Star champion Wildcats are 40-16 this season and will host the NCAA Division II south central regional this weekend.

May 15 (early) - Bryant Commits to McMurry: Clay Bryant, a 5-10, 245-pound defensive tackle from Wylie, has committed to play football for McMurry University.
....Byrant was a first-team all-district player her junior and senior years and also was a two-year selection on the all-Big Country team, chosen by the Abilene Reporter-News. He was honorable mention all-state as a senior.

May 14 - Area Athletes Named to All-Star Games: Four area football and two basketball players have been selected to play in the Texas High School Coaches Association all-star games in Houston this summer.

....The football players are linemen J.J. Barton of Stephenville, who has signed with Tarleton State University, Jerry Chavira of Roscoe, who is headed for SMU, end Daniel Franks of Big Spring, who signed with the University of Miami, and end Duane Toliver of Knox City, who is Texas Tech-bound.
....Also in the game, slated for Rice Stadium on July 30, are David Bobo of Permian and Toby McCarthy of Midland Lee.
....Basketball players in the July 29 game at Hofheinz Pavilion are Brandon Franklin of Rising Star and Ryan Dollar of Graham.

May 14 - Tickets to Regional Tourney Available Wednesday: Tickets for the NCAA Division II South Central Region baseball tournament will be available beginning Wednesday in Abilene Christian University's Moody Coliseum.
....Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for students to attend one game for $20 for adults and $10 for students for a two-day pass pass for four games Thursday and Friday.
....ACU, champion of the Lone Star Conference with a 40-16 record, is host of the tournament. The Wildcats, ranked 13th in NCAA Division II, are making their first NCAA playoff appearance in baseball under head coach Jimmy Shankle.
....Joining the Wildcats in the tournament will be Delta State (48-6) from Cleveland, Miss., ranked first in the nation in the latest NCAA Division II poll, and unranked Wingate University (31-16) from Wingate, N.C.
.....ACU meets Wingate at 3 p.m. Thursday in the opening game of the tournament, and the loser will meet Delta State at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Games are also scheduled at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday.
....A fifth game, if necessary, will be at noon Saturday. Ticket information is available at (915) 674-2335 or 1-800-766-0228.

May 14 - PDogs Re-Sign Heller: Kyle Heller, who was the first Abilenian to suit up for the Abilene Prairie Dogs last season, re-signed with the team Monday for the 1996 season.
....Heller, who graduated from Cooper in 1989, played three years of college baseball at Hardin-Simmons University and Abilene Christian University. He is currently an assistant baseball coach at Wylie.
....Heller played in five games at catcher last year for the Prairie Dogs. He went 3 for 14 at the plate before retiring because of arm problems.

May 14 (early) - Do or Die for the Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs are finished making big adjustments in their game plan against the Utah Jazz.

....If the dejected Spurs are to beat the confident Jazz on Tuesday and avoid playoff elimination, San Antonio expects to do it with sheer grit and enthusiasm.
...."It takes everything you have," David Robinson said. "You've just got to fight through and get it."
....Utah defeated San Antonio 101-86 Sunday in Salt Lake City to take a 3-1 lead in their best-of-7 Western Conference semifinal series. Game 5 is Tuesday night in the Alamodome.

May 14 (early) - Big 12 Ups Charter: Things are going so well for the new Big 12 that the schools have decided to stick together longer than originally planned, and they haven't even played a game yet.
....Although plans to extend the league charter from five years to eight have been on the table awhile, commissioner Steve Hatchell said Monday he expects it to be cemented - and possibly extended - at the group's spring meeting this weekend.
...."We've got a lot of potential and now we have to harness it," Hatchell said during his keynote address at the Associated Press Texas Sports Editors' annual convention.
....Later, Hatchell said approval of the eight-year plan is merely a formality. "They want to talk about locking everything in, just to strengthen it," he said.
....The extension became necessary when ABC insisted on that long of a commitment before signing a contract to televise Big 12 football.
....Agreeing to the extra three years resulted in a $126 million contract, tops for any conference.

May 13 - Rockets Out of Playoffs: The Houston Rockets played with the heart of a champion, even as the Seattle SuperSonics swept away their hopes of a three-peat.

