Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 9

Soccer awards time SIDELINES Compiled from staff and news service reports Athens tickets sales slow More than half the tickets for the Athens Olympics remain unsold, with corporate sponsors buying far Area's top girl players, coach recognized Thursday Questions or comments regarding GPS technology: Golf per satellites 1 A ft m. i I a ft this section? Contact Sports Editor Mike Albright to golf course construction one dependent on signals sent from satellites and will allow for a quicker, more efficient process that should keep Decatur's massive new golf project on a critical time line that will allow all grass plantings to take root this fall. Not long ago, construction of the course 'It's so better Jeff Beyers much this Beyers, Construction Co. Computers helping carve new course By MARK TUPPER Executive Sports Editor DECATUR Like an infant's new heartbeat, the ground being transformed into the new Raymond Floyd signature golf course already is rising and falling. Beyers Construction Co.

of Pana is moving dirt, rearranging trees and carving into the landscape along West Grove Road, following what project engineer Phil Cochran calls "a three-dimensional mathematical model" determined by technology delivered from the U.S. aerospace program. It truly is a space-aged approach would be followed once the engineer had completed the arduous process of pounding wooden stakes into the ground, noting the many elevation changes as determined by the golf course architect. "That was a long process," Cochran said. "Conventional con- SOFTBALL SUPER-SECTIONAL We're going to go up Friday and be the strongest we've ever been.

We know it. We feel it, and we are Holly Walden fut rot It It wasn't pretty, but Pistons make NBA at 421-7909 struction would have my people putting stakes in the ground, setting a grade that said, 'Fill three feet, fill four what ever. And you'd have a man on the ground working with him to help guide him. "Now we don't have those stakes out there. We've eliminated the ground guy and we've eliminated the re-stak ing.

In the past you couldn't put a stake in that said fill three feet because after you'd filled one foot the stake was buried and you had to re-stake. So the technology has eliminated a lot of time." The technology relies on Global G0LFB4 down after three innings. The Cardinals put in an impromptu cramming session on Kinsella's style Tuesday morning, and put the knowledge to good use that afternoon. Lindsey Askins led off the fourth inning of the resumed game with a triple down the right-field line, sparking a four-run rally. Cardinals pitcher Holly Walden resumed her dominance of the Pioneers, and Warrensburg earned its first trip to the state tournament with a 5-0 victory.

CARDINALSB4 Decatur days i ft fewer seats than four years ago, organizers said Tuesday. The figures athems 2oo4seemeo to reinrorce rn some of the worst fears for the Aug. 13-29 games: security worries and a shaky global economic recovery leaving unfilled venues for all but the top events. But organizers staked faith in the Greek tradition of last-minute planning. A total of 5.3 million tickets were set aside for Athens.

But just 1 .83 million tickets have been sold so far. Double elimination This anyone-can-beat-anyone French Open simply keeps producing surprises. Never before had the Williams sisters been eliminated in the same round at a tournament; it happened in a span of 28 minutes Tuesday. "We're going to pack our bags and leave," said Venus, whose 19-match winning streak ended. "There's nothing left for us here anymore.

We're going home." Venus was asked how long it will take for them to return to the top. "Next event," she replied. Indy winner visits Yankees Buddy Rice chatted with Reggie Jackson about Ferraris, posed for a picture with Derek Jeter and got a big thank you from Miguel Cairo. For a guy who once had aspirations of playing pro ball, Rice was riding pretty high Tuesday. The Indianapolis 500 Rice winner visited Yankee Stadium for the first time and threw out the first ball before New York played Baltimore.

His pitch sailed into Jorge Posada's mitt going about 35 mph roughly 100 mph slower than he drove in winning Sunday's rain-shortened race. No time to retire When heavyweight Joe Riley steps into the ring Friday night, he'll be making his pro debut at an age when most prizefighters are contemplating retirement. "Everybody says, 'You're 36. You're too I don't feel it at all," Riley said. But he acknowledged being a little nervous about boxing in front of a hometown New Jersey crowd, and then laughed about the pressure.

"All my brother keeps telling me is, 'all you have to do is win. You have too many people looking at said Riley, who works at his brother's furniture store. Riley stands to make $700 for his first match. Star of the day Albert Pujols homered and had two doubles among his five hits and drove in three runs I I as the St. Louis Car-V dinals beat the Pitts- uuiljii iicuco o- i Pujols went 5-for-5, his second career five-hit game, and tied a career high by scoring three runs for St.

Louis. StoryB2 Speak up Who will be the next Chicago Cub to join his teammates on the disabled list? Herald ReviewPhil Jacobs Warrensburg-Latham softball players mob each other at the middle of the infield after the final out on Tuesday. The Cardinals defeated Normal U-High 5-0 to make this weekend's Class A state tournament. Herald ReviewCarlos T. Miranda A GPS unit shows the change in elevations and how the bulldozer will need to contour the ground.

