OPEN HOUSE VOLUNTEERS AT GLOUCESTER'S SARGENT HOUSE MUSEUM CARRY ON THE INCLUSIVE LEGACY OF THE HOME'S FIRST RESIDENTS. - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

A small bronze statue of a woman on a horse sits on a table in thehall of The Sargent House Museum in downtown Gloucester. In a rush ofinspiration, volunteer Kathy Slifer embellishes it with holly.Moments later, fellow decorator Peggy Flanagan sneaks up and redoesit with red-twig dogwood.

'That statue's been rearranged three times this morning,' saysMartha Oakes, museum director.

In a forgiving holiday humor, Slifer only laughs at Flanagan'sartistic ambush as they continue in the community effort to decoratethe 1782 Georgian-style house for Christmas.

'The fun part is, it's such an improvisation,' says Slifer. 'Happythings happen.'

The house was built for feminist philosopher and writer JudithSargent (1751-1820) and her first husband, John Stevens. Sargentchampioned equality, justice, and opportunity for all, so the househas always been a place of cooperation and innovation. It has evenbeen a rectory. After Stevens's death, the young widow married theRev. John Murray (1741-1815), the founder of Universalism in America,whose 1805 church (now a Unitarian Universalist Church) still standsacross the street, its Federalist spire, then as now, a beacon for mariners.

The house, which opened as a museum in 1919, has become arepository for important portraits of the early Universalists as wellas for Sargent family artifacts, including a number of paintings byJohn Singer Sargent (1856-1925), whose father was born in Gloucester.

Inclusiveness, a guiding principle for Sargent and Murray, is alsoa priority for Oakes. Rather than appoint members to a committee,she places a notice in the local newspaper inviting aspiringdecorators to help prepare the museum for the Middle Street Walk. Held each year on the second Saturday of December, the eventcelebrates the historic neighborhood. Middle Street is closed totraffic to make room for pedestrians, horse-drawn wagons, and English-handbell ringers.

Because the museum is decorated for just one day, volunteers cango all out with fresh materials, arriving with evergreens, fruit, andyards of orange zest.

While the museum aims for historical accuracy, circa 1790, it isnot rigid or exclusionary when it comes to holiday offerings. Talented amateur florists often leave flower arrangements at the doorlike foundlings, sometimes including scarlet poinsettias, which wouldnot have been available in Judith Sargent's time. But the plants areput to good use. More often, though, the materials used to deck themuseum halls are from no farther away than the arborvitae and boxwoodon the property, which is above Gloucester's West End with a view tothe harbor.

'It's a good time to trim them anyway,' Flanagan says of themuseum's shrubs. She's moved on to the dining room, making micro-adjustments of pine cones and sea grass in a Canton bowl. The tableis set for tea, a meal chosen because all that the museum owns of theSargent silver is the pudding spoons.

As if to compensate for the lack of cutlery, the table is laid outwith decorative orange kumquats and yellow baby squash from Henry'sMarket in Beverly. While a supermarket might not be in historiccharacter, the exotic produce is. Gloucester, being a seaport,would have had access to a variety of tropical fruits, including thepineapples, oranges, and pomegranates tucked into displays around thehouse.

Some fruits, though, are regional, such as the heirloom Ladyapples that line the fireplace mantel, over which hangs a seascape byanother local favorite, Gloucester artist Fitz Hugh Lane (1804-1865).

In the front parlor, newly restored with glazed finishes on thepaneled wainscot, the faux-marble fireplace sports no stockings hungwith care. ('This is not a Victorian Christmas,' says Oakes).

But the fireplace is not bare.

Cranberries, holly, and orange slices dried to an aromaticcrispness and tied with bits of red raffia combine to create aholiday atmosphere.

While the decorations differ from year to year, depending upon whoresponds to the notice in the newspaper, the museum has sometraditional mainstays. Topiaries fashioned from sprigs of boxwood arefestooned with garlands of orange peel, an amazing feat of fruitdexterity performed by museum board member Roger Pheulpin. After heremoves a thin layer of skin with his zester in long spirals,everyone joins together pressing cloves into the artfully scoredfruit, which is then placed at nose level on mantels and shelves.

Every volunteer brings his or her own special gift to thedecorating experience, from zesting oranges to wiring apples tomaking wreaths. But other less-tangible virtues - such as the goodwill shown even in the face of adversity and red-twig dogwoods - areas vital to the cause. Judith Sargent and John Murray would havewanted the house decorated in no other way.

Reebok Hopes New Exercise Product Will Boost Company's Apparel Sales. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Chris Reidy, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Feb. 24--CANTON, Mass.--Step aerobics sold a lot of shoes for Reebok International Ltd., and the company is hoping that a new exercise product called the Core Board will do the same.

'We think there's an opportunity to define a look around this program,' said chief marketing officer Angel R. Martinez.

Translation: Expect to see Core Board-inspired shoe and apparel lines late in the year.

While Core Board won't generate anywhere near the revenue of important shoe lines, it offers intriguing insights into Reebok's plans to use the online medium and 'viral marketing' as a more cost-effective way for promoting its products than signing up large numbers of sports stars with expensive endorsement contracts.

Just what is a Core Board? It's an unstable oval platform. Imagine indoor snowboarding movements performed while standing in one place, and that's part of the idea.

Training with a Core Board improves balance, Reebok says, and it strengthens muscles in the body's midsection that are underworked in many exercise routines.

With a suggested price of $190, the Core Board recently debuted in health clubs as part of group exercise classes. It can be purchased at a Reebok Web site, www.reebokcoregear.com, and it should reach stores later this year.

As Martinez sees it, the Core Board offers opportunities beyond selling new shoe and apparel lines. At a time when the company is rebounding from several subpar years, Core Board is part of larger strategy to help reposition the Reebok brand.

'Our goal is to be known as a fitness company,' Martinez said. 'Our goal is for consumers to think of us as their resource for fitness.'

The Core Board isn't the only thing Reebok is counting on to accelerate momentum. It recently signed tennis star Venus Williams to a big endorsement deal. It launched its new 'Defy convention' ad campaign. It also obtained the apparel licensing rights for the National Football League.

The company's financial performance reflects Reebok's improving fortunes. The stock has tripled since bottoming out below $10 a share a year ago, and net income in 2000 was the highest in three years. On the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, shares dropped $1.36 to close at $26.18.

As for the Core Board, outside observers are taking a wait-and-see attitude. A similar product called the wobble board has been around for a while, and its sales have been too small to turn up in surveys of the $3.3 billion market for exercise equipment, according to the National Sporting Goods Association.

Undaunted, Reebok is out to promote the Core Board with missionary zeal. At core.reebok.com, people can get an online tutorial on Core Board training and learn why its tilting, torqueing, and twisting movements are beneficial.

Parts of Reebok's Web sites are aimed at health club owners and professional trainers. Get those folks excited about Core Board, the reasoning goes, and the buzz should spread to the consumers who take group fitness classes at these clubs.

At Reebok's Web site, meanwhile, soccer star Julie Foudy and Chris Slade of the New England Patriots promote the Core Board in Web versions of TV commercials. The theme? 'Enter the power zone.'

Reebok wants consumers to view its Web site, particularly pages designated as part of 'Reebok University,' as a huge repository of information about fitness.

If Reebok can gain the trust of its customers by providing tutorials about such products as the Core Board, perhaps these customers will be willing to share information about themselves; that, in turn, could help Reebok both in designing new products and in marketing them more efficiently.

With the Core Board, Reebok is hoping history repeats itself. The first company to recognize aerobics as more than a fad, Reebok rode the women's fitness movement for much of the 1980s.

'There was a parade, and we jumped out in front of it,' Martinez said of the aerobics phenomenon.

Ever since, Reebok has been trying to orchestrate new fitness phenomena. One success came in the mid-1980s, when a trainer named Gin Miller devised Step Reebok, a series of aerobic exercise and dance movements originally based on stepping up and down on a milk crate.

Reebok refined Miller's idea and sustained it with a series of videos, each adding a new wrinkle to the basic routine. To promote it, the company tapped into a network of club trainers it often provides with discounted sneakers and apparel, and Step Reebok soon became a popular group class at many health clubs.

An investor who decided against backing Miller later told her, 'I missed out on a $750 million business.'

Reebok sees a similar opportunity with Core Board. Plans call for $25 videos with Core Board exercises designed to help golfers. Another Core Board video might be aimed at yoga practioners.

According to inventor Alex McKechnie, the Core Board is partly the outgrowth of physical therapy sessions with Paul Kariya, a hockey star with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and, previously, with the University of Maine.

By 1996, Kariya's regular exercise routines were causing repetitive stress injuries, weakening muscles around the pelvis to the point where he could barely play.

Using a prototype of the Core Board, McKechnie devised exercises that worked the body's central muscles in an unpredictable sequence that avoided repetitive stress.

Two years later, McKechnie helped basketball star Shaquille O'Neal recover from a muscle tear in his stomach. By the time O'Neal had healed, McKechnie was convinced that his Core Board could be a fitness breakthrough.

'I could have gone the infomercial route,' said McKechnie, who instead partnered with Reebok because 'they could give it research, credibility, and marketing support that I couldn't.'

Once Reebok was convinced that a program for rehabbing pro athletes could be modified into a safe, fun, and easy-to-understand fitness routine for the average person, it decided to put its Web marketing muscle behind Core Board.

That's quite a change from a few years ago. In the early 1990s, sneaker makers signed hundreds of athletes to endorsement contracts in the belief that jocks could move their product.

But when sales later slumped, many companies, including Reebok, cut back on athlete endorsements and looked for more cost-effective ways to get out their marketing messages.

With Core Board, much of the offline marketing focus will be on fitness trainers at health clubs.

At WellBridge Health and Fitness Center, a 50-club chain with four clubs locally, the Core Board meshes neatly with the chain's marketing goals, said East Coast manager Bill Patjane.

More and more, clubs rely on revenues from consumers hiring personal trainers or signing up for group exercise classes.

As with fashion or toys, newness counts for a lot in fitness, and Core Board training is something new that fitness instructors can use to induce members to sign up for more group and one-on-one exercise sessions and boost club revenues.

As its Web sites strive to educate consumers about the Core Board, Reebok hopes to convey a larger message.

Said Martinez, 'It is integral to Reebok that we be defined for people as the world of fitness.'