....When Sam Cassell's 3-pointer tied the game with 4.1 seconds left in regulation, it looked like the Rockets were on the verge of pulling off another incredible comeback and forcing a fifth game in the best-of-7 Western Conference semifinal series.
....But Seattle, after blowing a 20-point second-half lead, used a 9-0 run in overtime to hold on for a 114-107 victory and complete the sweep of the back-to-back champions Sunday.

May 13 - Tigers 5, Rangers 3: Felipe Lira gave Detroit's pitching staff a rare quality start and John Flaherty jump-started the offense with a three-run double.
....Lira (3-3) gave up three runs and five hits over 6 1-3 innings for a staff that started the day with a 7.19 ERA, the worst in baseball. Lira struck out one and didn' t walk a batter.
....Mike Myers got four outs for his second save and just the Tigers' fifth this season.
....Flaherty's second-inning double off Darren Oliver (2-1) helped the Tigers win just their sixth road game all season. Detroit won for just the second time in its last 15 games away from Tiger Stadium.

May 13 - Wylie's UIL State Softball Tournament Pairings Set: Pairings for the 1996 UIL State Softball Championships May 17-18 at the Pleasant Valley Sportsplex have been scheduled.
....Class 3A follows: Sweeny (23-5) vs. Abilene Wylie (17-12), 5 p.m. Semifinals Friday Class 5A

May 12 - Cooper and Abilene High Baseball Teams Win Area Series

May 12 - Wylie Boys Doubles, Breckenridge Girl Win Tennis Titles

May 12 - Rhiddlehoovers Take 3rd, 4th: The Rhiddlehoover twins came to the Class 5A state track meet hoping to take home a couple of medals. They attained half of their goal.

....Ann threw the discus 140-9, four feet under her best, and was second behind Mandy Shefman of Houston Memorial, who had a 151-2.
....Jon threw only 172-4, 20 feet under his personal best, and was fourth. It was his only throw over 144 feet.
....Cooper's only other entry, triple jumper Chris Cherry, triple jumped 48-51/2 and was third. E.J. Hill of Klein won with a 50-7 effort

May 12 - Wylie's Hatchett Wins Medal: Heather Hatchett of Wylie and Jason Pate of Comanche were the only area medal winners at the Class 3A state track meet Saturday afternoon.

....Hatchett placed third in the girls 100 hurdles in 15.12 and Pate was third in the boys 800 in a personal-best 1:55.20. Otherwise, it wasn't a good day for area athletes in this division despite the meet being held in good weather for a change.

May 12 - Spurs Lose Big Time: Karl Malone scored 32 points and Jeff Hornacek added 17 Saturday to lead the Utah Jazz to a 105-75 rout of the San Antonio Spurs and a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

....Malone, who sat out the fourth quarter, was 14-of-24 from the field and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who can push the Spurs to brink of elimination with a win Game 4, which will be played at the Delta Center on Sunday.

May 12 - PDogs Sign Brewer: The Abilene Prairie Dogs have signed first baseman/outfielder Rod Brewer, who played one full season and parts of three others with the St. Louis Cardinals. Brewer, 30, is 6-3, 208 pounds. He bats and throws left-handed.

....Drafted out of the University of Florida in the fifth round of the 1987 draft, Brewer only took three years to make it to St. Louis and the major leagues.

May 11 - Cooper Wins Baseball Playoff Game Against EP Coronado

May 11 - Wylie Doubles Team Advances to Championship Match

May 11 - Rangers Beat Tigers: Roger Pavlik survived a shaky start to remain unbeaten, and the Texas Rangers defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-2 Friday night for their seventh win in nine games.

....Pavlik (5-0) allowed hits to six of his first 12 batters before settling down. He allowed two runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings, struck out four and walked two.

May 11 - Rockets Lose to Seattle Again: Detlef Schrempf and Gary Payton each scored 28 points, and Shawn Kemp got a key dunk and two free throws down the stretch as Seattle beat Houston 115-112 Friday night, putting the defending NBA champions within one game of elimination.

