
##3000655 <p> He became famous for his appearance -- the sideline stoicism , the courtly attire , self-restraint in the midst of a brutal sport and , of course , his hat . <p> But to his players , to his colleagues in National Football League and to the state of Texas , Tom Landry , the longtime Dallas Cowboys coach , represented much more . He was a father figure , a football innovator , even the gentlemanly and noble symbol who helped buoy Texans at a time when a state 's identity seemed all too wrapped in the stigma of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy . <p> Landry was the coach of what came to be known as America 's Team , and if he appeared more professor or bank president than football coach , then that set a standard , too . <p> " He conducted himself with such dignity and poise , it set the example for how you should live your life , " Charlie Waters , a Cowboys safety for 11 seasons , said of his former coach , who died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> " People did n't understand the weight of his influence . Because he was n't a yeller and screamer , people thought he did n't motivate or make people better with his approach and his presence . <p> " But he had , for example , a look he gave his players , and we all hated it when he gave us that look . It was haunting , because the look said : ' Why are you letting yourself down ? Why are you letting me down ? ' Tell me that did n't motivate . None of us wanted to disappoint Coach Landry . " <p> The diverse , lengthy Hall of Fame career of Landry inspired many -- contemporaries and competitors alike . <p> " People search for heroes in this world , " Gil Brandt , a longtime Cowboys executive , said in a recent interview . " And years ago , some of those people turned on their television every Sunday and saw a guy who was n't dissolving into fits of anger , who was n't using bad language , who was mannerly and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still driven and competitive and won championships . Is that not a worthy hero ? " <p> Wellington Mara , the Giants ' co-owner , knew Landry as a former Giants assistant coach and later as the head coach of a chief rival . For 29 years , when the Cowboys came to the New York area to play the Giants , the two would have dinner on the eve of the game . <p> " I guess his reputation is someone who 's aloof , " Mara said . " But there was a lot of fire burning inside him . You might know part of him by looking at him , but you did n't know it all . " <p> Landry 's impassive demeanor in public was indeed a trademark , but it concealed , for example , a dynamic football mind . He single-handedly revived the shotgun formation in the modern era of football . He devised the 4-3 defense -- pro football 's model defense -- in the 1950 's . He was the first to computerize the strategy and game planning of an N.F.L. team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revolutionary in the 1970 's . <p> An engineering major at the University of Texas , Landry could draw up a football play so precise and interconnected that it looked like the plans for a high-rise building . And it would stand the test of time , too . <p> Respect for Landry in the N.F.L. ran deep . After several years as the Giants ' defensive coordinator , he became the first coach of the Cowboys in 1960 , a hapless expansion franchise that won just four games in its first two seasons . But by 1966 , Dallas was in the N.F.L. championship game . Landry 's Cowboys did n't have another losing season until 1986 . <p> " Twenty consecutive winning seasons , " George Young , the Giants ' former general manager and now the league 's deputy vice president , said recently . " That gets you plenty of respect . " <p> Young often tells the story of his preparations for Super Bowl V , in which Landry 's Cowboys played the Baltimore Colts , for whom Young was the offensive line coach . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on film all season , but Young kept asking , ' What if they change it up on us ? ' <p> " I was told : ' They wo n't do that . This has been Landry 's defense for years and he 's not going to change it now , not when he 's playing the biggest game of the year . ' <p> " Well , would n't you know , that 's exactly what he did to us . " <p> His former players , and his colleagues , acknowledged that much of Landry 's reputation was well earned . He was extremely private and not known for grandiose gestures or self-promotion . Some who knew him for 50 years never knew he was a bomber pilot in World War II who narrowly avoided death in a harrowing crash landing in the French countryside . <p> He liked to read and spent countless hours across four decades traveling the country in the off-season to appear at functions that raised money for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes . <p> Landry 's reputation for keeping his players at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think he forced himself to do that because he knew he 'd have to be honest with players he had to release , " Waters said . " And he could n't be emotional about it . " <p> Still , when the former Cowboys fullback Walt Garrison was once asked if he had ever seen Landry smile , Garrison answered , " No , I only played nine years . " <p> Landry coached five Hall of Fame players in Dallas -- Roger Staubach , Randy White , Bob Lilly , Mel Renfro and Tony Dorsett -- and an equal number as an assistant with the Giants . He also helped develop two of the most prominent coaches of the 1980 's and 90 's , Dan Reeves and Mike Ditka , both of whom played for Landry and then worked as assistants under him . <p> " He shaped my philosophy on everything , " Reeves said . " I followed his philosophy on football and how he handled himself on and off the field . He was a tremendous influence on me . " <p> Landry won two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teams appeared in five . While he was criticized for turning his players into robots , he coached a number of charismatic , iconoclastic players , including Don Meredith , Duane Thomas , Thomas ( Hollywood ) Henderson , Pete Gent and Lance Rentzel . <p> Moreover , he coached a different kind of team , one that relied on organization and ingenuity , a forward-thinking team that often seemed in contrast to the dusty , blood-and-guts tradition of earlier eras in the league . Symbolically , Landry 's team played mostly on artificial turf and usually in the sun and often , for television purposes , late on Sunday afternoons , which cultivated its popularity . <p> Along the way , to some at least , Landry 's teams put a new face on the city of Dallas in the mid-1960 's . <p> " Part of Coach Landry 's legacy , " Waters said , " is what he did for our city and state . For a lot of people in America back then , all they knew about Dallas was that President Kennedy had been assassinated there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> " The stigma was real and it was a burden we all inherited , including Coach Landry , who was raised in Mission , Tex . But Coach Landry helped us turn the corner on that with the way he handled himself -- in bad times and good times . He was the conductor for all that changed . " <p> He was the man on the sideline in the hat , an image so abiding that when he was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium , a small outline of a fedora was placed next to his name . <p> " The image of the Cowboys started with Tom , " Staubach said . " The Cowboys will always be more than just another team because of him . " <p> And Landry 's friends and admirers , Staubach included , insist that on occasion at least , the stoic coach did smile . <p> " Tom wanted to show Roger Staubach how to run a quarterback bootleg once , " Brandt said . " And he got behind the center and ran the play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he limped badly as he ran around that corner with the football . <p> " So Tom says , ' O.K. , do it like that . ' And Roger took the ball from center and ran it just like Tom did , hobbling and limping all the way around the corner . Tom just burst out laughing and so did everyone else . Guys were falling down , they were laughing so hard . " <p> http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000658 <p> The task was finally too much , the magic never materialized , the streak finally ended . <p> After overcoming a seven-stroke deficit to tie Phil Mickelson with five holes to play , Tiger Woods simply did not have enough today to deliver a knockout . His swing fell apart early , and he never figured out how to glue it back together . He made crucial bogeys on two of his final five holes . Every hole was a chore , as Woods struggled to hit fairways and greens , putting more and more pressure on his short game until it finally let him down , too . <p> Meanwhile , Mickelson summoned the will to turn a potentially devastating loss into a memorable triumph . After Woods pulled even , Mickelson pulled himself together , closing with birdies on four of his last six holes to defeat the world 's No. 1 player and to derail his run at history . <p> Ending Woods 's winning streak at six P.G.A . Tour starts , Mickelson won the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines by four strokes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for second place at 14 under par . Mickelson finished at 18 under par for the tournament ( 66-67-67-70 ) , holding off Woods , who scraped together a four-under-par 68 , and Maruyama , who shot a 72 . <p> The outcome ended Woods 's pursuit of the career winning streak held by Byron