To see more of The Boston Globe, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.boston.com/globe

(c) 2001, The Boston Globe. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

REEBOK'S NEW SEARCH FOR FISCAL FITNESS FIRM HOPES EXERCISE BOARD WILL SPUR MORE PRODUCT LINES - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

CANTON - Step aerobics sold a lot of shoes for ReebokInternational Ltd., and the company is hoping that a new exerciseproduct called the Core Board will do the same.

'We think there's an opportunity to define a look around thisprogram,' said chief marketing officer Angel R. Martinez.

Translation: Expect to see Core Board-inspired shoe and apparellines late in the year.

While Core Board won't generate anywhere near the revenue ofimportant shoe lines, it offers intriguing insights into Reebok'splans to use the online medium and 'viral marketing' as a more cost-effective way for promoting its products than signing up largenumbers of sports stars with expensive endorsement contracts.

Just what is a Core Board? It's an unstable oval platform. Imagineindoor snowboarding movements performed while standing in one place,and that's part of the idea.

Training with a Core Board improves balance, Reebok says, and itstrengthens muscles in the body's midsection that are underworked inmany exercise routines.

With a suggested price of $190, the Core Board recently debuted inhealth clubs as part of group exercise classes. It can be purchasedat a Reebok Web site, www.reebokcore gear.com, and it should reachstores later this year.

As Martinez sees it, the Core Board offers opportunities beyondselling new shoe and apparel lines. At a time when the company isrebounding from several subpar years, Core Board is part of largerstrategy to help reposition the Reebok brand.

'Our goal is to be known as a fitness company,' Martinez said.'Our goal is for consumers to think of us as their resource forfitness.'

The Core Board isn't the only thing Reebok is counting on toaccelerate momentum. It recently signed tennis star Venus Williams toa big endorsement deal. It launched its new 'Defy convention' adcampaign. It also obtained the apparel licensing rights for theNational Football League.

The company's financial performance reflects Reebok's improvingfortunes. The stock has tripled since bottoming out below $10 a sharea year ago, and net income in 2000 was the highest in three years. Onthe New York Stock Exchange yesterday, shares dropped $1.36 to closeat $26.18.

As for the Core Board, outside observers are taking a wait-and-see attitude. A similar product called the wobble board has beenaround for a while, and its sales have been too small to turn up insurveys of the $3.3 billion market for exercise equipment, accordingto the National Sporting Goods Association.

Undaunted, Reebok is out to promote the Core Board with missionaryzeal. At core.reebok.com, people can get an online tutorial on CoreBoard training and learn why its tilting, torqueing, and twistingmovements are beneficial.

Parts of Reebok's Web sites are aimed at health club owners andprofessional trainers. Get those folks excited about Core Board, thereasoning goes, and the buzz should spread to the consumers who takegroup fitness classes at these clubs.

At Reebok's Web site, meanwhile, soccer star Julie Foudy and ChrisSlade of the New England Patriots promote the Core Board in Webversions of TV commercials. The theme? 'Enter the power zone.'

Reebok wants consumers to view its Web site, particularly pagesdesignated as part of 'Reebok University,' as a huge repository ofinformation about fitness.

If Reebok can gain the trust of its customers by providingtutorials about such products as the Core Board, perhaps thesecustomers will be willing to share information about themselves;that, in turn, could help Reebok both in designing new products andin marketing them more efficiently.

With the Core Board, Reebok is hoping history repeats itself. Thefirst company to recognize aerobics as more than a fad, Reebok rodethe women's fitness movement for much of the 1980s.

'There was a parade, and we jumped out in front of it,' Martinezsaid of the aerobics phenomenon.

Ever since, Reebok has been trying to orchestrate new fitnessphenomena. One success came in the mid-1980s, when a trainer namedGin Miller devised Step Reebok, a series of aerobic exercise anddance movements originally based on stepping up and down on a milkcrate.

Reebok refined Miller's idea and sustained it with a series ofvideos, each adding a new wrinkle to the basic routine. To promoteit, the company tapped into a network of club trainers it oftenprovides with discounted sneakers and apparel, and Step Reebok soonbecame a popular group class at many health clubs.

An investor who decided against backing Miller later told her, 'Imissed out on a $750 million business.'

Reebok sees a similar opportunity with Core Board. Plans call for$25 videos with Core Board exercises designed to help golfers.Another Core Board video might be aimed at yoga practitioners.

According to inventor Alex McKechnie, the Core Board is partly theoutgrowth of physical therapy sessions with Paul Kariya, a hockeystar with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and, previously, with theUniversity of Maine.

By 1996, Kariya's regular exercise routines were causingrepetitive stress injuries, weakening muscles around the pelvis tothe point where he could barely play.

Using a prototype of the Core Board, McKechnie devised exercisesthat worked the body's central muscles in an unpredictable sequencethat avoided repetitive stress.

Two years later, McKechnie helped basketball star Shaquille O'Nealrecover from a muscle tear in his stomach. By the time O'Neal hadhealed, McKechnie was convinced that his Core Board could be afitness breakthrough.

'I could have gone the infomercial route,' said McKechnie, whoinstead partnered with Reebok because 'they could give it research,credibility, and marketing support that I couldn't.'

Once Reebok was convinced that a program for rehabbing proathletes could be modified into a safe, fun, and easy-to-understandfitness routine for the average person, it decided to put its Webmarketing muscle behind Core Board.

That's quite a change from a few years ago. In the early 1990s,sneaker makers signed hundreds of athletes to endorsement contractsin the belief that jocks could move their product.

But when sales later slumped, many companies, including Reebok,cut back on athlete endorsements and looked for more cost-effectiveways to get out their marketing messages.

With Core Board, much of the offline marketing focus will be onfitness trainers at health clubs.

At WellBridge Health and Fitness Center, a 50-club chain with fourclubs locally, the Core Board meshes neatly with the chain'smarketing goals, said East Coast manager Bill Patjane.

More and more, clubs rely on revenues from consumers hiringpersonal trainers or signing up for group exercise classes.

As with fashion or toys, newness counts for a lot in fitness, andCore Board training is something new that fitness instructors can useto induce members to sign up for more group and one-on-one exercisesessions and boost club revenues.

As its Web sites strive to educate consumers about the Core Board,Reebok hopes to convey a larger message.

Said Martinez, 'It is integral to Reebok that we be defined forpeople as the world of fitness.'

SIDEBAR: THE REEBOK CORE BOARD PLEASE REFER TO MICROFILM FOR CHARTDATA

Senior should consider AARP's growth funds for grandson trust - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

Q. Iam a senior citizen, and I have two CDs which come due thismonth. One is in trust for my granddaughter and while the other isnow in my name, I would like to put it in trust for my grandson.Should I renew these CDs or put them in mutual funds? I have twoaccounts with the AARP fund family, both invested in the AARP GNMAand US Treasury fund. Would you advise putting the CD money in thisfund?M.F., Canton

A. The AARP GNMA and US Treasury fund, which sports a generousyield and usually produces above-average total returns, is anexcellent holding for a senior citizen such as yourself. But intruth it's a pretty stodgy vehicle for young people, who probably areseeking growth of capital more than yield, and whose investment timeframe will probably be fairly long-term -- saving for college, a homedown payment, or even retirement. So why not consider the twogrowth-oriented funds within the AARP fund family.

The first of these two if AARP Capital Growth, a fund which isdubbed 'aggressive' by Morningstar Mutual Funds, and which hasdemonstrated its aggression by losing 10.89 percent of its valuebetween Jan. 1 and July 7. The fund, heavily committed to media andfinancial investments, is far from tame, and despite its risk-takingways has produced only an average long-term record. So if the giftmust please the giver, let's forget about that one.

But the AARP Growth and Income fund is another story, whichmight please both you and your grandchildren. Morningstar MutualFunds dubs this one 'an all-weather vehicle,' and it has demonstratedthis by producing a year-to-date gain of .76 percent through July 7-- a figure which looks terrific when you bear in mind that theaverage growth and income fund in Lipper's universe lost 2.72 percentin that period. Over the last five years, AARP Growth and Income hasproduced average annual gains of 11.43 percent.

Q. At ages 86 and 83, we are faced with investing the proceeds ofa $94,000 CD which matures in September. We would like the funds tobe easily available in case of illness, etc. Money market funds soundideal, but they are not paying as much as CDs. What can you sayabout money market funds and their advisability? Why do they pay somuch less than CDs? Do they pay dividends or capital gains likeother funds?G.M., Escondido, Calif.

A. Yes, with both the stock and bond markets going to hellhand-in-hand over the past four months, those humble money marketfunds are certainly beginning to look pretty attractive again. Withthe majority of money market funds now offering a seven-day yieldbetween 3.5 percent and 4 percent -- with quite a few higher -- theylook very good to investors who have been battered by the sour bondmarkets of this spring.

Basically, the reason that money market funds produce a loweryield than CDs is that they are shorter-term holdings. These funds'portfolios are typically invested in obligations such as commercialpaper (high-quality corporate IOUs) with an average maturity of about40 days. Most people view money market funds in one of threeways. They are frequently used as short-term repositories for fundsin transit, where they will rest for days or weeks and earn a modestreturn relative to the current market -- not much, but better thanrotting in a noninterest bearing bank account. Others use themdefensively -- as a haven for cash in times of market uncertainty,where the money can ride out the market storms in absolute safety.Finally, some investors -- and particularly retirees -- make it apractice to hold a percentage of their portfolio in cash as a hedgeagainst sour markets. Like mutual fund managers, they might fromtime to time alter the cash allocation, heavying up in uncertainmarkets and reducing the amount when they're bullish, but the accountalways has some percentage of their funds.

CANISIUS ANNOUNCES HALL OF FAME CLASS - The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY)

Six former athletes and a former coach were named for inductioninto the Canisius College Sports Hall of Fame.

The former athletes include Golden Griffins men's lacrosse coachRandy Mearns, who played 11 seasons of professional indoor lacrossewith the Buffalo Bandits and Rochester Knighthawks. Mearns (Class of1992) was a three-year letter winner in lacrosse, setting Canisiussingle-season records for points (94) and assists (49) in 1990.

The former coach is Tom Hersey, who served as head coach forCanisius football for nine seasons and finished with a 49-42-2record. Hershey is director of student retention at Canisius. Hiscoaching career was highlighted by a 17-7 victory at Dayton in 1983.

Others named to the Hall are:

Michelle Corrigan ('94), a four-year letter winner in softballand holder of several Canisius records as a pitcher.

Daniel Mullins ('88), a four-year letter winner in cross countryand track and a member of the distance medley relay team that set aschool record of 10:19.20 in 1985-86.

Jason Rausch ('91), a four-year letter winner in baseball whoholds the Canisius record for career home runs (27) and is the onlythree-time CoSIDA Academic All-American in school history.

Cindy Ulreich Reinhard, a four-year letter winner in basketballand two-year letter winner in softball. She ranks first in Canisiushistory in career field-goal percentage (.530), including a 7 for 7game against Siena in 1988.

Amy Vredenburgh, a four-year letter winner as a catcher insoftball. She caught 10 no-hitters, including five by Corrigan. In1994 she was an All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference selection andhelped Canisius to its first NCAA Tournament appearance.

The ceremony will be Feb. 5 during halftime of the Canisius-Siena men's basketball game, which tips off at 2 p.m. in theKoessler Center. A pregame reception will be held in the Patrick LeeCenter. Contact the Alumni Office at 888-2700.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Canisius announced that Bret Wackerly (Canton,Ohio) and Joe Young (Battle Creek, Mich.) have signed nationalletters of intent.

A 5-foot-11 guard, Wackerly led Stark County in scoring as ajunior, averaging 21 points a contest, and was named the RepositoryStark County Player of the Year.

Young is rated the 11th-best prospect in Michigan byPrepSpotlight.com. He averaged 16.2 points and seven rebounds as ajunior, earning all-city honors.

Elsewhere, Daemen, which defeated Tiffin (Ohio), 87-72, for itsfourth victory in five games, is ranked 12th in the nation amongNAIA schools. Darnell Jackson's 21 points led the Wildcats' victoryover Tiffin.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY: Buffalo State freshman goaltender ShannonAnesetti was named to the ECAC West Women's Hockey Weekly HonorRoll. She posted 55 saves in the Bengals' 1-1 tie with RIT andstopped 44 shots against Plattsburgh in the conference opener, a 4-0 loss. . . . College Hockey America has named Niagara junior AmyJack Offensive Player of the Week and freshman Ashley Riggs Rookieof the Week.

WOMEN'S SOCCER: University at Buffalo goalie Anna-Lesa Calvertwas named to the Mid-American Conference All-Academic Team. Shecarries a 3.67 grade-point average as a psychology major.

New spin on life ; Division III athletics finds room -; finally - for Whitworth's Joel Werdell - The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)

Here is the conversation, more or less, as Joel Werdell remembersit:

Friend: Let's do track.

Joel: Yeah. I thought I wanted to do track. But what event are wegoing to do?

Friend: I don't know.

Joel: Me neither. The hammer?

Friend: OK, we're throwing the hammer.

Joel: OK, let's go.

At Whitworth College, it is almost that easy to be a part ofsomething fun, fulfilling and uplifting - which, of course, is theway it absolutely should be.

Among the blessings we forget to count about college athletics isthat the big, bad, monolithic NCAA gets it about 40 percent right,at least.

That's the portion of its membership that is Division III, likeWhitworth. There are no athletic scholarships in Division III, nocodicils prescribing minimum attendance or arena size, no self-important million-dollar coaches and, often as not, no spectators.Just sport for sport's sake, and no other.

You know. Let's do track.

But at Whitworth, and in Joel Werdell's case, it's even betterthan that. At Whitworth, in addition to his formal education, he'sbeen set loose to discover some latent talents in a manner that'sthoroughly - to borrow one of his favorite words - random.

For instance, the hammer.

This weekend, Werdell throws it in the Northwest Conferencechampionships in Tacoma with a better-than-fair shot at winning. Hisseason best of 166 feet is about 7 behind the NWC leader, PacificLutheran's Dan Haakenson. It's also good enough to put him on thelist of provisional qualifiers for the NCAA Division IIIchampionships next month in Canton, N.Y.

If the distance doesn't seem remarkable, consider that Werdellpicked up his first hammer 14 months ago.

'I'd never seen it before,' said the senior from Edmonds. 'Ididn't even go out for track until last year.'

And what took him so long?

Here's where it gets good. Here's where it gets, well, Whitworth.

'I thought I was going to do football and baseball here, but thatkind of fell through,' he said. 'In fact, I got cut twice inbaseball.'

His football ambitions, he said, were ended by concussions. Hisbaseball ambitions, apparently, were cut short by limited ability,though like any true competitor he respectfully disputed the finaljudgment.

Over at Boppell Track, however, coach Toby Schwarz has theultimate open-door policy - though he allowed that even he was waryin this case. Werdell had no previous track experience and didn'tturn out until February last year, because of a January trip toHawaii. Schwarz wondered just how serious his new thrower was - and,of course, no coach fancies his program as a repository for culls.

'But he's a great kid and he works hard,' Schwarz said. 'Do youreally need anything more than that?'

It doesn't hurt to have a tutor like Matt Shaffer, the formerWashington State All-American who can still crank the ball and chainout to 195 feet himself. Still, Werdell couldn't help but wonder,'How do you teach somebody who's never done anything before?

'When you start, the ball just pulls you all over the place. Youfall down and it's embarrassing. You feel like such a klutz.'

But Shaffer's expert help and Werdell's own initiative - heworked out on his own all summer - resulted in a 30-foot improvementthis spring.

'I guess I was bound and determined to do something athletic incollege,' he said. 'I love to compete and I love being part of thisteam. Just being around these people is a cool opportunity.

'And what I like about track is that you can put as much into itas you want and a coach can't hold you back. What you can do isreally all up to you.'

Which is a segue as good as any to the flip side of Werdell'sWhitworth experience.

Somewhere between getting cut from baseball and taking a flyer onthe hammer, Werdell wound up in a band. He and Travis Stolcis - thefriend who talked him into track - lived in Warren Hall freshman andsophomore year. Stolcis and Tyler Kumakura began playing guitartogether informally that second year, and with Werdell drumming onthe djimbe, they performed at a fall barbecue. Soon, drummer KyleGilliam (who also throws the discus) and bassist Charlie Shepherdjoined, and the band which has come to be known as Sittser was born.

In the two years since, the group has recorded two CDs - financedby what you might call on-faith presales around campus. Once asolely acoustic group, they've added electric guitar, violin andsax, and Werdell himself has branched out on keyboards, for a soundthat doesn't defy categorization as much as make it irrelevant.They're a Christian band, yes, but no one gets clubbed over the headwith the word.

'I guess if anything,' Werdell said, 'we'd just like our music togive people a hope.'

Themselves, too. They've recently acquired some management andlater this month will open for the popular Christian band Deliriousat shows in Pullman and the Tri-Cities. They'd like to do someserious booking, but one band member is just a junior and Werdell -who will graduate next month in physics and computer science but hasathletic eligibility remaining - wants to return to pursue hishammer muse.

Sittser? Well, that's a good Whitworth story, too. Seems thegroup had a naming party at their dorm when someone came up with the'Jerry Sittser Orchestra' - double wordplay on the noted swing bandThe Brian Setzer Orchestra and popular Whitworth professor JerrySittser. It was a joke until Shepherd blurted it out at their nextgig when the emcee demanded a name.

The professor is cool with the tribute. He's had the band over tohis house for dinner and, said Werdell, has helped settle a fewintraband issues. But he gets no royalties or merchandising rights.

It might be ... it could be ... it is! No. 62 an American milestone - AP Online

TED ANTHONY AP National Writer
AP Online
09-09-1998
ST. LOUIS (AP) _ The man with the red goatee and the Popeye biceps made athletic and American history Tuesday with one swing of a wooden club, hitting an 88-mph baseball 341 feet into the Midwestern night and breaking a revered record a generation old.

In a nation that forever demands bigger, more, better, faster, Mark David McGwire is now a name _ and an event _ to be remembered.

With his 62nd home run of 1998, a stinging line drive that broke Roger Maris' 37-year record (which broke Babe Ruth's mark), the 34-year-old McGwire became the 6-4, 250-pound engine that could. The flashbulbs of a thousand cameras twinkled from the Busch Stadium stands, forming a hometown light show as he circled the bases triumphantly for his shortest home run of the year.

``A shot into the corner! It might make it! There it is - 62, folks!'' Mike Shannon, Maris' friend, said on KMOX-AM. ``And we have a new home run champion - a new Sultan of Swat!''

McGwire's 449th career homer came in his second at-bat of the night at 8:18 p.m. CDT, on a clear evening Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel, who threw the pitch, stood still on the mound and watched as a grinning McGwire high-fived all his teammates. Then the slugger climbed into the stands to hug Maris' children, who eyed him as if he had lifted a Chevrolet with one hand.

The historic ball landed in an area where no fan could get it just over the left-field wall. It was picked up by grounds crew worker Tim Forneris, who said he will give it to McGwire.

``The legend of Mark McGwire continues,'' the scoreboard flashed. Security guards high-fived each other as they chased down the smattering of jubilant fans who rushed the field. Applause and celebration held up the suddenly irrelevant game for 11 full minutes.

Across the stadium, from the most expensive boxes to the hot-dog vendors in the outfield, they all said it: The national pastime, an odd game in which the object is to get back to where you started, is a contender once again.

``Now there's a reason to come back to baseball,'' said Sherry Irby, a pharmacist from Florence, Ala., who drove all night with her husband and two young sons to see a McGwire at-bat. They set up shop on cardboard mats in the outfield standing-room-only section.

``Good role models are few and far between for kids,'' said her husband, Ken. ``The country's been kind of in the doldrums with the Lewinsky thing. We needed something to cheer.''

And cheer they did, for days: St. Louis fans, opposing teams' fans, people who aren't fans at all, entranced with the excitement of the record. They cheered from the bars of St. Louis to the McGwire-mad left-field stands of Busch Stadium and beyond.

The home-run race being run by McGwire and the Cubs' Sammy Sosa, who has a healthy 58, has heralded a resurgence of the nation's pastime, scorned by many since its players went on strike in 1994. Attendance is up 3.3 percent this year and on a steady rise.

``Baseball sort of lost its way. Mark McGwire is doing a great job for the game,'' said Bob Edmiston, 87, who has been attending Cardinals games since 1920. He came to the stadium in a McGwire jersey and scarlet shorts.

But what is it about the home run in particular that has captured the American imagination across the generations? It is dramatic, violent, visual, an expression of power - a high-ticket item in a sport that many insist is far too unplugged.

``We're in an age of instant gratification. And a home run is instant gratification,'' says Melvin Philip Lucas of Cornell College in Iowa, who teaches a course on baseball's role in American history.

Milestones are especially crucial in baseball, a game of statistics with fans who care that so-and-so bats .306 against left-handed pitchers named Frank on partly cloudy Tuesdays in May.