....Seattle beat the Rockets for the 12th straight time to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 Western Conference semifinal series. Game 4 will be Sunday at The Summit.
....The Rockets rallied from 0-2 deficits the past two seasons in the conference semifinals, but no team has ever recovered from an 0-3 hole.

May 11 - ACU Women Win, Men Lose: The Abilene Christian University women's tennis team reached the Final Four in the NCAA Division II National Tennis Tournament Friday with their 4-2 victory over Barry University of Miami, Florida.

....The ACU men, however, were not as fortunate, dropping their national quarterfinals match against the Barry University 4-1.

May 11 (early) - Elster Keeping Job: The suspense is over for Kevin Elster and Texas Rangers fans.

....The 31-year-old journeyman shortstop will remain the Rangers' starting shortstop, even after "shortstop of the future" Benji Gil recovers from March back surgery.
....Manager Johnny Oates said Elster earned the job with a month of sterling defense and one of the hottest offensive spells of his career.

May 11 (early) - Fleming to be Suspended: Free-agent wide receiver Cory Fleming is being suspended for violating the NFL substance-abuse policy while playing for the Dallas Cowboys last season, The Dallas Morning News has reported.

....Fleming was told of the action last week after he had agreed to sign with the Denver Broncos for the minimum salary, the newspaper said.
....Fleming learned of the suspension before getting his plane ticket to Denver, then had one of his representatives inform the Broncos' front office that he could not play, two unidentified league sources told The Morning News.

May 10 - Spurs Bounce Back with Impressive Win

May 10 - Wylie Boys Doubles Teams Goes for State Title

May 10 - Cooper and El Paso Coronado Begin Series Today

May 10 - Toronto Ends Rangers' Streak: John Olerud's two-run double in the sixth inning broke up a scoreless game and snapped Ken Hill's string of 19 shutout innings as Toronto halted the Texas Rangers' five-game winning streak, 5-2 Thursday night.
....The Rangers' seven-game winning streak against Toronto ended and Texas lost at home for the first time this season to an AL East team after an 11-0 start.

May 10 - Gonzalez Out with Injury: Texas Rangers outfielder Juan Gonzalez, coming off an injury-plagued 1995, will miss at least two weeks with a partial tear of the left quadriceps muscle.
....Gonzalez sustained the injury while running out a ground ball in the second inning of Tuesday night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He underwent an MRI scan Thursday morning, which revealed the tear, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, retroactive to May 8.
....In 1995, Gonzalez missed the first 33 games of the season with a back problem and was out a total of 54 games with assorted injuries. He also missed five games due to injuries earlier this season.
....Gonzalez, the Rangers' all-time home run leader with 173, is the team's RBI leader with 30 this season. He is batting .294 with five homers.

May 10 - ACU Netters Win: The Abilene Christian University men's and women's tennis teams each won their first round matches in the NCAA Division II National Tennis Tournament Thursday.
....The ACU women, now 21-2 and seeded third in the tournament, swept Bloomsburg 5-0 to advance to the national quarterfinals today against Barry (Fla.).
....The ACU men also advanced to the national quarterfinals with their 4-2 upset victory over Armstrong State (Ga.). The ACU men's next challenge will also be Barry (Fla.) in the quarterfinals. The Barry men are the fourth seed in the men's half of the tournament draw.

May 10 - Vann Wins Big for ACU: Karen Vann of Abilene Christian University won first place in both the 800 and 1,500 meters, and the Lady Wildcats swept first through third place in the 3,000-meter run in the ACU All-Comers Classic Thursday at Elmer Gray Stadium.
....Also, in the women's 100 meters, Mary Tombiri-Shirey and Amara Ezem were first and second.

May 10 - Rhiddlehoovers, Scott Honored: Jon and Ann Rhiddlehoover, along with Kathryn Scott, took the top awards Thursday night at the Cooper Sports Extravaganza at the Paramount Theatre.
....Jon Rhiddlehoover won the Millerman Award as the school's top male athlete, while Ann Rhiddlehoover and Scott shared the Bea Shackelford Award, recognizing the school's top female athlete.

May 10 - Abilene Speedway has Busy Weekend: Abilene Speedway will have three full days of racing, beginning tonight, with more than $22,000 in prize money up for grabs. Speedway officials are expecing more than 70 teams from Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota and Texas to compete for the $5,000 to win feature and super stocks races.
....Racing begins at 8 p.m. tonight. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tonight's racing includes all classes running for regular points.
.....Saturday's schedule includes I.M.C.A qualifying races, thunder trucks and sprints, beginning at 8 p.m.
....The three days of racing concludes Sunday at 6 p.m. with I.M.C.A. qualifying races with $5,000 to win feature and super stocks.

May 10 (early) - Rockets vs. SuperSonics: Elbows and Accusations

May 10 (early) Twin Domes in Houston? Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, trying to secure an NFL team to replace the Tennessee-bound Oilers, is ready to pitch a plan worth up to $400 million to refurbish the Astrodome and build a new dome right next door.
....Eckels said the plan could go two ways. The Astrodome could be gutted and rebuilt to accommodate football and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, with a next-door dome for the baseball Astros. Otherwise, the Astrodome could be reconfigured for baseball with a new facility for football and the rodeo.
....Either way, a new stadium would cost $200 million and refurbishing the Astrodome would cost $200 million, he said.

May 10 (early) - Mavs Looking for Site: The 37-acre Cityplace golfing range has emerged as a contender for a new sports arena, days after the new owners of the Dallas Mavericks said they were considering a suburban Fort Worth site for the project.
....The development about one mile north of downtown could accommodate Ross Perot Jr.'s vision for an arena complex that will be a multibillion-dollar "centerpiece" for North Texas, including stores, offices and apartments.
....One proposal for the Cityplace site, carrying a price tag of $600 million to $800 million, would include a luxury arena with 22,000 seats and 100 or more skyboxes, a shopping mall, offices, condos, multiscreen cinema and 450-room hotel.

May 9 - PDogs Have to Postpone Season Opener (See related column by Lance Fleming)

May 9 - Houston Mayor Says Fans Don't Have to Support the Oilers

May 9 - Rangers Win Again: Bobby Witt won his 100th career game and the Texas Rangers won their fifth in a row, a 4-1 defeat of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Witt (4-2) allowed eight hits in seven-plus innings, struck out nine and walked one to send the Rangers to their seventh consecutive victory over the Blue Jays. Witt boosted his career record to 100-109, while the Rangers improved to 11-0 at home against the AL East this season.

May 9 - ACU Golfers in National Tourney: Abilene Christian University has earned a berth in the NCAA Division II national golf tournament.
....The Wildcats, shooting their tournament-best round of 292 Wednesday, moved up from sixth to a tie for third in the West regional tournament at Turlock Country Club. ACU will make its 10th straight trip to the national tournament, scheduled May 21-24 at Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, Okla.
....This is the first year that NCAA Division II has used the regional format. The top six teams in the West regional advanced, so ACU was sitting on the bubble going into Wednesday's final round.

May 9 (early) - Wylie Sets Playoff Series: District 6-3A baseball champion Wylie has set its bi-district playoff series with District 5-3A runnerup Denver City.
....The first game in the best of three series will be played at 5:30 p.m., Friday, May 17 in Seminole. The second game will be played at noon, Saturday, May 18 at Hardin-Simmons University's Hunter Field.
....A third game, if necessary, would follow 30 minutes after the second game at Hunter Field.
....The Bulldogs have also scheduled a practice game against Stamford at 5 p.m.at the Wylie High School field.

May 9 (early) - Dickey Contract Details Told: If Texas Tech men's basketball coach James Dickey wants to coach elsewhere over the next four years, he'll have to pay the school $50,000 within 30 days of the move, his new contract states.
....A copy of the five-year, $1 million contract obtained by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal indicates Dickey must pay if he wants to move on.
...."I think that generally my feeling is if the university makes a commitment to someone, that it's appropriate to ask for a commitment in return," athletic director Bob Bockrath said.
....The pay structure is another incentive for Dickey to stay. The first year of the deal is worth $175,000 in base salary, escalating gradually to $225,000 in the final year.