Nelson , who won 11 consecutive tournaments in 1945 , a record that will continue to be one of the most difficult to reach in sports . Woods will share the second-longest winning streak with the late Ben Hogan , who won six in a row in 1948 . <p> Woods went down the hard way , battling on every shot , scrambling his way around the golf course and keeping the suspense alive while the huge gallery yelled with each change in momentum . But as Woods reached the 18th green , trailing by four shots , he knew his run had ended . As the crowd around No. 18 gave Woods a standing ovation , he took off his cap and acknowledged the cheers , knowing deep down that his game today was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under par as I was hitting it today was kind of a miracle , " said Woods , who won $264,000 today and became the tour 's career leading money winner despite the loss . He has made more than $12.82 million in less than four years on the tour . " I was n't hitting it good enough to give myself a viable chance down the stretch , and it finally caught up with me . " <p> Woods insisted he was not relieved the streak was over . And when asked what the end of the streak meant , Woods showed both his humor and his drive . <p> " It means I came in second , " he said . " Second all time . " <p> Woods had played down the streak 's significance all along , partly because he lost two non-P.G.A . Tour events during the course of the streak , the Johnnie Walker Classic and the Williams World Challenge . But with each victory , the attention on him became greater , and the Buick Invitational drew a record crowd estimated at 165,000 for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run that was marked by dramatic comebacks , extraordinary play and the dominating will of a great player who never settles for second place . <p> Woods would not concede that this streak would be the longest of his career . After all , he is only 24 . <p> " I think it can be done again , " said Woods , who won last year 's Buick Invitational , but who has never won the same tournament in back-to-back years . " It all depends if someone gets hot like I did . But I think it can be done again . " <p> For Mickelson , it was the 14th tour victory of an outstanding career , and it came at the right time , at the right place and against the right opponent . Mickelson , who also won the Buick Invitational in 1993 , is a San Diego native who played high school matches at Torrey Pines . He remembers watching the Buick Invitational as a teenager , standing in the gallery , witnessing past back-nine battles . <p> Today was a moment for Mickelson to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the most significant of his career . He had not won since 1998 at Pebble Beach , and 1999 was his first year without a victory on the tour since 1992 . Mickelson entered the final round carrying a recent history of struggling on Sundays , most recently at last month 's Phoenix Open , when he led with nine holes to play , only to lose while shooting 40 on the back nine . <p> But today , Mickelson made pressure shots on the finishing holes and closed out Woods , something that many others have failed to do . Mickelson , who is still looking for his first career major victory , believes that 2000 could be a big year for him . And this victory may have been the first step . <p> " To go against the best player in the world and to come out on top means a lot to me , " said Mickelson , who earned $540,000 with the victory . " The two things I 'm going to get from today are No. 1 , the confidence that I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the next time I get a six- or seven-shot lead , I need to get tougher . " <p> Starting the day two shots ahead of Maruyama and six shots ahead of Woods , Mickelson cruised early , making three consecutive birdies at No. 4 , No. 5 and No. 6 to reach 19 under par , and to take a seven-shot lead over Woods . <p> But then Mickelson went into a free fall . He made a double-bogey at the par 4 No. 7 , hitting his approach shot left and short of the green , followed by a poor chip that stopped short of the green , another chip that went eight feet past the hole and a missed putt . Then Mickelson made another double-bogey at the par 3 No. 11 after hitting his tee shot short and right . He flubbed another chip , hit another chip five feet past the hole and then missed the comeback putt . <p> That dropped Mickelson to 15 under par , and you could almost hear Woods saying , " Here I come . " Playing one threesome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within one shot after hitting an excellent 8-iron approach shot to six feet and making the putt . Then Woods tied Mickelson with a birdie at the par 5 No. 13 , chipping his third shot to eight feet , then making the putt . <p> But instead of folding , as others have done against Woods recently , Mickelson responded with a momentum-changing birdie at No. 13 to take the lead for good . After a poor tee shot into the left rough , Mickelson hit a recovery shot into the fairway , then hit a gorgeous 9-iron from 115 yards that landed three feet from the cup . Mickelson made the putt for birdie , and then it was Woods who made costly mistakes , with a bogey at No. 14 , when he pulled a five-foot putt left of the hole , and a bogey at No. 16 , when he failed to get up and down from a bunker for par . Then Mickelson closed in style with birdies at No. 17 and No. 18 , and it was finally safe for him to celebrate . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , " Mickelson said of ending the streak . " What Tiger has done has been great for the game of golf , and I 've been amazed at his performance . I was n't trying to end his streak as much as I was trying to win the tournament . " <p> http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000664 <p> Hypothetically , said Sandy Alderson , who does n't like to deal in hypotheticals , " it 's conceivable that under some circumstances a trade could be nullified as a result of prior conduct of the parties . " But , the commissioner 's executive vice president for baseball operations said , the trade for Ken Griffey Jr . does not appear to fit those hypothetical circumstances . <p> " Based on my understanding of the facts in this case , " Alderson said , " I do n't think that would be the result . " He declined to say what the facts are , but it is indisputably known that the Seattle Mariners gave Griffey 's agent permission to talk to the Cincinnati Reds when they did n't have the right to grant that permission . It also has become known that the Mariners took the step they were n't supposed to take at a most propitious time . <p> As Chuck Armstrong , the Mariners ' president , was telling Brian Goldberg last Tuesday that he was free to find out first-hand from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Reds officials were contemplating how they should tell the world that a trade for Griffey was n't going to happen and furthermore that the Reds needed to get on with their business ; so would everyone quit focusing on a player who was n't theirs . <p> " We needed our business to go back to normal and to let our players know there 's no deal , you can come to spring training now , " Rob Butcher , the team 's media relations director , said . " It was getting to the point where the Griffey thing was slowing down our entire business operation . Every other phone call we were getting dealt with a player who was n't even on our team . " <p> Armstrong was aware of what the Reds might do . " He mentioned the Reds were probably about two hours away from issuing a statement saying they pulled out of trying to make a trade for Junior , " Goldberg related . " He gave me permission to call the Reds to see if there was anything I could say or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dead issue . I wanted Kenny to be convinced that there would n't be a trade with Cincinnati . " <p> Goldberg called John Allen , the Reds ' chief operating officer . <p> " I did n't call to negotiate , " the agent said . " No money terms of a contract were discussed . No players were talked about . It was more like , are you guys going to issue a statement and , before you do , is there anything we can do ? I just wanted to find out if they were really interested because that was the only place Junior would like to go . <p> " John said our approach all along has been if a trade could be made that did n't break the farm system or the current roster , we 'd love to have Kenny here long-term as long as he understood the parameters of how we could work it . If we could work out the players and if you guys are reasonable , we 'd like to do a trade . " <p> What was reasonable ? @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going to discuss any specific dollars or terms , ' " Goldberg related . " ' You tell me what you 're looking for , I 'll tell you about Junior 's long-term goals . ' He said , ' We do n't want him for a year ; we want him to finish his career in Cincinnati . ' I said I think that 's what he wants ; maybe he 'll accept less money . " <p> The Reds issued no statement that day . Instead , Allen called Armstrong , and suddenly the names flowed through the phone line more easily . By 9 p.m . Wednesday , the teams had agreed on players . Armstrong called Goldberg and told him that he and the Reds had 72 hours " to try to work out something on a long-term contract because it was the Reds ' desire to trade for Junior only if they could do a long-term contract . " <p> Goldberg and Allen met twice Thursday . <p> " I started out saying , let 's