``There's something in the pursuit of records that only baseball can deliver,'' said Bud Selig, the game's commissioner.

Behind it all has been McGwire, the aw-shucks Californian giant who makes $9.5 million a year and has consistently tried to deflect the attention toward baseball itself. He can't, of course; in a world of 64-ounce Big Gulps, Wal-Mart Supercenters and McDonald's super-size fries, McGwire is bigger-more-faster incarnate.

``He's really the home-run hitter of our era,'' said Roger Maris Jr., who should know.

Other famous home runs have transcended baseball: Bobby Thomson's, off Ralph Branca, that won the Giants the 1951 pennant; Bill Mazeroski's World Series-winner in 1960; and, of course, Ruth's called shot in the 1932 World Series, in which it's said he pointed his bat into the stands and put the ball right there.

Beyond being the national pastime, baseball - deservedly or not - crosses over into the fabric of American culture more than most sports, becoming the repository of many an American's metaphors of innocence and timelessness. You don't hear football players talking about ``Canton'' with the reverence of Cooperstown. And where's the Hockey Hall of Fame, anyway?

``Baseball is associated with legend - both sport and American culture,'' says Bill McGill, co-editor of Spitball, a literary baseball magazine.

It has been a memorable few days in St. Louis, one of the oldest of baseball towns. Fans have dissected each pitch. Words like ``prodigious'' and ``prowess'' are weary after weeks of hard work.

Thousands draw breath en masse each time he connects. Batting practice turns into a fireworks show. Random fans catch home-run balls and hold news conferences for the national media minutes later. Opposing pitchers hint they wouldn't mind giving up No. 62.

``This is something phenomenal in our lifetime,'' said Tony La Russa, McGwire's manager.

But while everyone around town is wearing No. 25 on their backs, in many ways it has been the loneliest number. McGwire has done his best to concentrate at the eye of the scrutiny storm. It hasn't been easy.

``You try to tell yourself to sit back and relax, but it's hard to,'' he said before No. 62. ``I'm a human being. I have emotions like everybody else.''


Copyright 1998 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.

HISTORIC MARK - Post-Tribune (IN)

PHOTO (Color) Mark McGwire

THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED VERSION.

The man with the red goatee and the Popeye biceps made athletic and American history Tuesday with one swing of a wooden club, smacking a baseball 341 feet into the night and breaking a revered record a generation old.

In a nation that forever demands bigger, more, better, faster, Mark David McGwire is now a name - and an event - to be remembered.

With his 62nd home run of 1998, a stinging line drive that broke Roger Maris' 37-year record (which broke Babe Ruth's mark), the 34-year-old McGwire became the 6-4, 250-pound engine that could.

The flashbulbs of a thousand cameras exploded from the Busch Stadium stands, forming a hometown light show as he circled the bases triumphantly for his shortest home run of the year.

'A shot into the corner! It might make it! There it is - 62, folks!' Mike Shannon, Maris' friend, said on KMOX-AM. 'And we have a new home run champion - a new Sultan of Swat!'

McGwire's 449th career homer came in his second at-bat of the night.

'The legend of Mark McGwire continues,' the scoreboard flashed. Security guards high-fived each other as they chased down the smattering of jubilant fans who rushed the field.

Across the stadium, from the most expensive boxes to the hot-dog vendors in the outfield, they all said it: The national pastime, an odd game in which the object is to get back to where you started, is a contender once again.

'Now there's a reason to come back to baseball,' said Sherry Irby, a pharmacist from Florence, Ala., who drove all night with her husband and two young sons to see a McGwire at-bat. They set up shop on cardboard mats in the outfield standing-room-only section.

'Good role models are few and far between for kids,' said her husband, Ken. 'The country's been kind of in the doldrums with the Lewinsky thing. We needed something to cheer.'

And cheer they did, for days: St. Louis fans, opposing teams' fans, people who aren't fans at all, entranced with the excitement of the record. They cheered from the bars of St. Louis to the McGwire-mad left-field stands of Busch Stadium and beyond.

The home-run race being run by McGwire and the Cubs' Sammy Sosa, who has a healthy 58, has heralded a resurgence of the nation's pastime, scorned by many since its players went on strike in 1994.

'Baseball sort of lost its way. Mark McGwire is doing a great job for the game,' said Bob Edmiston, 87, who has been attending Cardinals games since 1920. He came to the stadium in a McGwire jersey and scarlet shorts.

Milestones are especially crucial in baseball, a game of statistics with fans who care that so-and-so bats .306 against left-handed pitchers named Frank on partly cloudy Tuesdays in May.

'There's something in the pursuit of records that only baseball can deliver,' said Bud Selig, the game's commissioner.

Behind it all has been McGwire, the aw-shucks California giant who makes $9.5 million a year and has consistently tried to deflect the attention toward baseball itself.

He can't, of course; in a world of 64-ounce Big Gulps, Wal-Mart Supercenters and McDonald's super-size fries, McGwire is bigger-more-faster incarnate.

'He's really the home-run hitter of our era,' said Roger Maris Jr., who should know.

Other famous home runs have transcended baseball: Bobby Thomson's, off Ralph Branca, that won the Giants the 1951 pennant; Bill Mazeroski's World Series-winner in 1960; and, of course, Babe Ruth's legendary called shot in the 1932 World Series, in which it's said he pointed his bat into the stands and put the ball right there.

Beyond being the national pastime, baseball - deservedly or not - crosses over into the fabric of American culture more than most sports, becoming the repository of many an American's metaphors of innocence and timelessness. You don't hear football players talking about 'Canton' with the reverence of Cooperstown. And where's the Hockey Hall of Fame, anyway?

'Baseball is associated with legend - both sport and American culture,' says Bill McGill, co-editor of Spitball, a literary baseball magazine.

It has been a legendary few days in St. Louis, one of the oldest of baseball towns.

Thousands draw breath en masse each time McGwire connects. Batting practice turns into a fireworks show. Random fans catch home-run balls and hold news conferences for the national media minutes later.

Citius, Altius, Fortius. (Olympic Museum opens in Lausanne, Switzerland) - The Economist (US)

UNTIL now the sports hall of fame has remained a peculiarly American institution even when copied abroad. But it will acquire a European accent when the Olympic Museum--'the world's most comprehensive repository of written, graphic and visual information related to the Olympic Games'--opens in Lausanne in Switzerland on June 23rd.

In much the same way as its American precursors, the museum will celebrate the achievements of its sports stars with film shows, interactive videos and blown-up photographs. The victors' vices will be dealt with sotto voce. The museum is no keener to shout about the chemically enhanced performances of past medal winners than the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, is to advertise that some of its inductees, most notably Ilie Nastase, are best remembered for their unsporting behavior.

The Olympic Museum will also follow the lead of American halls of fame in putting on display the sort of memorabilia that excites children of all ages: the postage stamps issued by Haiti in 1940 bearing the effigy of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern games; the shoes Carl Lewis wore when he won the 200 metre gold medal in the summer games in Los Angeles in 1984; the crash helmet that protected Jean-Claude Killy's head in the winter games in Grenoble in 1968; and so on.

There is, however, one big difference between this institution and all-American halls of fame. The Olympic Museum seeks seriously (ie, not in a kitsch way) to celebrate the link between sport and the creative arts--a link which dates back beyond the Ancient Greek sculptures of god-like young athletes throwing the discus, the javelin and themselves into the air. The art in its permanent collection ranges from an Ancient Greek vase (circa 320 BC) and an Etruscan torch (circa 6th century BC) to a 1921 sculpture by Antoine Bourdelle called 'Heracles as Archer', a Faberge trophy presented by Tsar Nicholas II to the winner of the decathlon in Stockholm in 1912, and an untitled 1992 abstract painting by Antoni Tapies of what could be a skier.

The art on display is not confined to sporting subjects. The museum engaged in a subtle form of extortion in inviting the cities which are competing to stage the games in 2000 to 'select their most prized and valuable works of art' to go on display in Lausanne this summer. It was an invitation that none of the six rival cities--Beijing, Berlin, Brasilia, Istanbul, Manchester or Sydney--dared decline. The resulting treasure trove includes paintings by Oskar Kokoschka, Otto Dix, J.M.W. Turner, Francis Bacon, Sidney Nolan and Arthur Streeton.

There is no compelling reason for all-American halls of fame to pay any heed to what the Olympic Museum has done on the arts. They have already found a formula that is so successful that stars in several sports in America see their election to a hall of fame as the ultimate accolade, the pinnacle of a sporting career.

One case in point is the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, with its life-sized, action blow-ups of 'Hall of Famers' in a modern three-storey building. Another is the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, where all five members of the class of 1991 were, according to Insider, the in-house journal, 'awed by the tremendous honour--official recognition that they were among the very best their sport had produced--that was being bestowed upon them.' All five spoke about their families but none so sentimentally as Earl Campbell, a football superstar of the 1980s. 'Now my daddy, B.C. Campbell, is up there in heaven telling his buddies what a great son he has,' said Earl.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is even more famous. It aroused truly national, not merely sporting, controversy when it excluded Pete Rose, the man with more hits than anybody else in history, from the Cooperstown gallery because he bet on the outcome of games when he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

However, much can be learnt from the Olympic Museum by halls of fame which aim to become famous not just in America but worldwide. One such is Newport's International Tennis Hall of Fame. Whatever their nationality, the winners of this year's singles titles at Wimbledon can look forward eventually to becoming 'inductees'. But they will have to be patient. Players are not eligible for 'enshrinement' until they have been out of the rankings (ie, off the men's and women's professional tours) for at least five years. So not until they start losing sets to rabbits are the current crop of champions likely to see their photographs mounted alongside those of Lew Hoad, Evonne Goolagong, Tony Trabert, Helen Wills Moody and other famous has-beens in the Hall of Fame.

'Who cares?' and 'So what?' is the common reaction of foreigners when they are told by their American friends about the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Americans find this couldn't-care-less attitude baffling but if the word international in the institution's title is to mean anything a way will have to be found to overcome the indifference of foreigners.

OFFBEAT PAPER FEELS FALLOUT FROM NEGATIVE-PRESS DISTRESS - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

The Repository has returned its press credentials for the 1995Canton-Akron Indians season after being told the passes werecontingent on the types of stories it would run, the Canton, Ohio,newspaper said Monday.

The credentials give reporters access to the press box and otherareas that allow them to cover the games.

'At the point a negative article about the franchise appearsanywhere in your paper, your credentials will be revoked and you willbe asked to purchase a ticket and cover the games from outside thepress box,' Indians general manager Jeff Auman said in a letter toThe Repository's sports editor, Bob Stewart.

Stewart said he told the Double-A Eastern League affiliate ofthe Cleveland Indians that the conditions were unacceptable.

'We don't base our coverage on whether or not the boss likesit,' he said.

The newspaper said it was prepared to pay admission at ThurmanMunson Memorial Stadium and cover the games from the stands if theclub does not change its position.

The newspaper said team owner Mike Agganis apparently wasconcerned about recent stories on the team. One was a Novemberarticle about corporate sponsors that were considering thecancellation of their advertising with the club because of Agganis'decision to move the team to Akron for the 1997 season.

Navratilova dodges the Bullets: Martina Navratilova has decidednot to try out for the Colorado Silver Bullets, officials of theAtlanta-based women's professional baseball team said.

The team opened its training camp Tuesday in Fort Myers, Fla.,with 51 candidates.

The Silver Bullets had been going to give Navratilova a privatetryout at a field in Palm Springs, but she called it off.

'It was handled through her publicist and the Coors people,'said Silver Bullets publicist Debra Larson. 'We never talked toMartina directly. The word we got was that she was irritated by thepublicity and the fact that the story leaked out about her wanting totry out.'

Street of dreams: It's Rebecca Lobo Way now.

Southwick, Mass., selectmen voted unanimously to rename thehalf-mile entrance road to the Southwick-Tolland Regional High Schoolin honor of the 1991 graduate and honor student, who led theUniversity of Connecticut to an undefeated season and the women'sNCAA basketball championship.

'It's not Rebecca Lobo Street,' said Paul Salzer, chairman ofthe selectmen. 'It is indicative of a way to get ahead in education,in athletics. It's Rebecca Lobo Way.'

AROUND BASEBALL - The Washington Post

SABO TO CHISOX: 3B Chris Sabo got some surprising news when thetelephone woke him up yesterday: His agent told him he was wanted bythe White Sox, who train in Sarasota, Fla., where Sabo lives. Out ofwork as a free agent, Sabo wasn't about to be picky, so he agreed toa $550,000, one-year contract to be the Chicago's designated hitter.He can earn another $550,000 in performance bonuses.

'To be honest with you, I didn't have much of a choice. I wantedto go back to the National League but it didn't work out,' said Sabo,who arrived at the White Sox spring training complex to take battingpractice less than an hour after agreeing to terms. 'I would havepreferred to sign to play in the field. My role is a DH and I will domy best to adjust to that role. I'll probably have less chance ofgetting hurt.'

Sabo -- who played with the Orioles last season -- was not theWhite Sox's first choice either. They were interested in 1B MarkGrace before he re-signed with the Cubs and they talked with freeagents John Kruk and Mickey Tettleton about batting cleanup behind 1BFrank Thomas.

Chicago is trying to replace DH Julio Franco, who hit .319 with 20homers and 98 RBI last season before signing with a team in Japan.

Sabo was unhappy last season, his only one with the Orioles, afterhe was hurt early in the season and lost the starting third base jobto Leo Gomez. DARWIN TO JAYS: The Blue Jays completed theirstarting rotation, signing RHP Danny Darwin to a $300,000, one-yearcontract. Darwin, 39, a veteran of 15 full seasons in the majors, was7-5 with a 6.30 ERA in 75 2/3 innings with the Red Sox last season.The Blue Jays' rotation is expected to consist of RHP David Cone --acquired in a trade with the Royals last week -- RHP Pat Hentgen, RHPJuan Guzman, LHP Al Leiter and Darwin. INDIANS ADD RELIEVER: TheIndians bolstered their bullpen by signing LHP Paul Assenmacher to a$700,000, one-year contract. Assenmacher can earn an additional$200,000 in performance bonuses. He spent the 1994 season with theWhite Sox, going 1-2 with one save and a 3.55 ERA. HIGUERA SIGNS:LHP Teddy Higuera and the Padres agreed to a minor league contractand the pitcher was invited to spring training as a non-rosterplayer. Higuera, 36, will get a $75,000 signing bonus and a $200,000salary if he makes the team. He also could earn an additional$300,000 in performance bonuses based on innings pitched. MOORE TOREDS: The Reds obtained RHP Marcus Moore from the Rockies in a tradethat sent minor league IF Chris Sexton to Colorado. Moore was 4-2with a 6.45 ERA in 56 relief appearances with the Rockies the pasttwo seasons. M. MADDUX TO PIRATES: RHP Mike Maddux, brother of two-time defending NL Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux of the Braves,signed a minor league contract with the Pirates and will get theopportunity to make Pittsburgh's opening day roster as a middlereliever. Maddux was 2-1 with a 5.11 ERA in 27 games last season withthe Mets. CANTON BACKS OFF: The Canton-Akron Indians have backedoff a threat to withdraw The Repository's press credentials if thenewspaper published negative stories about the team. The newspaperhad told the Indians, the Class AA Eastern League affiliate of theCleveland Indians, that it would not accept limits on its coverageand would buy grandstand seats for its reporters if necessary tocover the games.

PARENTS, INSTRUCTORS CONFIDENT IN SAFETY OF MARTIAL ARTS - Post-Tribune (IN)

THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED VERSION.

The recent death of a Massillon boy during a martial arts tournament in Indiana has not changed the opinions of those who contend the sport is safe if practiced properly.

Arthur Battin, 14, of Massillon, died during a tournament May 3. The cause of death remains undetermined, but he collapsed during a sparring session after taking a punch to the chest.

Those involved in the sport say the death was a fluke, and studios continue to teach children how to punch, kick and block as well as how to control those skills during sparring sessions so no one gets hurt.

'Overall, I think that martial arts, if done correctly, is a very safe sport,' Dr. Kevin Dieter of Canton, who practices family medicine in Waynesburg, told The Repository for a recent story. 'I actually was more concerned about my son playing football.'

The martial arts are big in Dieter's family. Dieter's wife and 8- and 11-year-old sons hold black belts.

They also are students at the Center for the Martial Arts of North Canton, where Arthur was a student.

Since Jan. 1, 1993, there have been three other deaths and more than 3,900 injuries of people practicing martial arts, according to an analysis of a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission database of emergency room records.

Steve Marcelli, of Marcelli's Tae Kwon Do Academy in Canton Township, said he and his instructors are keenly attentive to safety. They work to know the abilities and limits of each student - and insist on protective gear.

'She gets hurt more at home - there's the bicycle, the trampoline, she broke her arm on the swing set,' said Marsha Stryffeler of Homeworth, whose 12-year-old daughter Marisa has learned tae kwon do.

'I think it's more safe here because it's more controlled. Everybody knows their limits and they're taught their limits.'

Experts say before enrolling their children in a martial arts class parents should visit a class to see how well the instructors work with students. They also should ask whether protective gear is required, how long the instructors have been teaching and whether contact sparring is mandated.

Iowa St. player is charged - Charleston Daily Mail

AMES, Iowa - An Iowa State basketball player was charged withpublic intoxication and simple assault after police were called to afast-food restaurant.

Travis Spivey, 20, is a sophomore transfer from Georgia Tech whois sitting out this season.

Police were called to a Hardee's restaurant in downtown Amesshortly before 2:30 a.m. Thursday.Hardee's district manager Bill Gilbert said Spivey and four othermen were being disorderly at the restaurant. An employee asked themto leave, but only three did.Only Spivey's name is listed on police reports.Spivey, of Myrtle Beach, S.C.. was a starting point guard atGeorgia Tech last season.---=INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis Colts activated wide receiverKaipo McGuire from the practice squad for Sunday's game with theCarolina Panthers, team spokesman Bob Lamey said Friday.McGuire will fill one of the roster spots vacated by linebackerAndre Royal and defensive end Kendel Shello, who were placed oninjured reserve Thursday.---=CANTON, Ohio (AP) - Bob Stewart, who has worked at The Repositorysince 1957 and served as sports editor since 1970, said he willretire Dec. 31.Stewart, 63, began his career as the Massillon bureau chief andalso covered city hall and political beats. He announced hisretirement on Thursday.'Canton McKinley won back-to-back state championships in 1955 and1956, the two years before I started at The Rep,' Stewart said. 'Nowthat they've done it again, it's time for me to retire.'Stewart is a former vice president of Ohio Associated Press SportsWriters and a member of Associated Press Sports Editors. He wasinducted into the Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association Hall of Famein 1996.Stewart is also a member of the Baseball Writers Association ofAmerica, Pro Football Writers, Basketball Writers Association,International Network of Golf, Golf Writers Association of America,Football Writers Association of America, and Society for AmericanBaseball Research.AP-ES-12-26-98 0313EST

Hog heaven Devoted fans flood into Ohio to celebrate greats.(Sports) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

CANTON, Ohio

Show me someone who doubts the Washington Redskins are the most valuable NFL franchise, and I'll show you someone who wasn't at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

It was as if there was a checkpoint on the road in: Show your ticket and your Redskins jersey, T-shirt or visor for admission.

The weekend's events - including tonight's Redskins-Colts exhibition - already had a vintage Redskins flavor with receiver Art Monk, cornerback Darrell Green and former assistant coach Emmitt Thomas among the six new inductees.

The burgundy-and-gold ocean suddenly flooding this pocket of Ohio made that flavor overpowering.

On Saturday afternoon, Redskins fans populated the long waiting lines that snaked into the Hall, a ticketed luncheon and the induction at Fawcett Stadium next door.

They jockeyed elbow to hip, herds of them, through the Hall's corridors and display areas, erupting now and again in a 'Hail to the Redskins' bellow.

Later, they turned the 31/2-hour evening ceremony into an open-air Skins fest, a Woodstock, a miniature Fed-Ex Field brimming with some 17,000 people - about 95 percent of them besotted faithful.

Pat and Ray Waters came from Chesapeake , drawn by a familial force.

Pat Waters promised her late father she'd come if Monk, their favorite player, ever got into Canton. And as she promised, she wore the white Art Monk jersey she'd once given her dad, who then gave it back to her before he died 13 years ago.

'This means a lot to me because of my dad,' said Pat Waters, 55, who hopes to snare Monk's autograph today and to tell him her story.

'He's why I'm a Redskins fan. Everything we've done this weekend - this, the parade this morning - I feel like he's smiling down.'

Carl and Mattie McNeil, who came from Virginia Beach, were smiling Saturday. Finally.

They were ready seven years ago when Monk - their favorite, too - was first rejected for induction. Every year Monk waited, they waited. When his name was called in February, the McNeils knew where they had to be the first weekend in August.