May 9 (early) - Speedway Lawsuit Dropped: A Travis County district judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Fort Worth in which the Northwest School district sought to prevent the issuance of bonds for the Texas Motor Speedway project.
....Judge Peter Lowry said Northwest's challenge of the speedway's likely tax-exempt status was premature and belongs before the Denton County Appraisal District, not in a state district court.
....Northwest Superintendent John Brooks said he was disappointed and that the district would appeal the ruling.

May 8 - PDogs "Lose" First Three Home Games, but gain Scott Malone

May 8 - Baird Golfers Win State Crown

May 8 - Wylie Softball Team Going to State Tournament

May 8 - Cooper Girls Double Team Loses in Finals

May 8 - Wylie Girl Golfers Finish Second in State

May 8 - Rangers Beat Toronto Again: Damon Buford drove in the tying run with a sixth-inning single and Will Clark hit a three-run homer in the seventh, giving the Texas Rangers their fourth straight victory, 5-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

May 8 - ACU Golfers Fare Well: Abilene Christian University shot a second-round 300 Tuesday at the NCAA Division II West Region golf tournament and is on the bubble for a berth in the national tournament going into today's final round.
....The Wildcats' 596 two-day total has them in a sixth-place tie with Portland State University. The top six teams will advance to the Division II national tournament, May 21-24 in Edmond, Okla.
....ACU and Portland State are just two strokes ahead of Central Oklahoma and three strokes ahead of East Texas State.

May 8 - Wylie Wins Baseball Championship: Wylie took advantage of eight Coleman errors to win on the 10-run rule and claim the District 6-3A baseball championship Tuesday.
....While the Bulldogs were taking the district crown, the playoff picture was muddied elsewhere. Merkel, which had opened the second half 5-0, lost its second straight game, 9-8, to Clyde and joined Ballinger and Eastland with 5-2 marks to share second in the second half of district.
....Clyde, which won the first half, will now have to wait for that tangle to be cleared before learning its opponent to determine the district runner-up.

May 8 - Spurs Lose by 20: Karl Malone scored 23 points and John Stockton had 13 points and 19 assists as Utah routed San Antonio 95-75 Tuesday night to win the opener of their Western Conference semifinal playoff series.
....The Spurs, who have never won a playoff series after losing the first game, were booed in the Alamodome as they lost the homecourt advantage in the best-of-7 series. Game 2 is Thursday in San Antonio.

May 8 (early) - Tech Hires Law Firm Because of Probe: Texas Tech has hired a law firm that includes former NCAA officials to look into alleged irregularities in the Red Raiders' athletic program, the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday.
....The university has retained the Overland Park, Kan., firm of Bond, Schoeneck and King to investigate alleged NCAA rules violations in its men's basketball and football programs, according to documents obtained by the Chronicle under the Texas Open Records Act.
....The papers indicate the firm's chief investigators on the case will be Mike Glazier, a former NCAA enforcement representative, and Rick Evrard, another ex-NCAA official.

May 8 (early) - ACU Gets Post-Season Honors: Abilene Christian University, which won the Lone Star Conference baseball title last weekend, took three of the four post-season honors announced Tuesday.
....Third baseman Kevin Thompson was named the league's co-Most Valuable Player, along with Tommy Keeling of Tarleton State University.
....Mark Ferry was named the LSC Pitcher of the Year, and Jimmy Shankle was named the Coach of the Year in his first season in the league. It will also be his last after his announcement Monday night that he is retiring from coaching at the end of this season.
Thompson hit .398 with a team-high eight home runs and 62 RBI. Ferry 10-4 with a 5.44 ERA and 76 strikeouts.
Aside from Thompson and Ferry, the Wildcats had four other players named to the first team: second baseman Ronny Haring (.353, 2 HR, 50 RBI), shortstop Robert Bittinger (.413, 1 HR, 48 RBI), outfielder Jerod Hyde (.409, 7 HR, 55 RBI) and pitcher Brad Thomas (7-2, 4.04 ERA).

May 8 (early) - Track Simulcasting Pays Off: The first three days of simulcasting at Lone Star Park lured $2.1 million in betting from 13,345 visitors.
....The great turnout at the Post Time Pavilion on Saturday, when the Kentucky Derby was run, helped Texas' five tracks reach a record single-day handle of $4,322,144, according to Dave Freeman, executive secretary of the Texas Racing Commission.
....The previous high was set last year on Kentucky Derby Day, when $3,830,356 was wagered, Freeman said.

May 7 - Cooper Girls Double Team Sweeps Through First Two Rounds

May 7 - Wylie Golfers Have Mixed Results at State

May 7 - PDogs Finally Sign a Bunch of Players

May 7 - Shankle Resigns at ACU: Jimmy Shankle, who led Abilene Christian University to the Lone Star Conference baseball championship this past weekend, has resigned as the head baseball coach.
....Shankle said in a press release that he is resigning for personal reasons to return to the family business in Lubbock.

May 7 - Rockets Lose Close One: The Seattle SuperSonics hit a playoff-record 20 3-pointers, including 13 in a row, to beat the Houston Rockets 105-101 Monday night and take a 2-0 series lead over the two-time defending NBA champions.
....It was Seattle's 11th consecutive victory over the Rockets, including six this season.
....The teams combined for 33 3-pointers, also a playoff record.

May 7 (early) - Dickey Signs Long-Term Tech Contract: Texas Tech rewarded men's basketball coach James Dickey with a five-year, $1 million contract Monday, meaning the school has signed the coaches of its top four athletic programs to multi-year deals.
...."He has done a great job of bringing renewed interest to our basketball program, which especially is important as we enter the Big 12 Conference," athletic director Bob Bockrath said.
....Dickey's Red Raiders posted a 30-2 record last season, third-best in the nation, and reached the final 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years.
....In five seasons, he has a 100-49 record. He had two years remaining on his old contract.

May 6 - Rangers Sweep Tigers: Detroit managed more than one hit Sunday, but the Tigers' troubles continued as Kevin Elster's two-run homer hlepd the Texas Rangers to a 3-2 victory.

....Kevin Gross (4-3) followed back-to-back one-hitters by Ken Hill and Roger Pavlik by stopping Detroit on five hits in seven innings.

May 6 - Sonics Confident About Rockets: The Seattle SuperSonics are in good position of making the Houston Rockets the NBA's ex-champions.
....After a 33-point victory in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series, the Sonics will try to make it 11 consecutive wins over the Rockets on Monday night.
....The Sonics, who were 4-0 against Houston during the regular season, haven't lost to the Rockets since April 17, 1993.

May 5 - Both Wylie Boys and Girls Golf Teams Try for State Crown

May 4 - AHS Eagles Win Thrilling Baseball Playoff Game (See related column)

May 4 - Wylie Baseball Team Pounds Comanche

May 4 - ACU Clinches At Least Tie for LSC Baseball Crown

May 4 - Spurs Take Series from Phoenix: David Robinson had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Vinny Del Negro added 25 points as San Antonio beat Phoenix 116-98 Friday night to win their first-round series in four games.
....The Spurs, who had lost their six previous playoff games in Phoenix, will meet the winner of the Portland-Utah series in the second round.
....Del Negro, who set a career playoff high with 29 points in Game 1, scored nine points in the third quarter Friday night, when the Spurs broke the game open by outscoring the Suns 33-18.

May 4 - Rangers Win One-Hitter: Ken Hill pitched a one-hitter, allowing only an infield single in the first inning, and Juan Gonzalez homered and drove in four runs Friday night as the Texas Rangers pounded the Detroit Tigers 11-0.
....Hill (4-2) gave up an infield single to Bobby Higginson in the first before retiring 26 straight batters. The right-hander struck out seven and walked none for his first American League shutout.
....The one-hitter was the second of his career. He also did it for Montreal on June 8, 1992 against the New York Mets. Hill's sixth career shutout was the first pitched against Detroit this year.

May 4 - HSU Loses in Tourney: Hardin-Simmons found out early Friday that its season would probably end against Northwood in the NAIA West Sectional baseball tournament at Hunter Field.
....The second-seeded Knights sent 11 men to the plate in the first inning and scored six of their nine runs in the first inning in downing the Cowboys, 9-1, in Friday's first game.
....Dallas Baptist defeated Sul Ross 17-11 in the day's second game but the Lobos came back to beat Northwood 13-8 in Friday's late game. Sul Ross will now meet DBU in today's championship game at 1 p.m.
....DBU is the only unbeaten team in the double-elimination tournament. If DBU wins the first game, it wins the tournament. A second game, if needed, would follow the first game.

May 4 - Lady Cougars Lose: Friday's Class 5A regional semifinal softball game between Richland and Cooper was a pitching fan's delight through 10 innings.
....In the 11th, however, the spotlight shifted to Richland as the Lady Rebels scored nine runs on four hits and three Lady Cougar errors in taking a 10-1, 11-inning win at McCleskey Field.
....Ironically, Cooper outhit Richland 11-7 despite being outscored by nine runs. Richland now plays Keller in the regional final while Cooper ends its season at 18-10.
....Cooper played solid defense up until the 11th inning when crucial misplays opened the floodgate for Richland. A teary-eyed Cooper head coach Connie Finn said afterward that she couldn't blame the defense because it was one of the key elements in the Lady Cougars' playoff drive.

May 4 (early) - Tech Boosters Give Dickey Check: Texas Tech basketball coach James Dickey says the support of Red Raiders boosters touch his heart, but their gift of a huge check with his name on it wasn't bad either.
....A group of Tech supporters, led by local businessman Jim Sexton, presented Dickey and wife Bettye with a check Thursday reportedly between $65,000 and $100,000.
...."The money certainly is nice," Dickey said. "There's no question about that. But the people, the emotion and the support is what really touches your heart."
....Tech was a combined 13-45 in the two seasons before Dickey's arrival. He has led them to a 100-49 record since, including a 30-2 mark last year that ended in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.
....Dickey and the school said earlier this week they are close to signing a multi-year contract. Dickey has two years remaining on his current deal.
...."This is where I want to be for a long time," he said.

May 3 - It's Been a Great Spring for Abilene Schools

May 3 - Abilene High Baseball Team Not just Satisfied to be in Playoffs

May 3 - Abilene High Pitcher Walks to a Different Beat

May 3 - Rockets Takes Series From Lakers: Hakeem Olajuwon scored 25 points, including two key baskets down the stretch, as the Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 102-94 Thursday night to win their opening-round series 3-1.
....The Rockets, seeking their third straight NBA championship, will meet the winner of the Seattle-Sacramento series in the second round.
....The Lakers cut Houston's lead to 91-86 on a jumper by Anthony Peeler with 4:28 left, but Olajuwon then made a baseline jumper and a hook shot to put the Rockets up 95-86 with 57 seconds remaining.

May 3 - ACU Tries To Wrap Up Title: Abilene Christian University can wrap up its second Lone Star Conference baseball title today in the first of two doubleheaders this weekend against Tarleton State.
....The two teams will meet at 4 p.m. today at ACU's Scott Field and then Saturday at noon at Ballow Field in Stephenville for a four-game series to end the 1996 regular season.
....The Wildcats' magic number to win the title is two. ACU, ranked 13th in the nation in NCAA Division II, owns a three-game lead over defending champion Texas A&M-Kingsville (30-22, 9-7).
....One win today gives ACU at least a tie for the title and a sweep today over Tarleton State will give the Wildcats the championship, regardless of the outcome of the games between the Javelinas and Central Oklahoma.

May 3 (early) - Rangers' Elster Has Great Month: Kevin Elster calls what happened to him in April with the Texas Rangers "a magic carpet ride."
....It certainly was an incredible month for Elster, who became the Rangers starting shortstop by default and played so well he was the club's player of the month.
....Particularly at the plate.
....A lifetime .220 hitter in the major leagues who's been released five times, Elster led major league shortstops with 21 RBI in April. He hit .279 with five homers and eight doubles and had a hit in 19 of 25 games for the month.

May 3 (early) - ACU Track Qualifiers Getting Ready: Many of Abilene Christian University's automatic qualifiers forthe NCAA Division II national track meet, will rest this weekend, while the rest ofthe team will run today and Saturday at the University of Texas at Arlington.
....Only three automatic qualifiers for the women's team and seven for themen's team will compete this weekend. The Lady Wildcats already have 16automatic qualifiers and 12 provisional entries for the national meet May23-25 in Riverside, Calif., while the men's team has 20 automatic qualifiersand eight provisional entries.
....Events begin at 1 p.m. Friday and 10:15 a.m. Saturday.

May 2 - Mavs Sold; Motta Out as Coach

May 2 - HSU Pulls Off Big Upset in Baseball Tournament

May 2 - Phoenix Nips Spurs: Kevin Johnson made a key layup with 1:48 left and Phoenix survived two last-second shots by San Antonio for a 94-93 victory Wednesday night that kept the Suns alive in their first-round series.
....The Spurs still lead the best-of-5 series 2-1, with Game 4 Friday night in Phoenix.

May 2 - Clark Homer Gives Rangers Win: Will Clark homered in the seventh inning Wednesday night to give the Texas Rangers a 5-4 victory over Seattle as Mariners starter Randy Johnson had his shortest outing since 1993.
....Johnson, bothered by tightness in his right calf, lasted only two innings, allowing six hits and four runs. It was Johnson's shortest stint since July 23, 1993, when he lasted 1 1-3 innings in a 9-4 loss to Cleveland. This was Johnson's 73rd start since then.

May 2 (early) - UIL Announces Golf Qualifiers, Tennis Pairings

May 2 (early) - Rockets Hope to Muffle Johnson Again, End Series

May 1 - NFL Owners OK Oilers' Move to Tennessee

May 1 - Cooper and Wylie Both Win Regional Softball Playoff Games

May 1 - Rockets Beat Lakers in Thriller: Hakeem Olajuwon scored 30 points and Houston used a late 13-0 run to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-98 Tuesday night for a 2-1 lead in their opening-round playoff series.
....Olajuwon, who fouled out with 10 minutes left in the Rockets' loss in Game 2, stayed out of foul trouble in Game 3, committing only two personals.
....He scored six points during Houston's decisive run in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, when the Lakers went scoreless for 6 minutes and 20 seconds.
....The Rockets can wrap up the best-of-5 series with a victory Thursday night at the Summit.

May 1 - Rangers Lose to Seattle: Chris Bosio pitched six strong innings and Paul Sorrento homered, giving Seattle a major-league record 44 in April, as the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 8-0 Tuesday night.

....Bosio (3-1) gave up only four singles as the Mariners moved into a first-place tie with the Rangers in the AL West. Bosio was relieved after throwing 89 pitches, and Tim Davis and Bob Wells combined to hold Texas hitless the last three innings.

May 1 - Cooper to Play Practice Game: Cooper, the District 4-5A baseball champion, will play a practice game at Fort Worth Western Hills at 6 p.m. Thursday.

....The Cougars have an bye this week in the opening round of the playoffs.

May 1 - Oskikerko, Staggs Honored: McMurry University's Amy Oskikerko and Amy Staggs of Hardin-Simmons University were named Tuesday as co-MVPs on the all-Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association tennis team.

....Other first-team selections included Jennifer Pittman of McMurry on the women's team and McMurry's Jamie Masonheimer from Trent and Tanner Moore and Chris Proctor of HSU on the men's team.

May 1 (early) - Spurs Hoping to Show They Have Killer Instinct

May 1 (early) - Byron Nelson Recruits Big Names for His Tournament

May 1 (early) - Eula May Add Football: Eula High School, long known for its basketball prowess, is consideringadding football.
....Last month, 15 parents presented a proposal to the school board to consider starting a football program. The board then instructed superintendent Ted Bedwell to survey the parents of students, kindergarten through sixth grade, to get their feelings.
....The results haven't been tabulated, but they will be presented to the board at its May 14 meeting. A decision will then be made whether to proceed.

May 1 (early) - PDogs Sign Catcher Jack Johnson: The Abilene Prairie Dogs have signed 26-year-old catcher Jack Johnson for the 1996 season. The 6-3, 205-pounder bats and throws right-handed.
....Johnson was drafted by the Dodgers in 1991 after playing his college ball at the University of Arizona. He also spent time in the Cubs and White Sox minor league systems, advancing as far as Class Double-A Orlando in the Cubs' organizations.

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