WEDNESDAY,
PAGE 12
PRESSREPUBLICAN
Myler,
ByJOl
Stc
Area athletes among 106candidates for year-end awards
Th« Attociated Prait
Cammy Myler
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) Lake Placid's Cammy Myler and Tim Derrick of Peru were among 106 athletes
nominated for the U.S. Olympic Committee's
SportsMan-SportsWoman of t h e Year
awards.
World and Olympic champions Bonnie
Blair and Michael Johnson head the list. The
winners of the SportsMan-SportsWoman
awards, from nominees of 46 sports' national
F le Photo governing bodies and six disabled in sport
organizations, will be announced Jan. 10.
Voting is done by members of the media and
Showalter to get
Arizona job today
By MEL REISNER
AP Sports Writer
the USOC Board of Directors and its
Athletes Advisory Council.
Myler, a three-time Olympian, turned in
her best performance at the 1992 Albertville
Games, placing fifth. It remains the best individual effort by United States slider in
Olympic luge,
Myler, 26, a native of Plattsburgh, carried
the flag for the United States in the opening
ceremonies at the 1994 Winter Games in
Lillehammer.
Derrick, 29, a graduate of St. John's Central and the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, was nominated in the sport of
orienteering, a cross-country race in which
participants use a map and compass to navi-
Blair is one of 24 repeat nominees. Among
the others are Myler, an eight-time recipient
in luge. Wrestler Bruce Baumgardner and
weightlifter Robyn-Byrd Goad have been
nominated five times each, and Johnson,
tennis player Pete Sampras and cyclist
Rebecca Twigg four times apiece.
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Fiil^hoto
Tim Derrick
Johnson wins AL Cy
By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK - Like his mentor Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson
wanted to be known as more
than a guy who merely fired 100
mph fastballs. After doing what
Ryan nevef did — winning a Cy
Young Award — he° just might
be.
"My teammates now come up
and ask when I'm pitching, instead of asking when I'm throwing," Johnson said after his
overwhelming victory for the AL
honor Tuesday.
"I think there's a big difference
between someone who tries to go
in there and strike everybody put
instead of being a pitcher and
thinking about the entire game,"
he said.
Johnson, whose intimidating
fastball and improved control led
Seattle to the playoffs for the
first time, became the first Mariners player to win a major
postseason award in the team's
19-year history.
The 6-foot-10 left-hander came
within one victory of becoming
the first AL player since Hal
Newhouser of Detroit in 1945 to
win pitching's Triple Crown.
Johnson went 18-2, led the majors in strikeouts for the fourth
straight year with 294 and led
the league with a 2.48 ERA.
Johnson got all but two of the
28 first-place votes in selections
by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He was the only
pitcher listed on every ballot and
finished with 136 points.
Cleveland reliever Jose Mesa
received the other two first-place
votes and was runner-up with 54
points. Boston knuckleballer Tim
Wakefield was third with 29,
followed by 1994 winner David
Cone, who finished the season
w i t h New Y o r k , w i t h 1 8 .
Baltimore's Mike Mussina, who
led the league with 19 wins, was
disclose.
"I think you can assume
that part of his staff is
PHOENIX - Buck
definitely going to come
Showalter parted comwith him," Colangelo
pany with the New York
said. "And of course we
Yankees in part out of
need to talk about some
loyalty to a coach.
of the assignments that
Now, only details like
will take place over the
how many coaches
next two years as we.
Showalter will bring to
wait for our first season
the Arizona Diamondin 1998 — scouting the
backs are holding up his
National League, getintroduction as the exting prepared for the
pansion team's first
pro expansion draft in
manager.