Astros beat Cubs with Lamb's chop Blown chances costly in 5-3 loss CHICAGO (AP) Even with a little extra work, the Houston Astros bullpen was as dominant as ever. Five relievers combined to shut out Chicago over six innings, and pinch-hitter Michael Lamb lined a late go-ahead double to lead Houston over the Cubs 5-3 Tuesday night. Dan Miceli (2-2) and Mike Gallo both got out of a jams without surrendering a run as the Inside White Sox fall in 12th to Athletics. StoryB2 bullpen combined to strike out eight and walk two. Miceli pitched two hitless innings, Brad Lidge pitched the eighth and Octavio Dotel earned his eighth save.

"When you have the bases loaded twice, nobody out and you get out of it without a run, that just tells you how well we pitched," Astros manager Jimy Williams said. "Everybody contributed. They made pitches." They also got a big break on a Cubs blunder in the eighth. With two outs and the score 3-3, Brad Ausmus hit a weak grounder to second base that looked like it would end the inning. But Todd Walker's throw sailed wide of first baseman Der-rek Lee, pulling him off the bag to put runners on first and second.

Lamb then lined an RBI double into left-center off Kyle Far ns worth (0-3) for the go-ahead run. Lee said it shouldn't have gotten that far. Lee said he was certain his foot was on the bag for Walker's throw, adding that umpire Mike Fichter didn't get a good look at the call. "He was out. (Fichter) said I came off the base.

I didn't think I did," Lee said. "I think he had a bad angle. He was over on the other side." Todd Hollandsworth, Walker and Moises Alou hit solo homers for Chicago. But Chicago came up empty with the bases loaded in the fourth and again in the sixth inning. In the fourth, Gallo relieved starter Brandon Duckworth and struck out Corey Patterson on four pitches.

He got out of the jam when Ramon Martinez tried to check his swing but couldn't, sending a dribbler to the mound for an easy double play. Chicago had the bases full again in the sixth when Miceli forced Lee to pop out to short right before striking out Patterson and Martinez. (' SEES i I Friday's Quarterfinals Rock Falls vs. Casey-Westfield, 10 a.m. Taylor Ridge Rockridge vs.

Warrensburg-Latham, noon St. Francis de Sales vs. Nashville, 5 p.m. Beecher vs. Pinckneyville, 7 p.m.

Saturday Semifinal, 3rd-place, championship games starting at 10 a.m. Warrensburg surges into first state tournament By TODD ENGLE Staff Writer BLOOMINGTON Remember the feeling of acing a test? The supreme confidence of knowing the material inside and out and nailing each question? Warrensburg-Latham got a good look at Normal U-High pitcher Kellie Kinsel-la on Monday, before the rain halted their Bloomington Super-sectional show Former Bear fondly recalls MABX TUPPER DECATUR He was a professional athlete in three sports, a rare, rare commodity that speaks highly of anyone's skill and versatility. After serving in the U.S. Army, he emerged as a 24-year-old college freshman. And when NFL teams showed an interest during his senior year, he and his coach doctored his age by four years, making him sound younger and more appealing than the 28-year-old he was.

He was a Chicago Bears rookie with Doug Buffone, shares the Bears record for interceptions in a game, played pro baseball for the Decatur Commodores and shot the basketball so well he was signed by a profes- Cheryl, and Francene was born while I was here. "There were a very nice family and Mrs. Sain, she could really put a meal on the table. They housed us and fed us and we paid $26 every two weeks." Despite the young age of the girls, Gentry has kept in touch through the years and was in Decatur on Memorial Day weekend to visit with Gwen Hawkins and Ann Tucker, both of whom are married. Some Chicago Bears fans may confuse Curtis Gentry with another Gentry shifty running back Dennis Gentry, who played with the team from 1982-92.

"No relation," Curtis Gentry TUPPERB7 grew up in Portsmouth, Ohio, remembers well his six weeks in Decatur during the spring of 1960, when he and two other players rented rooms in the home of Tommy and Vernell Sain. "It was cold that spring and I was in left field on opening day, 1960," said Gentry, who now is instructor of physical education and recreation at the College of Lake County in Grays Lake, north of Chicago. "Fans Field was cold. While I was living in Decatur I stayed with the Sains and they had four young daughters. Gwen was the oldest and had to be in grade school.

Ann was probably three or four years old. There was MoisesAlou 23.1 Dusty Baker 23.1 Corey Patterson 23. 1 Chip Caray 15.4 Matt Clement 15.4 Today's question: sional touring team called the Harlem Globe Satellites. So what was Curtis Gentry doing back in Decatur this past week? Checking up on friendships made 44 years ago while with the Decatur Commodores baseball team in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system, that's what. Turns out Gentry, who I Do the Detroit Pistons have a chance at derailing the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals? Vote online at: www.herald-review.comsports.