'This is a dream come true for me,' said Carl McNeil, 65, a retired Hampton Roads Transit driver. 'And for Art Monk to go in with a teammate like Darrell Green, that's really special.

'Looking around, you would think only Redskins are going into the Hall of Fame. That's a testament to Art Monk and Darrell Green.'

True, Fred Dean (Chargers, 49ers), Gary Zimmerman (Vikings, Broncos) and Andre Tippett (Patriots) also went in. In the context of the day, however, their honor was but a ripple in a lake.

It was the ex-Redskins who rattled the place. Coach Joe Gibbs' appearance on stage drew a standing ovation.

Monk, the great, understated receiver who closed the show, drew two minutes of applause before he spoke, the acknowledgement of the long, frustrating wait for his introduction.

Before him, the always loquacious Green tested the goodwill from his 20-year career by rambling 25 minutes, thanking pretty much everybody he's ever known. At the end, Green proclaimed himself ideally suited for life as a Hall of Famer, on religious grounds.

'I belong here. I bee-long here,' Green said, his voice rising. 'Because I know what to do with God's fame ... with God's visibility, with God's influence. To Jesus be the glory!'

Jason and Kathryn Foster drove from the Whaleyville section of Suffolk to feel the power.

No big deal there; Jason Foster, 34, last year flew home from a work assignment in Hawaii on a Friday to attend the Redskins Beach Blitz in Virginia Beach. He was back at work in Hawaii on Monday morning.

Nine hours to Canton is a jog around the block.

Matthew Gavin totally understands. The Old Dominion senior from Arlington turns 21 in three weeks. His aunt and fellow Redskins nut, Ann Marie Moses, paid for his trip, obviously figuring which would be more memorable: a Best Buy card or this.

'This is huge,' Gavin said. 'Darrell Green was my favorite player growing up. It's awesome. And I've never seen so many Redskins fans other than at a game.'

Carl and Mattie McNeil, to name two, plan to be back in a year.

Their personal friend, Norfolk native Bruce Smith, the NFL's all-time sack leader, is eligible for induction into the Hall next August.

Smith is also a former Redskin, but he spent 15 of his 19 seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

Those fans have an impressive act to follow.

Tom Robinson, (757) 446-2518, tom.robinson@pilotonline.com

CAPTION(S):

Mark Duncan | the associated press

Former Redskins cornerback Darrell Green, left, uncovers his Hall of Fame bronze bust Saturday with help from his son Jared. Mark Duncan | the associated press

Former Washington Redskins wide receiver Art Monk speaks at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday. Scott Heckel | The repository | the associated press

Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs welcomes Art Monk and Darrell Green at the enshrinees dinner Friday in Canton, Ohio. Kiichiro Sato | the associated press

SPORTS TALK - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

Compiled by Joe Farrell
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
04-07-1995
SPORTS TALK
Compiled by Joe Farrell
Date: 04-07-1995, Friday
Section: SPORTS
Edition: All Editions -- 3 Star, 2 Star P, 2 Star B, 1 Star Late, 1 Star Early
Column: SPORTS TALK

BAD NEWS BEARERS:
An Ohio newspaper was told by management of the
Canton-Akron Indians of the Class AA Eastern League that any negative
articles about the team would result in revocation the paper's press box
privileges.

The newspaper, The Repository, sent its own message. It returned the
press credentials. The newspaper said it would cover the games from the
stands if the club does not change its position.

'We don't base our coverage on whether or not the boss likes it,'
said The Repository's sports editor, Bob Stewart.

THINKING YOUNG:
How did Mavis Lindgren of Orleans, Calif., recently
celebrate her 88th birthday while visiting London? She ran a marathon.

'I've had a wonderful day,' she said after plodding around the
26-mile, 385-yard course in 9 hours, 6 minutes, and 42 seconds.

'People sang `Happy Birthday' to me all around the course, children
were offering me sweets. I cramped up from time to time, but I got
there.

'Now all I want is a hot bath.'

ONE-LINERS:
According to figures compiled by the NFL Players
Association, the nearly 140 players who have signed free-agent deals
this year have almost doubled their average salaries -- from $520,731 in
1994 to $1,034,582 in '95. . . . Overheard at the Baltimore Orioles
workout on Wednesday in Sarasota, Fla.: a Florida TV reporter asking if
Cal Ripken's shot at breaking the record for consecutive games played is
over because the season has been shortened, and then asking who holds
the record . . . The Seattle Mariners' replacement players lost an
average of five pounds per man after manager Lou Piniella eliminated ice
cream, potato chips, and cheese from the spring training menu.

THEY SAID IT:
Bryant 'Big Country' Reeves of Oklahoma State, when
asked about his future plans: 'Whatever happens to me next year will
happen to me, regardless of what happens.' . . . Thomas Hearns, after
knocking out Lenny Lapaglia Friday night to win the World Boxing Union
cruiserweight championship: 'It's just one step. The next step, I need
to go get a title that people really know.'

Illustrations/Photos: PHOTO - ASSOCIATED PRESS - ATLANTA FLAMES: Malcolm Greer,
whose company designed the Olympic torch, at unveiling in Atlanta. About 15,
000 torches will carry the Olympic flame from Greece to Georgia in 1996.

Keywords: SPORT

Copyright 1995 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.

SPORTS HALLS RUN GAMUT OF PROS TO KIDS - Post-Tribune (IN)

PHOTO - 3 (COLOR)The College Football Hall of Fame (along with Notre Dame, of course) is the pride of South Bend. (COLOR)(COURTESY OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME)CAPTION: Visitors can relive famous games at the GameDay Stadium exhibit in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. (COLOR)(COURTESY OF THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME)CAPTION: The Spalding Shootout, the Hall of Fame's most popular exhibit, offers participatory fun for visitors of all ages. (COLOR)(COURTESY OF BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME)

THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED VERSION.

February is a yawn when it comes to sports.If you're not a hockey, basketball, swimming or gymnastics fan, there's not much to cheer about this time of year.

But you don't have to sit at home and sulk. Bridge the gap until your favorite team swings back into action by visiting a hall of fame or sports museum.

Here are some of them:

Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio: Showplace of America's most popular sport.

Included in the modern, five-building complex are exhibition rotunda displays that record the 1960s, '70s and '80s to mark the end of the first century of pro football; the GameDay Stadium, a turntable theater that presents pro football in Cinemascope, and a Pro Football Research Center.

The showpieces of the structure are the Twin Enshrinement Halls, where the niches of the greats who have been bestowed pro football's highest honor are located. Each niche contains a bronze bust of the honoree, a brightly-lighted mural and a capsule biography.

Memorabilia of the modern era is featured in a large display case in the new Pro Football Adventure Room, while choice Super Bowl mementos are exhibited below the large photo mural of Super Bowl XXVII played in the Rose Bowl.

Call (330) 456-8207.

BASEBALL

National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, Cooperstown, N.Y.: The three-story red brick structure on Main Street stands as the repository of the game's treasures and as a symbol of the highest individual honor bestowed on an athlete.

Entering the Fetzer-Yawkey building, the popular evolution of equipment - bats, baseballs, gloves and catcher's paraphernalia - connects the past with the present. The first catcher's mask, resembling a bird cage, fingerless gloves from the 1880s and the first batting helmet worn by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1953 attract special attention.

The Records Room celebrates baseball's feats and milestones, utilizing touch screen technology. Interactive videos allow visitors to become familiar with each Hall of Famer.

On the second floor of the Fetzer-Yawkey wing one finds the Baseball Today area with its special appeal to the young fans who may identify more with today's stars. Another popular attraction there is 'This Week in Baseball.'

The theater exit provides access to the Hall of Fame's timeline, a chronological history of the game.

On the third floor, devotees of ballpark architecture can view the actual grandstand seats, dugout benches, cornerstones and turnstiles which provide the flavor of the first generation of stadia - from New York's Polo Grounds to Brooklyn's Ebbets Field.

Baseball's All-Star Game, which originated in 1933, is the subject of a major exhibit and Bobby Thomson's historic home run bat from the 1951 playoffs leads the visitor into the World Series Room for another collection of post-season memorabilia.

Peter J. McGovern Little League Baseball Museum, Williamsport, Pa: A hands-on showcase that tells the story of Little League Baseball from its beginning in 1939 as the idea of one man to its development into the largest and most reputable youth sports organization in the world with more than 21/2 million youths involved in more than 80 countries.

The museum is full of pictures, displays, films and exhibits about the players, equipment, history, rules and all-around fun of Little League, as well as information on issues facing our youth today.

Visitors can watch the growth of Little League throughout the world on a fiber optics map and see famous Little League graduates who have led positive lives and gone on to succeed in the Major Leagues or other professions.

They also can actually 'play ball' in the batting and pitching areas and watch themselves on instant replay and take in videotaped highlights of the most exciting moments of the Little League World Series.

The newest addition to the museum is the Hall of Excellence, where former Little Leaguers like Tom Seaver are inducted annually for being positive role models for today's youth around the world.

Call (717) 326-3607.

BASKETBALL

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, New Castle: Indiana and basketball have had a long-standing love affair.

No state has produced more great players and coaches and no state has more devoted fans.

The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame shows how that tradition came to be and captures the excitement of 'March Madness' year-round.

The Hall of Fame puts visitors in the middle of the game.

They can test their trivia skills against a computer; step into the locker room for a pep talk from Coach John Wooden; go one-on-one with Oscar Robertson, or win the championship game by hitting a last-second shot.

Hundreds of game films and thousands of photographs and artifacts tell the story of Indiana's basketball tradition.

Meet the heroes of the game, from the days of peach baskets and laced balls through this year's champions.

Referees, writers and fans, as well as players and coaches; boys' basketball and girls' basketball; the college and pro careers of former Indiana stars - every story has a place in the museum.

Call (765) 529-1891.

Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Mass.: Where the legends come alive in the city where the game was invented.

The three-level museum, dedicated to the game's inventor, James Naismith, recognizes basketball at every level - men, women, professional, collegiate, high school, international and wheelchair.

The hall preserves basketball's glorious past and promotes its exciting future.

It's more than a museum, however.

Through interactive displays, participatory exhibits and innovative uses of design, the Basketball Hall of Fame brings the history and the legends of basketball to life.

Whether it's testing your jumping skills against Michael Jordan, facing the legendary Oscar Robertson, or shooting hoops with a real-life Hall of Famer like Boston Celtics star John Havlicek, the museum showcases basketball with all the excitement the public has come to expect.