November of '97, and
"Part of the discus- Buck Showoltir
getting our farm teams
sion that we need to
off the ground."
have is relative to the staff,"
Other expansion teams
Diamondbacks managing genhave waited until just before
eral partner Jerry Colangelo
the expansion draft to hire a
said Tuesday.
field boss, but Colangelo said
he thought too much of
Colangelo said there will be
Showalter to let the opportua news conference Wednesday
nity pass.
to make Showalter's hiring official. The Showalters live in
"It's important to be willing
Pensacola, Fla. , but
to adjust and change when an
Showalter's wife, Angela, was
opportunity presents itself. I
in Phoenix looking for a new
think we've added a major
residence.
building
block to the foundaColangelo called Showalter
tion of our franchise with the
early Nov. 1, minutes after his
hiring of Buck," Colangelo
three-year contract with the
said.
Yankees expired, and has
been courting him ever since.
The Diamondbacks will
Showalter scouted vacanfield two short-season rookie
cies at Detroit and Oakland as
teams after next June's amawell, but the Diamondbacks'
teur draft — one in the
hand was strengthened when
Phoenix-based Arizona Rookie
Showalter delayed giving the
League and a n o t h e r in
Tigers an answer and told the
Lethbridge, Alberta, a Pioneer
Athletics on Friday that he no
League franchise.
longer was a candidate to
Showalter, the 1994 AL
replace Tony La Russa.
Manager of the Year, had been
Showalter turned down a
with the Yankees his entire
two-year, $1.05 million concareer.
tract from Yankees owner
George Steinbrenner, who
He was 360-207 as a manwanted him to fire hitting
ager in their farm system and
coach Rick Down for reasons
had a 312-269 record in the
Steinbrenner refused to
1992-95 seasons.
gate between checkpoints along an unfamiliar course.
Derrick has also excelled in the sports of
biathlon and most recently, pentathlon. He
was a member of the United States team
that finished first in the five-event 1995 Inter-Allied Confederation of Reserve Officers
Military Pentathlon in Italy this summer.
'noto
Mariners' Randy Johnson
was King of the Hill in the
American League this
season.
of them all, had during his 27
seasons.
But like Ryan, Johnson was
seen as a wild thing, a guy who
threw fastballs with no idea of
where they might go. His most
memorable moment before this
1980-95
year, in fact, was the time he
Year Player
„ .Team ,'„. whizzed a fastball over the head
of John Kruk in the 1993 AllBaltimore
1980 Steve Stone
Star game in Baltimore.
A few years ago, though, Ryan
Milwaukee
1981 Rollie Finger*
took Johnson aside.
Milwaukee
1982 PeteVuckovlch
"Early in my career, I struggled," Johnson said. "I think Nolan
Chicago
1983 UMarrHoyt
has said that he saw a little bit of
1984 Willie Hernandez
Detroit
himself in me."
"Nolan Ryan and (Texas
1985 BretSaberiiagen
Kansas City
pitching coach) Tom House have
Boston
1986 Roger Clemens
been very influential in my
mechanics. They talked to me
Boston
1987 Roger Clemens
and worked with me. I'll be forMinnesota
1988 Frank Viola
ever grateful for that," he said.
Johnson, who led the AL in
1989 BretSabsrhagen
Kansas City
walks for three consecutive
years, has seen his walk total
Oakland
1990 Bob Welch
decrease for four s t r a i g h t
Boston
1991 Roger Clemens
seasons. His new-found confidence,
plus an outstanding
Oaklaand
1992 Dennis Eckersley
curveball, enabled him to win the
Chicago
1993 Jack McDowell
pitching award that always eluded Ryan.
Kansas City
1994 David Cone
Johnson, 32, set a league re1995 Randy Johnson
Seattle
cord for the best winning perAP centage by a pitcher with at least
20 decisions. The only pitcher
fifth with 14.
ever to better Johnson's, .900 perPerhaps had postseason per- centage is Greg Maddux, who
formance counted, Johnson went 19-2 this year for Atlanta
might've won the award unani- and unanimously won his fourth
mously. Pitching often on three straight NL Cy Young on Mondays' rest — he even worked day.
once after a one-day layoff — he
"You can only do so much with
helped the Mariners get within
a
fastball,"
he said. "So I studied
two wins of the World Series.
"I don't have to win an award the game in the last couple of
to feel good about this year, but y e a r s and watched o t h e r
pitchers. I've mastered my
obviously I'm gracious," he said.
mechanics."
Despite his reputation for being a power pitcher, Johnson said
Still, Johnson set a major
he wanted to be regarded for league mark by averaging 12.35
more than blowing away batters. strikeouts per nine innings,
That was the same wish that breaking Ryan's i record of 11.48
Ryan, the greatest power pitcher with Houston in 1987.
J
Past AL
Cy Young *m. JM,
Award winne
>
Jones gives Switzer vote of confidence
By DENNE H. FREEMAN
AP Sports Writer
Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones addresses media.
FLASHBACK
40 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK:
Don Parrotte, Barry Keyser, Ara Asadourian and Tony
Palma star as Plattsburgh High (6-0-1) defeats MAI, 38-6,
to wind up tied for first with St. John's.
30 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK:
Art Clark runs for three touchdowns, Jim Morgan adds
two and Dan Delcore and Bob Oddy, one each, as St. Pius
captures the CVL Class B title with a 46-6 win over
AuSable Forks. Bill Meconi passes to Chris Cross for
AuSable's only score,
20 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK:
Sophomore quarterback Dave Duprey runs for 212 yards
and three touchdowns to lead Albany State over injuryriddled Plattsburgh State, 66-12.
10 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK:
CVAC rushing champ Fred Granger runs for 118 yards
and two touchdowns as Ticonderoga beats Beekmantown,
20-7, to claim its second straight Section VII Class B title.
IRVING, Tex. — Jerry Jones hired a
coach who can't beat San Francisco and
doesn't know how to use Deion Sanders.
So what did Jones do with his world
crashing around him on Tuesday? He announced Barry Switzer would be the coach
barring calamity.
"Unless he is hit by a truck or gets shot
he'll be coaching the Dallas Cowboys a long
time," the Cowboys owner said.
Jones once said former coach Jimmy
Johnson could be replaced by "one of 500
coaches" and hired Switzer, who never
coached in the NFL before but won national
titles at Oklahoma.
But Switzer's gameplan unraveled in a
38-20 loss to the 49ers on Sunday when
Jerry Rice ran through the unprepared
Cowboys like it was a skeleton pass drill.
Rice, covered by a linebacker, caught a short
pass and t u r n e d it into an 81-yard
touchdown on the second play of the game
Sanders,
Jones ior
for aa
oanaers, who
wno was
was signed
signea by
Dy cjones
$35 million package, didn't shadow Rice until it was too late.
Now Switzer is 0-3 in two years against a
team Johnson mastered. But Jones came out
in his strongest s t a t e m e n t yet about
Switzer's future.
Jones said his coaching staff could have
done a better job but added "I'll never make
a decision on a coach on a one- or two-year
basis. I'll be unbelievably stubborn when it
comes to making a head coaching change.
Make no mistake about it there will not be a
change in coach."
What if the Cowboys lose to the 49ers
again in the NFC championship game, or
make it to the Super Bowl and fail?
"I'll just put my head in a pillow and holler
as loud as I can," Jones said. "There will be
no changes in the organization if we don't
win the Super Bowl."
Jones, desperate to win a Super Bowl
without Johnson along, said he cried after
the 38-28 NFC championship loss to San
Francisco last January.
"There
were no
no tears
tears aiter
after we
on Sunm
e r e were
we lost
IOSI on oun-
day," Jones said. "There are a lot of doomsday forecasts now about the projections of
our team. I've made a living off people who
have given up too quickly."
Jones said he was stunned by the lack of
Sanders' impact on the game.
"I didn't think with Deion in the game
Rice could beat us," Jones said.
Switzer said the Cowboys had spent over
nine hours studying film of the game and
how Sanders could have been used differently. Switzer said the Cowboys will use
other schemes now against teams that put
their best receiver in the slot. Sanders also
will play more offense and likely be on the
kicking teams against Oakland on Sunday.
"Deion will have to play in our scheme
because we can't change it around him,"
Switzer said. "Deion will be integrated into
our system. If we have to play San Francisco
again, we will be much better prepared."
Asked how he felt about all the heat coming down from critics and the owner, Switzer
said "it doesn't bug me. Jerry and I have a
good
gooa relationship."
reiationsnip.
Paterno puts Ohio State at top of list
;; '
than maybe Ohio State got .and
.and
than maybe what we should have
got," Paterno said Tuesday. "I
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Joe can say that this year. I didn't
want to say it last year because it
Paterno, who
sounded like sour grapes."
refused to be
lured into the
Paterno deflected hundreds of
debate over
questions about the national
who was No.
championship last season, when
1 last season
Penn State finished 12-0 but No.
when Penn
2 behind Nebraska. On Tuesday,
State was in
he gave his opinion about the
contention,
rankings without even being
jumped into
asked.
this
year's
"Compare what they've done to
argument on
what anybody else in the country
behalf
of 1 M Patent*
has done, it's hard for me to beOhio State.
lieve that anybody should be
"I think because Nebraska rated ahead of (Ohio State),", he
beats Colorado and beats a very said.
ordinary Miami team last year,
After nearly three seasons in
they have gotten more credit the Big Ten, Paterno said the
By MICHAEL A. GIARRUSSO
Associated Press Writer
'
•f
league's top-to-bottom strength
has surprised him.
"It's more competitive than I
thought it would be," he said.
"When we first contemplated getting into the league, I don't think
the league was as tough as it is
right now. Now that doesn't
mean 12 or 14 years ago it was
not tougher."
_„ While other conferences may
feaye high-scoring offenses and
more creative schemes, the Big
Ten still has the strongest,
toughest players in the nation,
Paterno said.
"Boy, oh boy, the physical part
of this conference is something,
plus they have the great skill
people," he said.
No. 19 Penn State (6-3, 3-3 Big
Ten) plays No. 12 Michigan (8-2,
4-2)
4-2) at home Saturday bbefore
traveling to Michigan State. Two
victories would give the Nittany
Lions a chance at the Outback
Bowl. One loss and they would
probably receive an invitation to
the Builders Square Alamo Bowl
or the Sun Bowl.
The Nittany Lions have played
well despite a schedule that included No. 2 Ohio State and No.
5 Northwestern, Paterno said.
"They've gotten beaten by two
teams that are ranked in the top
five and they were very competitive in those two games," he
said. "I think in the Wisconsin
game we did not play well. We
dropped passes and I did not do a
good job coaching."
PLATTSB1
Wiley, who ;
sburgh State \
team to its
best season
ever, in 1995,
has been
c h o s e n as
New Y o r k
:S t a t e
jW o m e n ' s
'. Soccer Coach
'of the Year
.from the New
York State
Women's
Collegiate
Athletic Assoc
The aware
Wiley, and co
cord-breaking
dinals.
Wiley, who
.nals to thei:
Division III t
ance (a s i
' Williams), ha;
' the school in
coach.
"I guess thi
me, but it ii
' team honor,"'
14 freshmen
and we had a
"It's nice tc
' getting the r
record has §
year. We nee
1 continue whe
want to do ;
year."
' The 1995
school record
winning pet
program was
Plattsburg
teams out of
the NCAA 1
Ca
on
ByJ
PLATTE
Bedinotti, F
Gondek wei
why the Pla
soccer team
ference rec
season with
As a resul
have been
selections o:
ty of New
ference allthe third of
forwards, w
ond unit.
Receiving
status fror
midfielder ]
fender Shea
"It's obvi
see Bedinot
Plattsburgl
Chris Wate
"Bedinotl
record in th
tied a schoc
season ths
years. He
machine, a
team MVI
player by h
"Rich Kii
us — a d
from the oi
added. "La:
the go-to {
been even
. season beci
had. He an
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who is onl;
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"People
know Chri
but he is a
ponents cc
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points ]