try to get it done quickly ; Kenny does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recounted . The Reds made an offer ; Goldberg countered it . The Reds came up in their offer ; Goldberg lowered his proposal . They had a deal , a deal that would stun baseball officials , executives of other clubs , other players and agents . <p> The raw number itself , $116.5 million for nine years , was low enough considering the escalation of contracts for the best players in the game and the Mariners ' offer of $138 million for eight years last year . But with $57.5 million deferred without interest , the present-day value is reduced to about 75 percent of the total . <p> " I do n't want to mislead people that this is some charity case , " Goldberg said . " The Reds are paying Kenny an awful lot of money over the next nine years . But he did his part to show that money was n't the most important thing . " Pitching Is at a Premium <p> Two years earlier , the Boston Red Sox traded for Pedro Martinez , who had compiled the National League 's lowest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A year ago , the Yankees obtained Roger Clemens , who had won the American League 's Triple Crown of pitching and an unprecedented fifth Cy Young award . This winter the Mets acquired Mike Hampton whose 22 victories were the most in the National League . <p> Hampton did n't win the N.L. Cy Young award ; Randy Johnson did . But Hampton was by far the best pitcher who changed teams in the off-season , and the Mets look forward to having him win for them as he did for the Houston Astros . <p> Hampton and a large assortment of other moveable pitchers will be on display in their new teams ' uniforms this week . Yes , it 's time for spring training and it 's time for teams to begin finding out just how well they fared in bringing in new pitchers to fortify their starting rotations . <p> Pitching has become the scarcest commodity in the game so teams scramble for the available pitchers every winter . Some teams get Pedro Martinez ; some get Pat Rapp . <p> Before the 1989 season , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ snatched two players they thought were among the best pitchers available that winter . Dallas Green , the Yankees ' manager , proclaimed Andy Hawkins as the anchor of the pitching staff . His fellow free agent was Dave La Point . For their careers , the pair was a combined three games over .500 . That first season for the Yankees Hawkins earned a 15-15 record , LaPoint a 6-9 mark . <p> The Mets look for Hampton to be their anchor , though with considerably better results . Although last season was his first great season , Hampton , at 27 years old , could join a shrinking group of pitchers considered to be No. 1 's . Martinez and Johnson head that group , solidifying their membership each season . <p> Hampton was not the only pitching move the Mets made in their attempt to catch the Atlanta Braves in their division and for the N.L. pennant . They let Kenny Rogers and Orel Hershiser leave as free agents and traded away Masato Yoshii , both to alleviate their payroll where they felt they could and to open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good young pitcher , Octavio Dotel , but he went in exchange for Hampton . <p> For Yoshii , the Mets acquired Bobby Jones , a left-hander who is said to have a good arm and comes with reports that suggest he can be better than he performed with Colorado . The Mets also added a platoon of left-handed relievers , another element of the staff . <p> Like the Mets , the Texas Rangers have made changes in their rotation , bringing back two pitchers who used to work for them and adding a young pitcher with a recovering arm . One of those pitchers has to replace Aaron Sele , who earned 37 victories the past two seasons , then rejected a four-year , $28 million offer to stay around . <p> The change is in more than names . All three newcomers , Rogers , Darren Oliver and Justin Thompson , are left-handers , a departure for a team that had only four starts by left-handers last season . How many starts Thompson makes will depend on his surgically repaired shoulder . <p> The St. Louis Cardinals also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having decimated their rotation last season , the Cardinals signed Andy Benes as a free agent and obtained Pat Hentgen and Darryl Kile in trades . <p> Dave Duncan , the celebrated pitching coach , has the assignment of restoring Hentgen and Kile to their former levels of performance . Hentgen won the A.L . Cy Young award in 1996 when he was a 20-game winner for Toronto ; last season he struggled to an 11-12 record . Kile was a 19-game winner with Houston in 1997 , then suffered two excruciatingly poor seasons in Colorado , winning 21 games and losing 30 . <p> If not much else , Hentgen and Kile should give the Cardinals a lot of innings , which will help preserve the relief corps and make that element of the staff stronger . <p> The St. Louis rotation is expected to feature another face that is relatively new . A 20-year-old left-hander , Rick Ankiel started five games for the Cardinals last season . Now they are prepared to put him in the rotation from the start of the season . <p> Colorado added three starters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Tampa Bay brought in a pair , Juan Guzman and Steve Trachsel , an 18-game loser last season . <p> Andy Ashby has moved to Philadelphia , Sele to Seattle , Hershiser back to Los Angeles , Ismael Valdes to the Chicago Cubs , Jamey Wright to Milwaukee , Hideo Nomo to Detroit and Hideki Irabu to Montreal . <p> Chuck Finley , who has squandered his prime years in Anaheim , has taken his 37-year-old left arm to Cleveland , a town that has desperately sought a No. 1 starter for several seasons . The question the Indians quietly worry about : Does he have enough left to be a No. 1 ? <p> http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000665 <p> Mike Piazza 's last hit of 1999 was a two-run seventh-inning homer in Atlanta that tied the score in the final game of the National League Championship Series . It was heroic , an indication to the Mets ' manager , Bobby Valentine , that his tattered catcher belonged to that elite company of athletes who can overcome pain when it matters most . <p> " Mike was able to reach down and get what it took , " Valentine said . " All the really good ones do that . " <p> But in the 11th inning , it was Todd Pratt -- not Piazza -- who caught Kenny Rogers 's fourth ball to Andruw Jones , a pitch that forced in the winning run and ended the Mets ' season . Piazza had been removed from the game with shoulder pain . It was the 145th game he had caught since opening day . <p> " You just hit the gas , " Piazza said , recalling the feeling , " and you 've got nothing in the gas tank . " <p> He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three weeks off and then working out every day , as always . The pads go on again Wednesday , when Mets pitchers and catchers begin working out in Port St. Lucie , Fla . <p> There are six springs left on Piazza 's Mets contract , six more years to produce as expected for a player with a seven-year , $91 million contract . This is the season in which Piazza turns 32 , an age that represented the last big offensive season for several of baseball 's greatest catchers . Gary Carter batted .255 with 24 homers and 105 runs batted in the year he turned 32 , and he never reached those levels again . Johnny Bench caught a full season at age 32 , then played just 13 games at catcher the rest of his career . Yogi Berra caught at least 100 games for nine straight seasons through the season he turned 32 , but caught 100 games only once thereafter . <p> " I think those things are inevitable , " said the former Braves catcher Bruce Benedict , who was the Mets ' bench @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the club 's advance scout . " The wear and tear of that position eventually leads you to some sort of decision-making process where you look at other areas of the game to get your at-bats . <p> " It 's just the natural progression . Either you take more time off or learn another position , or you d.h. , if you 're in that league . But no way can you slow down baseball 's aging process . Because Mike 's done all he can do . He probably does as well as anybody I 've ever seen at that position at keeping himself ready to play . " <p> If any catcher is bionic , it may be Piazza . He is in superior shape , careful with his diet -- " Watch him after a game : it 's bananas and strength bars , " General Manager Steve Phillips said -- and he has been on the disabled list only twice in his seven seasons . Only Ivan Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers , who is three years younger than Piazza , has caught more games since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offensive force . <p> Phillips sees no reason for that to change . " None of those other catchers are Mike Piazza , " Phillips said . " They just are n't . None of the other guys are anywhere close to that level , to be able to play that many games and be so consistent with their offensive production . He is a unique individual , and I do n't foresee his numbers dropping off . " <p> Through seven full seasons , Piazza has 1,200 hits , a .328 average , 240 homers and 768 runs batted in . In all four categories , he ranks above the Hall of Famers Bench , Berra , Roy Campanella , Mickey Cochrane , Bill Dickey and Gabby Hartnett . As long as he remains a catcher , Piazza could own nearly every batting record for his position . <p> " Looking at the numbers Mike has put up and the possibility of thinking of him as a future Hall of Famer , it would be easy to understand if he wanted to stay a catcher , " Carter said . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that 's what he 's going to be recognized for . " <p> Bench , who has become a confidant of Piazza 's over the years , said : " He loves catching ; he really loves it . He loves to be in the middle of the action , and it 's what drives him and gives him that extra incentive to work hard . He 's improving all the time . Obviously , at first base , people say he could prolong his career , but he 's worked hard and he wants to be better every day he goes out there . " <p> But Bench knows the demands of the position . He remembers being the last player off the team 's airplane , and compared himself then to " an 85-year-old man trying to stand up out of your chair waiting for your legs to catch up with you . " In his last year as a catcher , 1980 , Bench threw out three runners in one inning and returned to the dugout in tears . The ulnar nerve in his elbow was severely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would cause him to miss the next season . With his back also ailing but his bat still productive , Bench became a first baseman . Now 53 , he is still bothered by arthritic fingers , ankles and knees . <p> Piazza said he will not persist with catching just because records are in sight . <p> " I do n't have any sort of goal like that , " he said . " I 've always wanted , just from an integrity standpoint , to go out for the next six years that I 'm in New York -- or however long I 'm in New York -- and do the best I can , keep myself in the best shape I can and be productive . If I break records , great . If not , that 's another story . But I do n't go into it thinking I 've got to be like Johnny Bench or Carlton Fisk or Bob Boone . " <p> When Phillips signed Piazza to the seven-year deal in October 1998 , he expected Piazza to catch for more than half the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transition in the last year or two of the deal , and Piazza believes he could learn first base if he had to . But , Piazza said of Phillips , " We have an understanding that if it does come down to that , he would give me ample time to think about it and discuss it . " <p> When first baseman John Olerud left the Mets as a free agent , Phillips never considered shifting Piazza . If Piazza had become the first baseman , Phillips explained , the Mets would have had to find a catcher whose offensive numbers compared to Olerud 's . Instead , the Mets signed Todd Zeile to play first , and Piazza stayed at a position for which his offense is an enormous asset . <p> " To be able to get that kind of production from the catching position separates you from every other team in the game , other than probably Texas , " Phillips said . " It allows you at other positions to possibly be even with another team or even be slightly less offensive at a position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with your catcher . " <p> Piazza will probably catch regularly at least through 2002 , when Zeile 's contract expires . Piazza will turn 34 that year , but he may still be young enough to hold up as a hitter . The former catcher John Stearns , who switched positions with Benedict and will coach the Mets ' catchers this year , said he did not lift weights when he played and paid for it in August and September . The bat felt heavier , and his numbers tailed off . But Piazza is a career .323 hitter in those months . <p> The fatigue that he experienced at the end of last season -- compounded by a thumb injury in the division series -- was more an aberration than a warning sign , Piazza said . With the Mets in such a tight pennant race and Piazza so essential to the lineup , he started 30 of the season 's final 32 games . Despite a stint on the disabled list in April with a sprained knee ligament , Piazza caught 137 regular-season games . <p> Piazza said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged that he will not ask out if he is swinging particularly well . <p> " What 's the magic number ? " Piazza said . " Is it 125 ? 130 ? 120 and you d.h . in the interleague games ? It 's kind of funny ; I was laughing about it the other day . If we 're going so well as a ballclub that we 've gotten into the playoffs with two weeks left in the season , then those last two weeks you 'd catch five innings and leave . Ideally , that 'd be great , and you 'd be 100 percent going into the playoffs . " <p> Benedict , who caught more than 120 games once in his 12-year playing career , used to think the appropriate range for Piazza was between 130 and 135 games . After his two years coaching Piazza , he thinks a better range is between 120 and 125 . But it is a difficult issue . <p> " They pay a lot of money to Mike to put people in the seats and have him bat fourth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a delicate process to get the right amount of rest and still do the things he 's capable of doing . It 's something you have to stay in touch with every day . " <p> Valentine has no specific number in mind . Each game takes a different amount of energy , he said , and the attention Benedict mentioned is critical . <p> " There 's a lot more to it than just the number of games , " Valentine said . " Sometimes a few innings are all a guy needs to keep from getting underwater ; sometimes it 's a couple of days . His play , as everyone 's , we try to monitor as much as we possibly can . But it 's a marathon . This is what we play . " <p> It starts this week , and Piazza plans to be there at the finish line . <p> http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000666 <p> The sun was out , the fans were loud and Joe Torre stood at the microphone at the end of the Yankees ' victory parade last October , praising his team for its third championship in four years . Torre turned and beckoned one player to his side to illustrate a point : Jorge Posada . " Tell them what we say at the end of our meetings , Jorge , " Torre said . <p> " Grind it out ! " Posada barked into the microphone , turning a fist , his grin as wide as City Hall . <p> Typical Torre , others in the organization thought . He summoned Posada to the front of the stage to make him feel good , to underscore the point that he would be the full-time catcher next season . <p> " That was his first managerial move of the 2000 season , " said Mark Newman , the Yankees ' president for baseball operations . <p> The Yankees open spring training on Friday in Tampa , Fla. , with a wealth of contingency plans in place . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Ramiro Mendoza . They have five experienced outfielders , two veteran designated hitters , both left- and right-handed . Last year , they were among the few teams that could afford to carry two front-line catchers , Posada and Joe Girardi . <p> Now Girardi is gone , having signed with the Chicago Cubs . There is only Posada , coming off a year in which he batted .245 and accumulated more passed balls ( 17 ) than that of 26 teams . There is only Posada , 28 , a talented and hard-working switch-hitter with power , a catcher who must forge a better working relationship with the majority of the Yankees ' pitching staff . <p> The Yankees have two primary candidates to serve as the backup , 37-year-old Tom Pagnozzi , who is coming back from shoulder surgery and did not play in the majors last year , and Tom Wilson , who has never played in the majors . There is no viable fallback in place , no contingency plan if Posada struggles . This is his job . This is his chance . <p> Posada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ league season , but he may catch 140 games this year . <p> " Your tongue will be hanging out , because it 's your job now , " Torre told Posada when he called him last month . <p> " I 've been looking forward to this , " Posada said in a telephone interview last week . " I 've got my chance , and I 'm prepared , and I 'm very , very positive about this . " <p> Posada has been the primary catcher the last two years , but Torre and the coaching staff relied heavily on Girardi , for his experience and his empathetic relationship with pitchers . Although the earned run averages accumulated by the pitchers when working with Posada and Girardi were generally identical , the coaching staff would often use Girardi to work on a particular problem with a particular pitcher . When Orlando Hernandez was not throwing inside as much as the Yankees ' staff wanted in 1998 , Girardi stepped in for a game to nudge El Duque . When Roger Clemens was struggling into August last season , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibilities belong to Posada now , nine years after he was converted from infielder to catcher , after years of training as the Yankees ' heir apparent at the position . <p> " He 's a talented guy , " Newman said . " He should be one of the best catchers in the game the next few years . He 's more than capable . " <p> Each pitcher has different requirements for his catcher . David Cone is , in a sense , a tyrant on the mound , wanting to control the games he pitches . The catcher is doing a good job if his presence does not become a distraction to Cone , who mostly determines his own pitch selection . When Girardi caught , he usually anticipated what Cone wanted to throw , tried not to disrupt Cone 's rhythm , and he and Cone developed a strong bond . <p> In stark contrast , the relationship between Andy Pettitte and his catcher is similar to that between a private and a drill sergeant . Pettitte is better when the pitching is uncomplicated . He wants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing but the catcher and nod in robotic fashion to agree with whatever sign the catcher issues . Jim Leyritz was the catcher for Pettitte in 1996 , and the pitcher liked to throw only to Leyritz . After Leyritz left the Yankees , Girardi became Pettitte 's catcher . There were games when Pettitte never shook off a sign from Girardi . But before that can happen , Pettitte must trust his catcher , and in the few games they have had together , he has not had faith in Posada . <p> Posada has teamed successfully with Hernandez , and interestingly , their personalities are similar , both determined and stubborn . Their disagreements lead to angry clashes that seem to spur great things from Hernandez . Posada , in fact , begins baiting Hernandez before each game , knowing how El Duque will respond . <p> As long as Girardi was with the Yankees , club officials determined , those pitchers who preferred him would never develop a relationship with Posada . Now those alliances must be sealed ; there is no other choice . <p> " The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 're going to do , " Torre said . " It 's going to be learning the pitchers as you go . It 's not going to be a situation where every single finger you put down , the pitcher is going to say yes . It 's going to be trial and error . " <p> It 's going to take a lot of work , Pettitte said last month . " He has to get comfortable with us , and we 've got to get comfortable with him , " Pettitte said . " It might be a little awkward at first , but that 's usually something that once he gets back there , you can have it right by the time the regular season comes around . " <p> Posada played poorly most of last season . When Posada and the Yankees could not agree on the catcher 's salary in spring training , the team unilaterally renewed his contract , as it can do under terms of the collective bargaining agreement . Having seen other players chafe emotionally under similar circumstances , Torre thinks this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jorge tried to put on a brave front for me every time I talked to him . You know , ' I 'm O.K. , everything 's fine . ' I knew better . " <p> After hitting .268 with 17 home runs in 1998 , he started dreadfully in ' 99 , including a .146 batting average in April and 15 strikeouts in 46 at-bats . As his average decreased , he put more pressure on himself . A longtime scout who saw him often last season said that Posada never looked comfortable , offensively or defensively . <p> " He looked like he did n't have a plan when he went to the plate , " the scout said . " I ca n't tell you how many times I saw him swing at a first-pitch breaking ball out of the strike zone and ground out to second base . His balance was off when he made his throws to second base , and they were never on target . <p> " He 's got tools , absolutely . He should be a good player . He just needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Game break , returned to Puerto Rico for a few days to work with his father on his hitting , and figured there was no point in worrying about his average anymore . He just wanted to play well each day . <p> " I was more relaxed , I think , " he said , and the numbers reflect this -- he hit .285 in the second half of the season , and his catching improved . <p> But Girardi caught Clemens the final weeks of the season , as well as Pettitte , and in the playoffs , Cone teamed with Girardi , as well . Posada started only three of the first 11 games of the postseason , after playing about two-thirds of the games in the regular season . After Hernandez won the first game of the World Series , Posada realized that there was a chance he might not catch again , because Cone , Pettitte and Clemens were scheduled to pitch the next three games . <p> Posada decided to lobby for a Game 4 , with Clemens . " I wanted to catch that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . I wanted to be the guy behind the plate . I wanted to catch him , a guy who 's going to the Hall of Fame , in that game . " <p> He told Clemens this and it apparently appealed to the veteran pitcher , who treats his catchers the way tennis partners might treat each other in doubles , pumping fists and feeding off emotion . " Roger liked what I said , " Posada said . <p> What Posada did not know was that Torre was already thinking about starting him in Game 4 . Girardi had been the catcher when the Yankees wrapped up the World Series in 1996 , running to the mound to embrace John Wetteland , and he had rushed to the mound to hug Mariano Rivera after the last out of the 1998 World Series . Torre wanted Posada to have that experience . <p> Clemens pitched a terrific game before leaving in the eighth inning , after acknowledging Posada at the mound . The next inning , Atlanta 's Keith Lockhart lifted a fly ball to left field , the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the air before the rest of the team piled on . <p> All of that weight , that responsibility , is on Posada 's shoulders now . <p> " He deserves the chance , " Girardi said . " He 's as ready as he 's ever going to be . " <p> http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000667 <p> " Hook was the greatest playground player ever from Oakland . He could jump over cars and dunk . He was better than all of us . He could have been one of the best players in the N.B.A. It was just one of them things . He took one route and we took another route . " -- Gary Payton , All-Star guard <p> Demetrius ( Hook ) Mitchell picks up the telephone on the other side of the thick glass separating inmates from visitors at Santa Rita Jail . He wonders why a stranger has come to speak with him during visiting hours on a Thursday night . <p> He slowly wipes his eyes and manages a half-smile , revealing the absence of a few of his bottom front teeth . <p> " What 's this going to be about ? " <p> Mitchell , who is 31 years old with a stout frame , a beard and braids in his hair , has two requests : to print his Muslim name , Waliyy Abdur-Rahim , and to pass along word to his surrogate grandmother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her I 'm going to write soon . " <p> Across San Francisco Bay , Gary Payton and Jason Kidd were getting ready to receive the keys to the city the next morning . Kidd was planning a party for family and friends at a posh hotel . They are fabulously wealthy , the two most accomplished point guards in the game , living in a surreal world they barely envisioned as Bay Area youngsters , yo-yoing down the asphalt . <p> Both agree the best player they ever saw is in a cell here , an hour 's drive east from the Arena in Oakland , site of the 49th National Basketball Association All-Star Game on Sunday . Mitchell is awaiting a preliminary hearing this week on charges of robbery , burglary and possession of a handgun . <p> " I would be at the game if I was n't in here , " he said . " You know it . I can still play with those guys . They know it too . " <p> They call him Hook , the All-Star who never was . He comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dunk over a Volkswagen Jetta . Or 7-foot-6 Manute Bol in a pickup game at Cal . He hurdled seven trash cans once , pirouetting 360 degrees before throwing it down . " He jumped over me once , and that was my last time volunteering , " Kidd said . " You actually could see the bottom of his sneakers . <p> " This guy , Demetrius , was so talented . He was physically built like a tank . He could play the game . In my era , yes , he was the best . You could ask around the town , and if there was a dunk contest and you heard the likes of Demetrius Hook Mitchell , he would draw a crowd . He was a magnet . " <p> Pico Wilburn , an Oakland recreation director , calls Mitchell " our Earl Manigault , " referring to the New York playground legend who once plucked quarters from the top of a backboard . " No , Hook might have been better than the Goat , " Wilburn said . <p> Like Bill Russell and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School . His Oakland peer group not only included Kidd and Payton , but the current N.B.A. players Greg Foster , Isaiah Rider , Brian Shaw and Antonio Davis , his gangly teammate . <p> The legend of Hook began modestly , with a stumpy 10th grader who could barely cradle the ball as he jumped toward the rim . But it grew exponentially over the years with summer 3-on-3 tournaments and locally sponsored dunk contests . In the mid-1980 's and early 1990 's , Mitchell enraptured the Bay Area . <p> " Everyone looked around and would ask : ' Where 's Hook ? Where 's Hook ? ' " said Harold Logwood , executive director of the Oakland Minority Business Opportunity Committee and Mitchell 's surrogate uncle . " He 'd see me and wink at me , ' Watch this one , around-the-world dunk . ' Six kids lined up in chairs . " <p> For a dilapidated community trying to stave off the crack-cocaine dealers from taking over the neighborhood , Mitchell was the elixir . <p> But Hook could not help himself . He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Abandoned as an infant , he lived with his maternal grandmother , Johnnie Mae Mitchell , but became attached to Jones through her grandson , Larry Parker . Parker was shot and killed in 1986 after a dispute . <p> In his next game for Contra Costa College , a junior college for which he played two seasons , Mitchell dedicated his 45-point night to his surrogate brother . West Oakland grew more dangerous , and many of Mitchell 's supporters encouraged him to leave . <p> Joe Wolfcale , a reporter for The West County Times who covered Mitchell in college , became so fond of Mitchell he tried to land him on the stupid human tricks portion of the David Letterman show by sending in videotapes . " Everybody that was around Hook wanted him to succeed and do something for him , " Wolfcale said . " You only wished he did more to help himself . " <p> Logwood even got him a scholarship at South Carolina State in 1991 based on a tape of Mitchell hurdling the car and dunking . <p> But he never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were involved in a car accident in which a friend was killed . Marijuana was found in the car . His probation forbade him to leave the state , and he returned home . He made up six credits to transfer to nearby Cal State Hayward , a major accomplishment . <p> His followers made the trek from Oakland to Hayward , sometimes accounting for nearly half the fans in the arena . They would sit under the basket and wait for that special moment when he would steal the ball and streak toward the goal . During a charged game against San Francisco State , Mitchell got into an altercation with another player ; his Oakland following charged the floor . He was suspended for two games and his college career would soon end . <p> It was reported that Mitchell left the school after one season because of financial difficulties . That was merely half the problem . " I was never enrolled , " he said . <p> As Jones described it , Mitchell started hanging out with the " wrong people " in Oakland . " Everybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He could n't do wrong . They kind of spoiled him and never let him grow up . That 's what happens to a lot of these kids . Such a waste . Hook was so damn good . Jason and Gary do n't got nothing on him . " <p> In December 1993 , a 65-year-old man was killed in West Oakland . Mitchell was arrested and charged with murder and robbery . Those charges were dismissed in October 1994 after questions arose about the truthfulness of some witnesses . <p> Mitchell has served time for gun possession and selling narcotics to an undercover officer . More recently , he began to embrace Islam and coached a group of second graders . Last year he played three weeks with the Long Island Surf of the United States Basketball League and considered trying to make it with the Harlem Globetrotters . <p> He appeared to have his life in order , but that changed on Dec. 27 with his arrest . According to the police , a gunman entered an Oakland Blockbuster Video store at 9:15 a.m. and ordered the employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left the phone off the hook . Hearing the robbery transpire , a dispatcher sent officers to the scene . <p> Mitchell was arrested within a few blocks of the store . No gun was found , but he was carrying $4,500 : the amount stolen from the store . <p> " This is a purification period for me , " he said into the phone at the jail . " I was doing something I was n't supposed to be doing . I did n't think before I acted . " <p> Jones remembers the instincts that served Mitchell so well on the court . Jones walks into the den of her modest , single-story home in Richmond . Poring through scrapbooks of yellowed clippings , you learn his vertical leap was once measured between 46 and 50 inches . David Thompson , one of the great sky walkers in N.B.A. history , was said to have had a 46-inch vertical leap . In 21 games of Contra Costa 's 1988 and 1989 seasons , Mitchell had 60 slam dunks -- including 6 in one game . <p> A local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in high school . " I cleared $300 to $400 every night , " he said . " Gary would come pick me up . One night he saw me getting my money and he said : ' Hey , wait , I had a dunk tonight . Can I get $100 ? ' " <p> Payton confirmed that story . " I remember one time when he spent the night over my house , " Payton added . " He would go in the corner and get on his tippy toes and stand there for 30 minutes , to get his calves strong . He would be shaking over there , until his calves grew bigger . " <p> Mitchell still engenders strong passions from his friend . " Tell him I still love him to death , " Payton said . " I ca n't be mad at none of my friends . He just took the wrong route . " <p> http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000668 <p> It was late in the regular season , and the Buffalo Bills wide receiver Andre Reed , in one of many frustrating outbursts , said something prophetic to a small group of reporters . His words may be remembered for decades . <p> " You will never see players like Bruce , Thurman and me again , " Reed said . " Never . " <p> Reed was referring to the great trio , who along with the quarterback Jim Kelly transformed the Bills into one of the top franchises in football . Bruce Smith is going into the Hall of Fame as one of the best defensive linemen of all time . Thurman Thomas was one of the greatest offensive weapons ever , and some would argue that Reed was the most crucial piece of the franchise . <p> Last week , on what can only be called traumatic Thursday , the Bills , because of salary-cap reasons , in one swift , brutal move , cut Reed , Smith and Thomas , ending one of the most productive , and sometimes emotional , player-team relationships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bills made four Super Bowl appearances . <p> In fact , all across the league , teams were making hard decisions to get under the $62.172 million salary cap . Such stresses produced the single most stunning day of player cuts ever . Pro Bowlers and future Hall of Famers found themselves in the unemployment line . The Vikings released the 11-time Pro Bowl guard Randall McDaniel . The Giants released center Brian Williams , who is irritated that the team said he planned to retire . Williams plans on playing for another team next season . Offensive tackle Bruce Armstrong was let go by the New England Patriots . <p> In Miami , quarterback Dan Marino voided the last two years of his contract , and the Dolphins made perhaps the saddest cut of all . Marino was miffed that when he recently talked to team officials , few expressed interest in keeping him . Marino told friends that when he met with the new coach , Dave Wannstedt , Wannstedt rarely looked him in the eye . So Marino figured it was time to go . <p> Marino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ options , and will meet with Tampa Bay , Seattle and Oakland . If Marino hears the right thing from any of those teams , such as he can have a chance to earn his way into the starting lineup , he will probably play again . If not , he will retire . <p> The Buccaneers denied any interest in Marino , but they have to play coy , at least for now , because they do not want to get into a bidding war for Marino 's services . Marino 's agent , Marvin Demoff , met with at least one Tampa Bay official at the Pro Bowl , where the team 's coaching staff was leading the National Football Conference squad , and the Bucs expressed slight interest . <p> Buffalo had its own emotional mess to deal with . What happened to Smith , Reed and Thomas proves that an accomplished veteran N.F.L. player , because of a hardened salary cap , can no longer retire gracefully . <p> Smith is second on the career sack list to Reggie White . Reed and Jerry Rice entered this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more pass receptions . Thomas is seventh in combined yards from scrimmage . Only Smith has one or two seasons left , mainly because Smith takes good care of himself . Yesterday , Smith signed a five-year , $23 million contract with the Washington Redskins . <p> The three men have had a love-hate affair with the city of Buffalo , the Bills and the news media there . In some ways , Reed and Thomas became bitter in the end . Especially Reed . In his last few years , he often complained about his role in the offense , and this season he lashed out at quarterback Doug Flutie , saying the success Flutie was having swelled his ego . And he never forgave some teammates who questioned his physical courage at the end of the 1995 season . <p> Thomas scowled a lot and sometimes cursed at reporters , and Smith was always thought of as selfish by the Buffalo beat writers , though with the national media , Smith was always pleasant and gracious . <p> But nothing should take away from the accomplishments of Reed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may never see a group of special players like them again . Franchise Tag Saves Money <p> If you want to understand why players hate the franchise tag , and teams love it , look no further than the Detroit Lions and the sticky situation involving their star defensive lineman , Robert Porcher . <p> Porcher is considered one of the top three defensive linemen in the game . He is blessed with great speed , power and a tremendous work ethic . In the locker room , he is respected and a team leader . <p> Shortly before the 4 p.m . Thursday deadline teams had to meet to declare their franchise players , the Lions offered Porcher a contract worth $35 million over five years , which included a $13 million signing bonus . Sounds like too much money for a lineman , and the offer could indeed fuel the economy of a small country . But consider that Porcher 's 49 sacks in the past four years are the most among defensive linemen . Because teams rarely get a player of his caliber , they will do whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it means offering him the largest deal in Lions history . <p> " Largest contract . Largest average per year and largest signing bonus , " the team 's general manager , Chuck Schmidt , said . " Largest period . " <p> Porcher countered with a $41.5 million , five-year proposal that included a $15 million signing bonus . Detroit respectfully declined . <p> The Lions , fearing an agreement might never be reached , tagged him as their franchise player , meaning he would receive the average of the top five highest salaries at his position , which is $4.235 million . So Porcher will make his millions next season , and no one should cry for him . But on the free-agent market , Porcher would have made $7 million to $8 million a year . <p> So the franchise tag may , in the end , cost Porcher up to $4 million . That is something to cry about . And no team is likely to trade for Porcher because of the tag , since to trade for the player , a team would have to give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tagged with the franchise label by their individual teams , and few players were happy about it . Among them are the Miami offensive tackle Richmond Webb ( $4.081 million franchise number ) , Kansas City guard Will Shields ( $4.081 million ) , Jacksonville defensive end Tony Brackens ( $4.253 million ) , San Diego defensive tackle Norman Hand ( $4.727 million ) , Washington running back Stephen Davis ( $3.532 million ) , and the Jets ' Mo Lewis ( $4.187 million ) . Lewis is believed to be extremely irritated by the designation , since he may have been able to earn $7 million a season as an unrestricted free agent . <p> Several general managers said that they expected this to be the thinnest free-agent field in years , mainly because so many top potential free agents have been franchised . <p> But at least one of the franchise players may find his off-season to be interesting . Rumors persist that the Redskins are considering trading Davis to Detroit for the rights to Barry Sanders , who various team officials believe may soon announce his return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Galloway to Cowboys <p> Another franchise player , the Seahawks ' Joey Galloway , found a new home yesterday in a trade with the Cowboys . Seattle received Dallas 's first-round draft picks this year and next . <p> Galloway , who missed all of the preseason and the first eight games last year because of a contract dispute , set up the trade by signing a contract with the Seahawks yesterday . Minutes later , Seattle traded him to the Cowboys , who had already come to terms with him on a seven-year , $42 million deal that included a $12.5 million signing bonus . <p> The Seahawks named Galloway their exclusive franchise player last Thursday after an arbitrator ruled him an unrestricted free agent . <p> http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000670 <p> In his nonthreatening but persuasive way , David Stern laid down an ultimatum tonight . Stern , the National Basketball Association commissioner , all but begged the city of Houston to help finance a new arena for the Rockets by 2003 , or else . <p> " I think it 's more than probable " that the Rockets would change cities without a new arena , Stern said at his annual news conference at the All-Star Game . " I think it 's certain the team will be relocated . " <p> The comments came in response to the uncertainty about the franchise ; in a referendum last fall , voters in Houston turned down a measure for the city to pay half the cost of a new arena . Stern also said that Houston , or any other current N.B.A. city , would not be in line for an expansion franchise should the city lose its team in the next few years . <p> " The chances for an expansion team going to Houston are nonexistent , " Stern said . He added , " N.B.A. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Houston move at such time as their lease is over , because by then every single N.B.A. team will be in a renovated or new building and their building will not be adequate for the N.B.A. " <p> The Rockets would move only if plans are not in place for a new arena when their lease on the Compaq Center expires after the 2002-3 season , Stern said . <p> Stern also said Las Vegas would not be considered a viable expansion city as long as it carried league games in its sports books . Other cities mentioned as expansion possibilities were Memphis , Louisville , Ky. , San Diego and New Orleans . <p> Stern and his deputy commissioner , Russ Granik , discussed a range of topics , including the effectiveness of the league 's new drug program . In particular , Granik addressed the fact that all players were tested for marijuana in training camp for the first time last fall . The New York Times reported last week that 12 of 430 active players tested positive for the drug after the first tests . <p> " I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how many players would test positive was substantially exaggerated , " Granik said without discussing numbers . He added : " Some people have said , ' Well , since everybody knows that they 're being tested , it 's easy to avoid testing positive . ' But I think with marijuana , in particular , that 's not necessarily so , because it can stay in your system for a number of months . And I think for the most part , the players in the N.B.A. have gotten the message . " <p> Stern also announced that the league had reached agreement with its referees on a four-year contract next season that includes raises of roughly 10 percent per season . N.B.A. referees will remain the highest-paid officials in professional sports . Currently , the referees make from $85,000 to $250,000 , based on experience . <p> Stern also ruled that Dennis Rodman would have to find another place to live . The league said Rodman would have to move out of the guest house he is renting for $3,000 a month from the Dallas Mavericks ' prospective owner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the league said . <p> Rodman signed with Dallas earlier this month and played his first game last Wednesday . <p> " Those kinds of arrangements are just prohibited , " Granik said . " So I think in due course Mr. Rodman will be moving out . But it 's not a major crime that was committed . " A Healthy O'Neal Dominates <p> He occupied the farthest corner of the hotel ballroom , away from the madness encompassing Kevin Garnett or Vince Carter . You can not keep a low profile at 7 feet 1 inch and 320 pounds . But Shaquille O'Neal tried Friday afternoon , attracting less attention from reporters than some of his more acrobatic peers did . <p> Asked if he was surprised about not being asked to participate in the dunk contest , he laughed and said , " They did n't want me to win it . " <p> On the surface , it is the same old Shaq . Cornball humor . Life of the party . A man who is said to be renting an entire hotel this weekend for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extravagances and carefree attitude off the floor , he is a different kind of player this season . <p> He moves his feet better on defense , helping out and playing with passion on both ends . And he keeps extending the range on that pretty little jump hook , enough so that you wonder why he just does not start shooting his free throws that way . <p> He is averaging more than three blocked shots a game , double his output last season . In 12 games this season , he has scored more than 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds . Second in scoring , first in field-goal percentage , he is playing on a Lakers team that has dabbled with the league 's best record . <p> If this keeps up and he overcomes his team 's recent string of being swept out of the playoffs , a most valuable player award may be in the offing . Only Tim Duncan , Kevin Garnett , Grant Hill , Alonzo Mourning or Jason Kidd can compete . <p> You can credit Coach Phil Jackson , O'Neal 's injury-free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contain such an awesome force . But maybe that little , fragile Shaq action figure is growing up into a bona fide superhero , the self-proclaimed Man of Steel he always wanted to be . Maybe O'Neal is less sensitive about criticism and more secure about his game and his goals ? <p> " I think you 're reaching a little bit , " he said , laughing . " You just make that stuff up or they tell you to write that ? Honestly , I 'm healthy . That is a big thing . " <p> Of playing for Jackson , he added : " Obviously , he 's a great coach . He never gives me any room to slack off . He expects a lot out of me ; I expect a lot out of myself . We do n't have a problem and I 'm sure we 'll never have a problem . I do n't have a problem with respecting authority . " <p> Knee injuries robbed him of 31 games in 1996-97 , his first season with the Lakers . A strained abdominal muscle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 games in the 1997-98 season . He missed just one game last year in the lockout-shortened season , but that abdominal strain never healed completely . <p> In the past O'Neal was not committed to protecting the paint and providing a safety net for teammates . He was not rebounding aggressively enough . He often forced shots way out of his range . <p> " Now , there 's no stopping him , " his teammate Rick Fox said . " None whatsoever . The Diesel is just too big , strong and skilled . " Coaches at Carlesimo 's Place <p> They began rounding the corner in the North Beach section of San Francisco on Thursday night , filing in , one by one . Chuck Daly . Mike Fratello . Brendan Malone and his wife , Maureen . Fred Carter , the former 76ers coach , now an ESPN analyst . And a truckload of news media types , all kibitzing about the state of the league . Dick Harter , the Indiana assistant coach , was supposed to show after watching the Stanford game 45 minutes away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurant had morphed into a venerable coach 's corner . <p> " All that was missing from the night was Jack Ramsay jogging down the middle of the street , saying , ' Hi guys , ' " Malone , a Knicks assistant coach , said . " My wife and I were on our way back to the hotel when we decided to stop in . It turned into a great night , almost serendipitous . It was like Runyon 's West . " <p> Since being relieved as coach at Golden State before the new year , Carlesimo has been putting much of his time into the restaurant with his partner and friend , Bobby Mulhern , hence the name , P. J. Mulhern 's . But Carlesimo has made it clear this past week working as an analyst : he wants to coach again . <p> " I miss it ; of course , I miss it , " Carlesimo said . " It 's what I do . " <p> Malone said : " He 's a lifer . He has a passion for the game . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But to see him working the room on Thursday night was to see a genuinely relaxed man enjoying the company of good food and friends . <p> With the All-Star Game in town and Carlesimo having no role with the Warriors , there was something right about some of the coaching fraternity showing their support for one of their own . Of course , a free gourmet meal and merlot probably did n't hurt matters . <p> Just the same , once a coach . . . . <p> " I went up to Adolph Rupp at the Garden once in the late 1970 's after he had retired , " Malone said . " I said , ' Baron , I always wanted to meet you . ' He was watching a game , I think it was Providence-Kentucky during a Christmas tournament . <p> " I asked him what it felt like to give up coaching . He told me , ' It 's like losing a wife . ' Then I asked him what he was doing at that game . ' I 'm looking and I 'm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old . " <p> http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000671 <p> Pro basketball is a different game these days , and it is n't simply what happens on the court . When I see the way Latrell Sprewell has turned around his image after the much-publicized confrontation with his coach , P. J. Carlesimo , it reinforces my belief that you can overcome something negative provided someone wants to help you . <p> Twenty-three years ago , it was very different . You did n't have the public relations machine you have now . Pete Newell and Red Auerbach stood up for me and helped me stay in the National Basketball Association as a player . But I was never able to live down the one mistake I made as a player , or even explain it so that people would understand I was n't some kind of animal who would just turn around and hit someone for no reason . <p> The story began on Dec. 9 , 1977 . I was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers . We were in the middle of a game in Los Angeles against the Houston Rockets . It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , something I did regularly because we would always try to keep Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out of foul trouble . As a player , I was expendable and Kareem was not . This did n't bother me . It was an honor to play against one of the game 's greatest players . <p> The situation started with a rebound that came off the board . It would have been an offensive rebound if I had gotten it , but I did not . There were two other people under the basket -- Kareem and Houston 's Kevin Kunnert . I turned to get back on defense and tried to pull my way past Kevin . What I did would have been a foul if it were caught , but it was n't . As I tried to pull my way past Kevin , he elbowed me in the face . For a second , I did n't know what had hit me . When I realized I had been elbowed , I turned to him thinking it had been an accident . His second reaction was not what I expected . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I knew the first elbow was not unintentional . After he hit me , I heard Kareem say , " Oh no ! " He knew a fight was about to ensue . Kevin and I scuffled , with not much damage to either side because people had jumped between us . While this was happening , I saw Rudy Tomjanovich running straight at me . After being attacked by Kunnert , I did not think Rudy 's intentions were good either . I just saw someone running at me and reacted . My punch landed on his face and he fell . As Rudy Tomjanovich fell that night , so did my basketball career and a lot of the rest of my life . <p> After everything stopped and I realized Rudy was hurt , I was sorry I had hit him . Not knowing the extent of Rudy 's injuries , I drove home after being thrown out of the game . I tried calling the hospital that night to apologize and check on him , but my calls were turned away . I did not expect the reactions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ myself . Unfortunately , Kunnert 's elbowing and hitting me were not on film . The only parts that were caught were Rudy running at me and my hitting him . I knew I was in trouble . The news reports of my attacking Rudy were everywhere , but there was no mention of Kunnert and his involvement . <p> I went to practice and played in the next game . The reports of the story and Rudy 's condition worsened . ( He eventually needed facial reconstruction surgery . ) The clip of my turning and hitting Rudy was played continuously all over the nation . I was portrayed as an out-of-control player who attacked another player for no reason . I knew something bad was going to happen . It did . The press completely turned on me . I was fined $10,000 and suspended indefinitely for three months without pay , a large sum in those days of $100,000 annual salaries . <p> But my nightmare was just beginning . Besides having no money , I was public enemy No. 1 . In 1977 , racial diversity was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favorite . I was humiliated . I was an embarrassment to myself and my family . Not even the university I attended wanted anything to do with me . Everyone who was once so proud of me now could not even say my name in public . <p> During my suspension , the Lakers never called me . My lawyer at the time , David Falk , advised me not to comment on anything about that night . I could n't even defend myself to the public . A few days later , as a result of the fight , I was traded to the Boston Celtics with Don Chaney . Before I went to Boston , I had to meet with Commissioner Larry O'Brien in New York . O'Brien made it clear that I was not welcome anymore . His actual words were : " We do n't need your kind in the league . You are not good for the league . " I realized then that if I wanted to continue playing basketball , I would have to keep my mouth shut and not appeal my suspension or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep quiet . <p> In Boston , I had to have F.B.I . agents sit next to me at the games for fear of being attacked . I was warned not to order room service for fear of being poisoned . I finished the rest of my career without incident and retired in 1983 . <p> Since then , I have applied for various coaching jobs from high school to the pro level , but have always been turned down because no one wanted to be associated with my reputation , or with me . My name stood for violence and bad publicity . I was blackballed everywhere . I 've made it this far only because I have owned my own business , a restaurant . No one would hire me . I could n't do summer camps because parents did n't want their kids around someone like me . Schools were hesitant to let me speak because all the kids ever wanted to hear about was the famous fight . <p> Over the last 23 years , the clip of my hitting Rudy is played every time there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't count how many times it ran during the Sprewell incident and just recently with the Marty McSorley hockey incident . Everything I 've ever accomplished in life is overshadowed by this incident . No one stops to ask me about my charities or the work I do in the community . <p> I ca n't come back and play and have someone like a sneaker company or the N.B.A. start a marketing campaign to help me overcome the one blemish on my resume . After I quit playing , guys who were my best friends in the league would say , " Kermit , we ca n't hire you as an assistant coach because of the publicity it would get . " I never drank , never did drugs , never got in trouble . I was an academic all-American at American University , started Pete Newell 's camp for big men and helped run it for 10 years , started Project Contact and have been doing charity work in African countries . <p> I have nothing against the league . I understand that 23 years ago the N.B.A. had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sacrifice me . But all people are ever going to remember me for was this one blemish . <p> How do I make people believe that , yes , I did throw a punch that I sincerely regret , but that it was in a fight that I did n't start ? How do I change the way people look at me every time there 's a violent act in sports ? <p> I took a lie detector test last month to prove I was telling the truth . The doctor who administered the test said it was two to three times higher than it needed to be to be an honest statement . I hope this is the first step in salvaging my name and reputation . When I die , I hope the legacy I leave behind is not one of violence . <p> http : //www.nytimes.com 