Everyone likes to be a hotshot and, at the hall, visitors can be just that by attempting to shoot baskets at any of the 14 hoops of various sizes and heights in The Spalding Shootout.

Or, they can compete against Hall of Famer Bill Walton in a Virtual Reality game, or showcase their basketball skills in the Wilson Imagymnation Theater.

Call (413) 781-6500.

BOXING

International Boxing Hall of Fame Museum, Canastota, N.Y.: A knockout experience for the whole family.

On view are showcases filled with the colorful robes of boxing greats and gloves, hand wraps and fist casts from dozens of champions, including one from the massive hand of Primo Carnera.

Several videos add live action to the museum and the Wall of Fame features plaques of all the inductees.

Other attractions include ticket displays, poster displays and life-size statues of famous fighters.

Call (315) 697-7095.

FOOTBALL

College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend: From the stands to the playing field, from the locker room to the broadcast booth, the College Football Hall of Fame puts visitors in the thick of the action.

All the excitement of a football Saturday comes to life in the Stadium Theater. Through the innovative use of film, sound and life-cast figures, visitors are surrounded by the sights and sounds of a college game.

Take on the legends of the game as you test your football skills through a series of interactive, fun-filled challenges and activities in the Training Room, Practice Field and Strategy Clinic.

The Great Moments Kiosk features legendary moments in college football. During the season, be sure to check out the 'upset of the week.'

All the greats of the game are immortalized in the context of their college days in the Hall of Champions. Highlights from each decade of the game are featured, in addition to historic photographs and artifacts.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at how coaches train, motivate and inspire college football heroes in the Locker Room. Half of the room represents a modern locker room while the other depicts one from a bygone era.

Call 235-9999.

SOCCER

National Soccer Hall of Fame and National Soccer Museum, Oneonta, N.Y.: If you get a kick out of soccer, drop by the National Soccer Hall of Fame and National Soccer Museum.

Established in 1979, the National Soccer Hall of Fame is committed to preserving the history and sport of soccer in the United States and houses an extensive archive of memorabilia associated with the sport.

The hall came to life in 1950 when a group of former professional and amateur players from the Philadelphia 'Oldtimers' Association took it upon themselves to recognize the achievements of soccer in America.

In the 47 years since the 'Oldtimers' first got together, 216 members have been elected to the Hall of Fame for their outstanding contributions to American soccer, both on and off the field.

The Hall of Fame opened the National Soccer Museum in 1987.

The museum manages the nation's soccer archive which, with more than 80,000 items, comprises one of the largest collections of soccer artifacts and records in the world.

Some of the larger and rarer pieces under the National Soccer Museum's care are: the complete North American Soccer League Collection; the World Cup USA 1994 archive; a rare soccer photography collection from New York Depression-era photographer John Albok; materials from the U.S. national teams in World Cup competitions; artifacts from the American Soccer League of the 1920s-'50s and the world's oldest soccer ball, made in the U.S.

The museum presents visitors with a stimulating visual and participatory experience of soccer's past and present. The exhibition hall displays trophies, graphics and artifacts and presents films from an extensive archival collection screened in the museum video theater.

After 40 years, Hall of Fame celebrates its fabled history.(Knight Ridder Newspapers) - Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service

Byline: Tom Reed

CANTON, Ohio _ Howie Long stood on the front steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame three years ago and supplied his sport with its most memorable sound byte.

Speaking on his induction day in 2000 and before the greatest collection of living gridiron legends ever assembled, Long succinctly put into words a belief that had been growing among this nation's sports fan base for quite some time.

'Baseball may be America's pastime, but football is America's passion,' Long said.

Perhaps nowhere is that love of the game better displayed, more often renewed or more continuously redefined than at the Hall of Fame, the heart of pro football.

The fabled museum located at 2121 George Halas Drive turned 40 years old this year. Seldom has middle age looked so invitingly hip.

This story focuses on the origins of the museum and the induction ceremonies that have made it famous.

The Canton shrine has inducted 221 members and welcomed more than seven million visitors since opening its doors Sept. 7, 1963. It has managed to keep up with the changing times, while not turning its back on the past.

Any wonder that 114 of its 144 living members already have committed to attending Sunday's 40th anniversary enshrinement at the adjacent Fawcett Stadium?

NFL Films, which has grown up alongside the Hall of Fame, has been labeled pro football's 'keeper of the flame.' But its executives are quick to pay tribute to the hall's vital link.

Canton is to football what Athens is to the Olympics.

'It is at the Hall of Fame where that flame is ignited and burns the brightest,' NFL Films senior producer Phil Tuckett said.

NFL Films czar Steve Sabol is coming to this weekend's festivities. It is only at Hall of Fame enshrinements that Sabol says, 'your ultimate football card collection comes to life.'

The community, the civic pride and the thousands of volunteers have made Canton synonymous with the Hall of Fame.

'I'm not sure there is another city in America that could do it like Canton,' former hall executive director Pete Elliot said. 'Canton is big enough to get the job done and small enough that everyone cares.'

THE HISTORY

Canton began its crusade in 1959 after the Repository newspaper published a front-page editorial detailing why the city would make a logical home for such a museum. The paper was acting on the ideas that Browns coaching icon Paul Brown had discussed with its reporters.

Brown, who also coached the Massillon Tigers, championed the city's cause and even helped delay a league vote on the hall's site in 1960 when he realized Canton wasn't ready to make its bid.

Los Angeles, Green Bay, Detroit and Latrobe, Pa., were the other towns under consideration. The NFL had actually given Latrobe _ the birthplace of pro football _ its blessing to build a hall in the 1950s, but city officials there weren't organized enough to seize the opportunity.

Canton won on the strength of its history and community support.

The NFL was founded in Canton in 1920 and one of the league's early powers was the Canton Bulldogs, which featured the talents of Jim Thorpe.

Local attorney F. Stuart Wilkins said influential Canton area businessmen such as Henry Timken, William Timken, William Umstattd and Earl Schreiber immediately rallied behind the Repository's editorial. These men were eager to alter Canton's image of a mob town.

The Timken Company pledged $250,000. The Hoover Company and Diebold also were soon on board. A community fund-raising effort gathered $378,026. The city leased the land for $1 a year for 99 years.

'It was very much like a good football team, everyone working together,' said Wilkins, the only surviving member from the original board. Canton was awarded the rights in 1961. Then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, a major proponent of the hall, helped turn the first spade of dirt on Aug. 11, 1962.

Though Rozelle and league owners supported the hall's efforts, the NFL offered little financial backing in the early years. The league was in a costly battle with the rival AFL and could not afford to contribute.

Wilkins and Bill Belden, owner of Belden Brick Co., once had to sign a promissory note at Canton's First National Bank just so the hall could meet its payroll in the mid-60s.

As the hall struggled to gain financial solvency, its first executive director, Dick McCann, attempted to legitimize its role as a national player. The former Washington Redskins general manager was not fond of small towns like Canton and had the reputation of being abrasive.

But McCann's ability to 'see the big picture' proved invaluable, said current Executive Director John Bankert. It was McCann's idea to let writers in each NFL city select the Hall of Famers. Empowering the national media gave the hall important exposure.

The enshrinement ceremony and game gradually received more attention each year. By 1999, the ceremony was being televised live in its entirety by ESPN.

THE CEREMONIES

While the hall is open year-round, induction day consistently creates the biggest buzz.

The museum is a tribute to the game's greatest players and the enshrinements are their moments in the spotlight.

Canton native Dan Dierdorf was at the hall in `62 when Rozelle and others broke ground and came back to accept his induction in 1996.

No major sports hall of fame gets a better turnout from its membership. During the past 10 years, it has averaged about 50 enshrinees.

'I think football to a greater extent than in other sports has that sense of camaraderie,' Hall of Fame lineman Tom Mack said.

They cherish their time together and treat each other as equals. Offensive linemen are afforded the same honor as quarterbacks.

'Football players play for each other, not a city or a franchise,' Sabol said. 'In that sense, they are very similar to Marines. There is a special bond among them.'

The honor humbles men, sometimes reducing them to tears. Stoic Minnesota Vikings Coach Bud Grant cried during his 1994 induction.

The personal touches often make for moving speeches.

Two years ago, Nick Buoniconti was introduced by his son, Marc, a former college football player paralyzed by a spinal cord injury. Jim Kelly dedicated his address to his terminally ill son, Hunter, last year.

Induction day runs the gamut of emotions. Tommy McDonald shocked spectators by juggling his bust in 1998 and Kellen Winslow used the forum as an attack on Newt Gingrich.

The inductees' remarks have grown in length since Red Grange spoke for 45 seconds at the inaugural `63 ceremony.

Perhaps the most well-known and humorous speech belongs to Terry Bradshaw. The former Steelers quarterback joked about 'what I wouldn't give right now to put my hands under Mike Webster's butt just one more time.' In `97, Webster was elected to the hall and obliged by hiking the ball to Bradshaw, his presenter.

The most memorable recent ceremony occurred in 2000 when NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue for the first time invited all of the living Hall of Famers to Canton at the league's expense. More than 100 members accepted the invitation, prompting Tagliabue to do the same for the hall's 40th anniversary.

An ailing 89-year-old Sid Gillman, who died in January, attended the 2000 ceremony against the advice of some. Gillman was asked if he were healthy enough to travel to Canton and return home.

His response reflected the passion for the game that Long described so vividly that day.

'Just get me there,' Gillman said. 'I'm not worried about getting back.'

___

Visit Akron Beacon Journal Online at http://www.ohio.com/.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

_____

ARCHIVE PHOTOS on KRT Direct (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099):

Canton+Ohio

After 40 years, Hall of Fame celebrates its fabled history. - Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, OH)

Byline: Tom Reed

CANTON, Ohio _ Howie Long stood on the front steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame three years ago and supplied his sport with its most memorable sound byte.

Speaking on his induction day in 2000 and before the greatest collection of living gridiron legends ever assembled, Long succinctly put into words a belief that had been growing among this nation's sports fan base for quite some time.

'Baseball may be America's pastime, but football is America's passion,' Long said.

Perhaps nowhere is that love of the game better displayed, more often renewed or more continuously redefined than at the Hall of Fame, the heart of pro football.

The fabled museum located at 2121 George Halas Drive turned 40 years old this year. Seldom has middle age looked so invitingly hip.

This story focuses on the origins of the museum and the induction ceremonies that have made it famous.

The Canton shrine has inducted 221 members and welcomed more than seven million visitors since opening its doors Sept. 7, 1963. It has managed to keep up with the changing times, while not turning its back on the past.

Any wonder that 114 of its 144 living members already have committed to attending Sunday's 40th anniversary enshrinement at the adjacent Fawcett Stadium?

NFL Films, which has grown up alongside the Hall of Fame, has been labeled pro football's 'keeper of the flame.' But its executives are quick to pay tribute to the hall's vital link.

Canton is to football what Athens is to the Olympics.

'It is at the Hall of Fame where that flame is ignited and burns the brightest,' NFL Films senior producer Phil Tuckett said.

NFL Films czar Steve Sabol is coming to this weekend's festivities. It is only at Hall of Fame enshrinements that Sabol says, 'your ultimate football card collection comes to life.'

The community, the civic pride and the thousands of volunteers have made Canton synonymous with the Hall of Fame.

'I'm not sure there is another city in America that could do it like Canton,' former hall executive director Pete Elliot said. 'Canton is big enough to get the job done and small enough that everyone cares.'

THE HISTORY

Canton began its crusade in 1959 after the Repository newspaper published a front-page editorial detailing why the city would make a logical home for such a museum. The paper was acting on the ideas that Browns coaching icon Paul Brown had discussed with its reporters.

Brown, who also coached the Massillon Tigers, championed the city's cause and even helped delay a league vote on the hall's site in 1960 when he realized Canton wasn't ready to make its bid.

Los Angeles, Green Bay, Detroit and Latrobe, Pa., were the other towns under consideration. The NFL had actually given Latrobe _ the birthplace of pro football _ its blessing to build a hall in the 1950s, but city officials there weren't organized enough to seize the opportunity.

Canton won on the strength of its history and community support.

The NFL was founded in Canton in 1920 and one of the league's early powers was the Canton Bulldogs, which featured the talents of Jim Thorpe.

Local attorney F. Stuart Wilkins said influential Canton area businessmen such as Henry Timken, William Timken, William Umstattd and Earl Schreiber immediately rallied behind the Repository's editorial. These men were eager to alter Canton's image of a mob town.

The Timken Company pledged $250,000. The Hoover Company and Diebold also were soon on board. A community fund-raising effort gathered $378,026. The city leased the land for $1 a year for 99 years.

'It was very much like a good football team, everyone working together,' said Wilkins, the only surviving member from the original board. Canton was awarded the rights in 1961. Then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, a major proponent of the hall, helped turn the first spade of dirt on Aug. 11, 1962.

Though Rozelle and league owners supported the hall's efforts, the NFL offered little financial backing in the early years. The league was in a costly battle with the rival AFL and could not afford to contribute.

Wilkins and Bill Belden, owner of Belden Brick Co., once had to sign a promissory note at Canton's First National Bank just so the hall could meet its payroll in the mid-60s.

As the hall struggled to gain financial solvency, its first executive director, Dick McCann, attempted to legitimize its role as a national player. The former Washington Redskins general manager was not fond of small towns like Canton and had the reputation of being abrasive.

But McCann's ability to 'see the big picture' proved invaluable, said current Executive Director John Bankert. It was McCann's idea to let writers in each NFL city select the Hall of Famers. Empowering the national media gave the hall important exposure.

The enshrinement ceremony and game gradually received more attention each year. By 1999, the ceremony was being televised live in its entirety by ESPN.

THE CEREMONIES

While the hall is open year-round, induction day consistently creates the biggest buzz.

The museum is a tribute to the game's greatest players and the enshrinements are their moments in the spotlight.

Canton native Dan Dierdorf was at the hall in `62 when Rozelle and others broke ground and came back to accept his induction in 1996.

No major sports hall of fame gets a better turnout from its membership. During the past 10 years, it has averaged about 50 enshrinees.

'I think football to a greater extent than in other sports has that sense of camaraderie,' Hall of Fame lineman Tom Mack said.

They cherish their time together and treat each other as equals. Offensive linemen are afforded the same honor as quarterbacks.

'Football players play for each other, not a city or a franchise,' Sabol said. 'In that sense, they are very similar to Marines. There is a special bond among them.'

The honor humbles men, sometimes reducing them to tears. Stoic Minnesota Vikings Coach Bud Grant cried during his 1994 induction.

The personal touches often make for moving speeches.

Two years ago, Nick Buoniconti was introduced by his son, Marc, a former college football player paralyzed by a spinal cord injury. Jim Kelly dedicated his address to his terminally ill son, Hunter, last year.

Induction day runs the gamut of emotions. Tommy McDonald shocked spectators by juggling his bust in 1998 and Kellen Winslow used the forum as an attack on Newt Gingrich.

The inductees' remarks have grown in length since Red Grange spoke for 45 seconds at the inaugural `63 ceremony.

Perhaps the most well-known and humorous speech belongs to Terry Bradshaw. The former Steelers quarterback joked about 'what I wouldn't give right now to put my hands under Mike Webster's butt just one more time.' In `97, Webster was elected to the hall and obliged by hiking the ball to Bradshaw, his presenter.

The most memorable recent ceremony occurred in 2000 when NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue for the first time invited all of the living Hall of Famers to Canton at the league's expense. More than 100 members accepted the invitation, prompting Tagliabue to do the same for the hall's 40th anniversary.

An ailing 89-year-old Sid Gillman, who died in January, attended the 2000 ceremony against the advice of some. Gillman was asked if he were healthy enough to travel to Canton and return home.

His response reflected the passion for the game that Long described so vividly that day.

'Just get me there,' Gillman said. 'I'm not worried about getting back.'

___

(c) 2003, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio).

Visit Akron Beacon Journal Online at http://www.ohio.com/.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

_____

ARCHIVE PHOTOS on KRT Direct (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099):

AP Annual Meeting - AP Online

KATIE FAIRBANK Associated Press Writer
AP Online
04-20-1998
DALLAS (AP) _ Advances in technology and news coverage were heralded Monday as a ``remarkable evolution'' that has kept The Associated Press abreast of an ever-changing industry as the news service marks its 150th anniversary.

``Change is the byword of the news business today, making AP's mission bigger and more complicated every year,'' Louis D. Boccardi, president and chief executive officer, told member publishers and editors at the news cooperative's annual meeting. ``We think ... that AP has been through a remarkable evolution to stay equal to the task.''

Boccardi said the AP has improved services and strengthened its news report through such innovations as a new State Photo Center in Washington, D.C., increased use of the Internet for reporting and distributing news, and nontraditional business activities such as AdSEND, AP's electronic advertising transmission service.

He also announced a new bureau in Shanghai, the AP's first permanent representation there in more than 50 years, to provide more thorough and timely coverage of China's business scene and financial markets. The Shanghai office, to be led by correspondent Joe McDonald and APTV senior producer Francois Touron, is AP's 94th international bureau and third in China, after Beijing and Hong Kong.

Boccardi also said that AP's dial-in news service for the smallest newspapers will be offered via the Internet within the next few months, just as some stock market services are now.

He noted that the AP began delivering graphics across the Internet in 1997 and began offering Internet access to AP's digital photo archive.

AP's newest reach into television is a computer system that enables TV news organizations to operate bureaus and production facilities around the world as if they were all in the same newsroom.

``The BBC was our first customer, but we have recently signed agreements to create systems for CBS News, for the ESPN sports network and for ITN in London,'' Boccardi said.

The meeting was opened by AP chairman Donald E. Newhouse, president of Advance Publications and The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., with an excerpt from the AP's anniversary video exhibit at the Newseum in Arlington, Va.

Also at the meeting, election results were announced for the all-mail balloting for the AP's board of directors. Four incumbents were re-elected and three new members chosen.

Incumbents re-elected were David E. Easterly, president and COO of Cox Enterprises Inc., representing the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News; Richard J. Harrington, president and CEO of The Thomson Corp., representing The Repository of Canton, Ohio; P. Anthony Ridder, chairman and CEO of Knight Ridder, representing The Miami Herald, and Lissa Walls Vahldiek, vice president and COO of Southern Newspapers, representing The Baytown (Texas) Sun.

New members are Joe Hladky, president and publisher of The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; George B. Irish, vice president and general manager for newspapers of Hearst Newspapers, representing the Albany, N.Y., Times Union, and, representing a city of less than 50,000 population, Uzal H. Martz Jr., president and publisher of the Pottsville (Pa.) Republican.

Hladky will fill the unexpired one-year term of Larry Franklin, who resigned from the board upon the sale of Harte-Hanks Newspapers.

The other directors were elected to three-year terms.

The meeting and the annual AP luncheon, attended by executives representing AP's 1,523 daily newspapers, were the opening events of the first full day of activities of the Newspaper Association of America's convention.

In his remarks, Boccardi said that amid furor over scandal coverage in Washington, ``we've tried to make the AP report one place where we kept our balance and treated with care sometimes sensational news and frustrating anonymity.''

Later, in an AP panel discussion moderated by Boccardi, Washington bureau chief Jon Wolman said he would give ``an X-rating'' to coverage of the Monica Lewinsky story: ``an X-rating for content ... also an X-rating for excessive overkill.''

Wolman said it has been an extraordinary time for journalists in the nation's capital.

``The reporters walk around shaking their heads saying they haven't seen anything like that before. And they're doing that every three days,'' he said.

White House correspondent Terry Hunt told listeners that after the Lewinsky story broke, the White House became a scene of anxiety, disarray and confusion and quickly adopted a ``bunker mentality.''

``It was a sea change,'' Hunt said. ``In 17 years I've only seen things change that dramatically once before - when President Reagan was shot.''

The panel, titled ``A Reporter's Tour of the Day's Headlines,'' also included chief of Middle East services Earleen Fisher, Moscow bureau chief Barry Renfrew and Indonesia bureau chief Geoff Spencer.

Renfrew told of the turmoil in Russian politics and the pivotal role played by President Boris Yeltsin, whom he described as a man who relishes attention.

``Things are on a knife's edge. Everything is suffering, even life expectancy,'' Renfrew said. ``So much depends on Yeltsin.''

Ms. Fisher and Spencer spoke of the difficulties that people in Iraq and Indonesia have in getting basic medications and food in the wake of economic sanctions and economic disaster.

``People are dying on dialysis machines because they can't get drugs,'' Spencer said.

Ms. Fisher said the economic sanctions against Iraq are not hurting Saddam Hussein as much as the Iraqi people, who are having great difficulty getting necessary medication.

``It's very hard to sort out where your sympathies should lie,'' she said.

She also said that there are positives from the peace process in the Middle East, even though it is currently stalled.

``I think we should remember the opposite of peace is war,'' she said.


Copyright 1998 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved.