Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.sports From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: sports Tue, Mar 3 1992 Date: Tue, 3 Mar 92 06:00:08 EST Message-ID: 03-03 0000 DECISIONLINE: Sports USA TODAY Update March 3, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SANDBERG SIGNS FOR $30.5M: The Chicago Cubs spared no expense Monday, agreeing to a $30.5 million, five-year contract with second baseman Ryne Sandberg that makes him baseball's highest-paid player. Sandberg will average $6.1 million per year, topping Bobby Bonilla's $5.8 million a year contract with the New York Mets. He is the first player in baseball to break the $6 million per year mark. ST. JOHN'S GETS PIECE OF TITLE: No. 25 St. John's clinched at least a share of the Big East regular-season basketball title Monday night, topping No. 14 Georgetown 65-49. The Redmen (18-8, 12-5) can win the title outright by beating Seton Hall Saturday. Also, North Carolina--Charlotte beat No. 20 Tulane 79-69, and No. 3 Kansas 77, No. 11 Oklahoma State 64. UNLV TO SALUTE TARKANIAN: Amid a debate about whether this will be his last season as basketball coach at UNLV, the school bids farewell to Jerry Tarkanian with a tribute during the Rebels game with Utah State Tuesday. Tarkanian, upset by what he claims was school sabotage of him and his program, has rescinded the resignation he submitted last June. The school says it stands and the tribute will go on. PISTONS DOWN BULLETS: The Detroit Pistons handed the Washington Bullets their sixth straight loss, 99-89, Monday night. Orlando Woolridge scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half and Joe Dumars led the Pistons with 24 points. Dennis Rodman, the NBA's leading rebounder, had 21 for Detroit. In the only other NBA game Monday, Golden State 118, Sacramento 98. HOPSON, STARKS FINED: Dennis Hopson of the Sacramento Kings was fined $3,000 and John Starks of the New York Knicks $2,000 Monday for their altercation during a game in Sacramento Thursday. Hopson was ejected after slapping Starks. Starks was fined for elbowing Hopson and throwing the ball at him. RANGERS TOP DEVILS: The New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 7-1 Monday for their fifth straight win, snapping a three-game losing streak in the Meadowlands Arena. Mike Gartner and Tony Amonte each scored two goals for the Rangers. The Devils fell to 1-4-2 in their last seven games. In the only other NHL game Monday: St. Louis 5, Vancouver 3. ONLY DETAILS REMAIN FOR FIGHT: The final details are almost in place and contracts are expected to be signed before Thursday's official announcement in New York of heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield's June 19 title fight against 42-year-old Larry Holmes in Las Vegas. Kathy Duva, spokeswoman for Holyfield's promotional company said Monday, "We feel comfortable that the fight is going to happen." HALL BREAKS SWIMMING RECORD: Anita Hall, 15, twice lowered the world record in the 200-meter breaststroke Monday at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. She finished the final in 2 minutes, 25.35 seconds. Also, Pablo Morales, 27, who retired in 1988 when he missed the Olympic team, won the 100-meter butterfly in 54.05 and Nicole Haislett won the 200-meter freestyle in 1:58.65 to clinch her second Olympic berth. THIRD ROUND OF TRIALS BEGINS: The third round of the 1992 America's Cup defender trials begins Tuesday. Stars & Stripes skipper Dennis Conner says, "We're just going to continue with our basic program now." Conner's boat goes into the third round in second place behind America 3, which has 16 points to Stars & Stripes' seven. Defiant has four points. Victories in the 12-race third round are worth four points each. SLOW START ON COMEBACK: After a two-year layoff, Carling Bassett-Seguso, 24, began her comeback Monday with a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Kimiko Date of Japan at the Virginia Slims of Florida at Boca Raton, Fla. The top seeds, Steffi Graf (1), and Mary Joe Fernandez (3), play Tuesday, and Gabriela Sabatini (2) begins play Wednesday. REITAN LEADS IDITAROD: Norwegian-born Ketil Reitan was the first musher to reach the Rainy Pass checkpoint of the 1,163-mile Iditarod sled dog race Monday. Mushers took advantage of the clear, cold day and calm winds to reach this mountainous checkpoint. Fifteen front-runners were in and out of Rainy Pass by early afternoon. Five-time winner and defending champ Rick Swenson was sixth. POWELL GETS SULLIVAN AWARD: Mike Powell was presented with the Sullivan Award in Indianapolis Monday as the nation's top amateur athlete of 1991. Powell ended the 65-meet winning streak of longtime rival Carl Lewis and broke Bob Beamon's longstanding long jump record in the process during last year's world track championships. 24-HOUR TELEPHONE INFORMATION: USA TODAY Sports Hot Line. 95 cents a minute. 1-900-555-5555. Sports Editor: Jason P. Smith. (919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM