
##3000752 <p> As I emerged from the dark tunnel of ticking clocks , slamming books , nervous library wanderings and furious pencils of first-year law school exams , I expected spring to finally appear in New York City . It was May 9 after all , almost summer . I came out of this world of books and ideas to a familiar rhythm lingering somewhere in the back of my head -- the beat of bouncing basketballs . <p> I had expected to be bouncing one around the country this summer , as I had every summer since I can remember . In high school , summer meant basketball leagues , basketball camps , the national A.A.U. tournament . During college , summer meant summer leagues , Olympic Festival tryouts and late night games at Maples Pavilion at Stanford with teammates . And for the next four years summer meant playing in the Women 's National Basketball Association . But this was to be a summer of firsts : my first summer not playing organized ball since I was about 11 years old . That is a big space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> As it turned out , the game never left , it just arrived in a way I was not expecting . <p> What became the centerpiece of my summer was my first real road trip . Basketball had taken me around the world , and around the country as well . But I had never just crawled into the car with a map and an itinerary that looked something like this : the American South . I was a road trip rookie and thankfully I was joined by a friend who had a lot of experience in such things . <p> Before we left she said that we should think of a project to do while we were on the road ; a plan of sorts that we could repeat in each place we visited , as a way to experience each place and tie the trip together . Otherwise , she explained , it could get overwhelming , there would be so much to take in and it might become numbing . <p> Her road trip wisdom at the beginning proved to be another kind of truth at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a trip to somewhere . So , that was how it began , our documenting of playground basketball courts through the American South . <p> We had planned to avoid I-95 precisely to avoid the sameness of strip malls and chain stores , in hopes of truly being able to locate ourselves somewhere new . It was our experiences and discoveries on each court that finally allowed us to do just that . <p> From Durham , N.C. , through Montgomery and Dauphin Island , Ala. , Rome , Ga. , New Orleans , Savannah and Charleston , S.C. , each court had a unique character . The look of the backboard , the lack of a rim , the way the air sat between fences , the different faces that arrived for the daily game . <p> The playgrounds spoke loudly about the places where they sat and whispered of the histories of those places as well . <p> Everybody records the world somehow ; experiences , pressures , happenings , they all leave their mark . It is transcribed in the lines of faces , the cadence of speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trip we made a conscious choice of documenting what we found . My friend brought a photographer 's eye and I found words . Together we tried to capture our movement across the American South in moments . And in these choices of transcription we also revealed something of ourselves . <p> We attempted to locate ourselves in an unfamiliar place . This attempt became inextricably linked to the dialogue we had between the two of us , and our interaction with the people we encountered on the courts . In many ways , this was the thread that wove together the courts we visited . <p> Playground courts offer the possibility of gatherings and conversations ; who is present , and how we use or do n't use that space begins to reflect much more than just a game . We began in Durham , N.C. , and , in retrospect , it was the perfect first step on our basketball odyssey . In this region basketball is a language spoken so often that it is recognized by the hoops junkie and the casual sports fan alike . Baby Blue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Championship Drive . Duke . U.N.C. N.C.A.A. championship . <p> And there are those who have a longer memory . Who know that the same words describe this very same place in a different time . <p> Hum them at a different pace and in a slightly different order . Walk on past Championship Drive to where it becomes Tobacco Road . Follow it out to the Cameron fields , or where they used to be . If you know where we are now , then count yourself among those who remember . And if you do n't , listen carefully , here are more clues . . . ca n't you hear the tar baby singing a devil 's blues ? <p> The Cameron family owned a plantation down the road long before Cameron Indoor Stadium became a March Madness mecca . The same place in different times . And yet the words revealing this marriage between a plantation past and the sanctified arena of college sport continue to dance around us , and us around them . <p> Images , too , are strikingly familiar . Sweaty black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front of a mostly white crowd . White and black living around each other without ever truly finding interaction . Just one working and one watching . <p> This lore lies underneath , buried by the remarkable successes and personalities of both the men 's and women 's programs at Duke University and the University of North Carolina . Allegiance to these teams extends far beyond the arenas in which they play , as we discovered when we came upon the playground near Swift Avenue and Ninth Street in North Durham . <p> All shades of blue had gathered for a late-after noon game ; the baby blue of Carolina and a deeper shade of Devil pride was displayed on shorts and T-shirts . It was a small court of gray concrete with only the hint of white painted sidelines remaining . The people reflected the unusual intermingling of race , age and sex that this neighborhood had become . It was home to African-Americans and Mexican-Americans with a few Duke graduate students scattered in between . There were young women arriving at the court , counting fives , making teams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little boy , 8 or 9 , who caught my eye . In a blue shirt that was unspecific enough that it did not reveal his allegiance to any local team . He stood on the side mostly , sneaking in a shot or two when the game was carried to the far hoop . A rainstorm interrupted the game . He was the only one who stayed through the rain and the afternoon and the evening . It was through him that I had a window into the character of this Durham court . <p> Tar baby black bubbling under an August Swelter <p> Sticky wet drip drops of sweaty thunder roll off a summer afternoon <p> The daily shower waits expectantly from pregnant skies <p> Just below the darkening above clumps of dark brothers and sisters gather along the court , hover in clumps , waiting <p> Also holding the rhythm of raindrops in fingertips and cocked wrists <p> The kind of rain conceived behind faded , long ago once painted , 3-point arcs <p> That flows along birth canals of chain link parks <p> To be birthed through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are shirts or skins , and which basket is your goal <p> And the sky gets darker and the pace below gets impatient , players anxious to get in one more run before the rain starts to come <p> Before young and old scatter into the almost dark . Boasting openly ( hoping secretly ) that they have left enough game to make a legend that will survive the storm <p> Perhaps a signature <p> A crossover dribble carved deep into concrete with cursive flair <p> Or a painting . An abstract . <p> Dirty palm stretched high on backboard . Stained glass uptown , but down here it is black ink on a metal canvas <p> Or an echo . <p> The ring of a dime dropped , rattle of a rim rocked , murmurs of momma 's , yours too And the rain will come and snake in rivers along the asphalt playground . <p> Covering crossovers , washing backboards clean , thundering away the soundtrack of afternoon games <p> And only the legends will be left in the silence . The head shaking , jaw dropping , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hmm . . . you had to be there kind of moves . . . those were the legends <p> And it is evening now and it is time to go home . And if you are lucky dinner will be waiting , and if you 're late momma will be too <p> And if you do n't have anywhere to go , maybe you wait out the storm , under a ledge , or under a bleacher , or inside the covered slide where the little ones play in the daylight <p> And when the rain stops maybe you go back to the court in the dark <p> The black descending as familiar as your own skin . Your vision of the court sharper in memory than in the gray scale of a stormy afternoon . You make everything now . Of course . <p> And you dream too . That here is home . That you are welcomed and fed by the legends lingering in playground sleep <p> And your glistening arms once sweaty amid an August swelter are just ashy with salt now . And you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in , cause then you might not ever be able to find this home again <p> And everybody needs a place to dream . <p> The possibility of gatherings and conversation . The playground . Possibilities are the evidence of lives yet to be lived . Lives that can be foreclosed by lives lived without the risk of imagining yourself into other places , into other lives . <p> Maybe this is a game worth playing . <p> Juniper Lesnik , who took the photograph , is also a law student at N.Y.U. She is in Ahmednagar , India , where there are at least three basketball courts . <p> URL : http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000754 <p> Paul Tagliabue is at 13,000 feet , in a slick Hawker 800 corporate jet traveling 500 miles an hour . His seat is comfortable leather and there is enough room , barely , for his 6-foot-5 frame to stretch out . Tagliabue should be relaxed but there is concern on his face , and it has nothing to do with the turbulence shaking the plane as it leaves Teterboro Airport in Bergen County , N.J. , for Albany , the site of the Giants ' training camp . <p> Tagliabue is the commissioner of the National Football League , and in his 11 years at the helm he has developed into a successful and respected leader . The N.F.L. has never been more vibrant and owners say much of the credit should go to him . <p> Yet these are stressful days for Tagliabue and the N.F.L. On Aug. 1 Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer died of heatstroke , his death rocking the sport and making teams re-examine their practice of training players in extreme summer heat , something the league had done for almost a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the referees ' contract , which has expired , and he said replacement referees could be used . <p> Last Sunday Tagliabue began an intense training camp tour : 5 teams , 400 players and 1,000 miles in 60 hours , arriving back in New Jersey late Tuesday night after visiting the Giants , the Cleveland Browns , the Buffalo Bills , the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers . He uses these trips to become familiar with coaches and players , and they with him . He visits various training camps each preseason . <p> The trip was planned months ago , but it took on a new urgency following Stringer 's death . Rather than cancel his plans , Tagliabue felt he needed to be in the field to address players ' concerns about health risks because of the heat . As it turns out , few players believe they are in danger . <p> While Tagliabue made his training camp visits , he said that as tragic as Stringer 's death was , making any significant changes in the training camp regimens would be alarmist . <p> " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said . " But the worst thing we can do now is throw everything out and start over again . " <p> Yet there is something that does make Tagliabue , as well as trainers and team physicians , nervous , and that is players ' use of nutritional supplements , which can cause dehydration , and thus pose a health risk to players as they practice in the heat . <p> Last December the N.F.L. 's adviser on anabolic steroids , John Lombardo , warned players in a one-page memo about the stimulant ephedra , often used in weight-loss supplements . Lombardo wrote that ephedra could " contribute to a number of dangerous , even fatal , medical conditions . " <p> Tagliabue said the league was considering adding ephedra -- and other drugs used in supplements the N.F.L. considers dangerous -- to the banned substance list , meaning that if players consumed these products , they would face a fine and possible suspension . <p> " We 're definitely headed in that direction , " he said . <p> When Tagliabue arrived at the Giants ' cafeteria on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sat with Giants Coach Jim Fassel , and they talked football for more than an hour . At their table , in fact at every table , was an explanatory chart on how players should best stay hydrated . The chart , which was there before Stringer 's death , states that supplements " may be counter-productive to hydration goals . " <p> Tagliabue , after speaking to Fassel , mingled with the few players who were left in the cafeteria . One was wide receiver Amani Toomer , who told the commissioner that in the playoff game against Philadelphia last season , someone threw hot soup on him , burning his leg . <p> " What should I do about that ? " Toomer asked . <p> Tagliabue smiled assuredly . " Let us look into it , " he said . <p> On these trips he is queried about everything , from the normal to the bizarre . If he can not answer the question immediately , he always follows up , either with a note or a phone call from him or someone in the N.F.L. office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7:30 he spoke to the team in the Giants ' huge meeting room , every player listening intently to the commissioner . One of the things Tagliabue said was : " Do n't screw up off the field . Act like you 're Tiger Woods , responsible for how your sport is seen by the public . " <p> Then , a few minutes later , linebacker Dhani Jones asked Tagliabue if there were any current studies on heat exhaustion . <p> " The biggest issue in that area are supplements , " Tagliabue said . " Some are pretty dangerous . " <p> Quarterback Kerry Collins then asked for details about the league 's new apparel deal with Reebok , and cornerback Jason Sehorn , who likes to wear Nike , politely argued with Tagliabue about wanting to have a choice of what to wear . " I was warned Jason likes to debate , " Tagliabue said later . <p> Browns and Bills <p> On Monday morning , despite a 5 a.m. wake-up call , Tagliabue was fresh and talkative . On the plane to Cleveland he studied the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnson . It rang a bell . <p> He turned to the veteran public-relations man Greg Aiello in the next seat . " Did n't I suspend him ? " Tagliabue said . <p> Aiello said yes , then the catchall mind of Tagliabue kicked in , remembering Johnson was disciplined for accidentally striking an official in the head while he was engaged in a fight with another player . " I guess I had better stay away from him , " Tagliabue said with a smile . <p> By 9 a.m. he was at the Browns ' practice facility , one of the most luxurious in the league . He was accompanied by a prestigious group of N.F.L. executives ; George Young , the former Giants general manager and current senior vice president for football operations ; Cedric Jones , director of consumer products , on-field operations and the coaches club ; and Ed Reynolds , the assistant director of football operations , as well as Aiello . <p> At practice , moments before Tagliabue was to speak to the team , a fight broke out between two players . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ field by Coach Butch Davis because Burnett continued to brawl after Davis told them to stop . <p> Other players were still breathing hard from practice when Tagliabue began to address them on the field , and like the Giants , players on the Browns listened to every word . He told them to stay hydrated and that the league had long been careful about heat exhaustion . <p> Afterward Davis excused seven players for the 40-minute drive to Warren , Ohio , site of Stringer 's funeral service , and they thanked Tagliabue as they jogged off the field . Tagliabue had attended a memorial service for Stringer in Minnesota the previous week . <p> " Sometimes because the league office is in New York , there is a feeling among teams that franchises like the Giants and Jets receive favoritism , " Carmen Policy , the Browns ' team president , said . " These visits by Paul prove that notion is totally false . " <p> Policy then introduced Tagliabue to Johnson . " I already know the commissioner , " the 326-pound offensive lineman said sheepishly . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Tagliabue , after another plane ride , after another van ride , and after another shirt change -- he had gone from a Giants polo shirt , to a Browns one to a Bills one -- was in Pittsford , N.Y. , the site of Buffalo 's training camp . Tagliabue 's message had not changed : conduct yourselves like professionals off the field , and both honor and learn from Stringer 's death . <p> There were more questions about the new Reebok agreement than there were about Stringer . One player got into an intense five-minute exchange with Jones and Reynolds about why he disliked the Reebok deal . In fact , out of the 400 players he would eventually speak to , only two players asked questions about what the league planned to do to prevent another death like Stringer 's . About a half-dozen queried him about Reebok . <p> Why so few questions from players about such a serious subject ? Many players said that to them , heat-related issues were on the bottom of the list when it came to their concerns . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old , to now , a football player always knows how to deal with playing in heat , " Pittsburgh quarterback Kent Graham said . " We do n't worry about it much because we know how to handle it . " <p> Redskins and Steelers <p> By Tuesday , the N.F.L. group accompanying Tagliabue was beginning to drag , but he did not , displaying the energy so many owners say is noticeable the instant they see him . Tagliabue inherited his work ethic from his father , Charles , a 6-4 , 275-pound owner of a Jersey City construction business who worked 15-hour days . <p> Tagliabue 's intellect matches his energy level , which makes him well suited to handle one of the most complicated and challenging jobs in sports . <p> Tagliabue said one owner told him : " It is like being the father of 32 children , some of whom are not potty-trained . " <p> On the final morning of the trip , another hot day , following another shirt change , this time into one sporting the Redskins logo , Tagliabue met his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who excitedly told Tagliabue how pleased he was with the team 's training camp . In the background , Coach Marty Schottenheimer could be heard yelling as players went through their drills : " Make sure you get some fluid in your tank ! " <p> Before lunch Tagliabue met with the Redskins players -- again , no questions about Stringer . Then he met with Schottenheimer and his assistants . The coaches said they thought the league office should take a harsher stance against supplements . Tagliabue told them that could happen . <p> Later in the afternoon Tagliabue was in Latrobe , Pa. , on the practice field with the Pittsburgh owner , Dan Rooney , and they were both baking in the 96-degree heat . <p> Tagliabue kept his postpractice talk brief , realizing the players , gathered around him in the middle of the field , were extremely hot . Still , despite their discomfort , they listened closely to Tagliabue while nibbling on Popsicles handed out by the trainers . <p> By 8 that night Tagliabue was in the back of the corporate jet , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cruising at 25,000 feet . He had spent the last two and a half days in towns like Carlisle , Pa. , and slept in hotels like the Del Monte Lodge . And while others with him could barely keep their eyes open , Tagliabue , 60 , was wide awake , telling funny air travel horror stories . <p> As the plane neared Teterboro and home , there was a raging thunderstorm a short distance away . Lightning danced across the sky and the collective blood pressure inside rose ever so slightly . <p> Tagliabue lightened the mood . " Tell the pilot to land the plane now , " he said . " I do n't care if it 's on a lake . " <p> The plane landed in New Jersey just fine -- on a runway -- and Tagliabue declared , " Boy , what a trip . " <p> URL : http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000755 <p> Trying to predict the outcome of the wild-card races is virtually impossible because at this stage of the season it is not even clear who all of the wild-card contenders are . From the American League Central , for example , is it Cleveland or Minnesota ? From the National League Central , Houston or Chicago ? The N.L. West is even more confusing : San Francisco , Arizona or Los Angeles ? <p> As long as the division races are undecided , of course , the contenders for first place are also competing in each league 's fourth , or wild-card , division . A team that does not finish first would be disappointed , but delighted to reach the playoffs as the second-place team with the best record . <p> The unbalanced schedule that is being used in both leagues this season for the first time in 25 years figures to play a pivotal role in the @755 of all of the races , division and wild card . <p> No matter what happens in their other games , for example , is it not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Astros have left with each other will determine the N.L. Central winner ? Does n't the same probability apply to the A.L . Central , where the Indians and the Twins play each other nine more times ? <p> In that division , though , the rest of the schedule would seem to give the Twins a major advantage . Based on won-lost records at the start of the weekend series , the Indians had 25 games remaining with teams with winning records and 23 with teams with losing records while the Twins had 33 of their 48 remaining games against teams with losing records . <p> While the Twins have to play only Anaheim ( 6 ) , other than the Indians , from the winning category , the Indians , besides playing the Twins , have games with Anaheim ( 3 ) , Seattle ( 3 ) , Boston ( 6 ) and Oakland ( 4 ) . While the Indians are playing those teams , the Twins will play Tampa Bay ( 5 ) , Texas ( 6 ) and Detroit ( 7 ) . They both play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contender in either league has so easy a schedule based on teams ' won-lost percentages . If the Twins can capitalize on that advantage , a 10-game difference compared with the Indians ' schedule , they could leave the Indians to scrap with Oakland and Boston for the wild-card spot . <p> There , too , though , the Indians would be at a schedule disadvantage . Both the Athletics ( 20-27 ) and the Red Sox ( 20-28 ) have more games left with teams with losing records . They also each play the Yankees , the Indians and Seattle . <p> The only team among the primary N.L. contenders with a favored schedule is Arizona . The Diamondbacks entered the weekend with 23 games to play against winning teams , 25 against losing teams . By contrast , the Cubs had 31 games against winners , 18 against losers , Atlanta had a 30-18 schedule and Los Angeles 29-18 . <p> As with the A.L . West , the N.L. West will have at least one legitimate contender that fails to reach the playoffs . One team , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Diamondbacks will go home in seven weeks . They play each other 12 or 13 times in the last five weeks of the season , which should make for an interesting finish both to the division race and the wild-card chase . <p> Aurilia Consistent at Plate <p> Barry Bonds , with his home run hitting , has dominated the San Francisco scene , which means the performance of one of his teammates has been overshadowed . <p> After hitting .270 in his first five seasons , Rich Aurilia has been among the hitting leaders all seasons . He took a .331 average into yesterday 's game against the Cubs and had 23 home runs , one more than his previous career high . <p> " The first thing is playing every day , " the shortstop said , explaining his belated transformation into a consistently good hitter . " I did n't get a chance to play every day for three years . Then you 're still trying to find yourself as a player early on when you 're playing every day . <p> " I think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better as a player . I think I 've gone to a different maturity level as a player . By that I mean I 'm not trying to do things I 'm not capable of anymore . I 'm not trying to hit home runs . I 'm not trying to be somebody else . I know what I can do and I 'm sticking with that game plan . It 's worked for me . <p> " I wish I had realized that a couple years ago , but sometimes you do n't mature as a player until you get older . " <p> Aurilia , who will be 30 in three weeks , said he had become more selective at bat , trying to " hit the pitches you can hit instead of trying to chase the pitches that look good . " <p> " I 've raised my patience level , " he added . " Just watching the guys that I play with has helped me out . " <p> So has his position in the lineup in relation to some of those people he plays with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am , " said Aurilia , a Brooklyn native , who bats second , in front of Bonds and Jeff Kent . " Not a lot of attention is put on me . I have last year 's M.V.P. and a Hall of Famer hitting behind me . It 's nice to be the third guy in the mix . " <p> What has impressed Aurilia more , his hitting or Bonds 's home runs ? <p> " Definitely Barry 's home runs , " he said . " To watch history take place , to be on base when he hit that 500th home run , it 's been great . I 'm not only a player , I 'm a fan of the game . I like the history of the game . To see what he 's done , the pace he was on , the streak , to watch that on an everyday basis is unbelievable . " <p> Expos Make Their Claims <p> The word was that the Montreal Expos were putting in claims for the players the Yankees were trying to get through waivers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of the season . Brian Cashman , the Yankees ' general manager , would not talk about it . Jim Beattie , his Expos counterpart , laughed when he was asked about it . <p> " I ca n't comment on any of my claims , " he said . Why might the Expos be claiming Yankees players ? Payback perhaps ? In June the Yankees , having made a conditional trade for Ugueth Urbina , rejected him on physical grounds . That act might have prompted the claims as a means of blocking possible Yankees trades . <p> " That 's an interesting story , " Beattie said . " I should thank them for rejecting that deal . I did better this way . There 's really no need for paybacks . " <p> The Expos subsequently traded Urbina , their closer , to Boston for two young pitchers . <p> " I ca n't say I 've claimed any of their players , " Beattie said . " But there 's no payback . If we claimed players , they are players we have interest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> While Bernie Williams was in Puerto Rico with his dying father early in the season and missed 10 games , the Yankees tried to put him on the disabled list . Last season they tried to put Scott Brosius on the disabled list when he was away with his ailing father . <p> " We were denied permission , " General Manager Brian Cashman said . " They understood the sensitivity of the situations but said it 's just an unfortunate circumstance . They said unless there 's a physical injury , we ca n't put him on . We had to play short in both cases . " <p> Last week the Philadelphia Phillies put Dennis Cook on the disabled list . He did not have a physical injury . The child his wife was carrying was stillborn , and Tammy Cook had subsequent complications . <p> Asked about the difference in decisions , Sandy Alderson , baseball operations chief , said : " Generally speaking , we do n't have a bereavement policy with respect to personal matters , which sometimes require players to leave a club for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cook , it did involve a precedent we were able to locate . " <p> The precedent involved Tim Hulett , an infielder with Baltimore at the time , whose son was hit by a car and killed in 1992 . " It was similarly unexpected and catastrophic , " Alderson said . But if Hulett was the first player to be placed on the disabled list for the death of a child , baseball was setting the precedent with him . It could just as easily , then , have created another precedent by allowing the Yankees to put Brosius last year or Williams this year on the disabled list . <p> " As we get into the off-season , " Alderson said , " we will explore among the general managers and the rules and administration committee this kind of situation and explore possible solutions . " <p> Another Look at the Payroll <p> If candidates for public office can do it , teams should be able to do it , so the Yankees are granted a recount on their place in the payroll standing . They were listed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25-man rosters and disabled-list players , the customary way management and the players ' union have computed such matters . <p> But what about termination pay , the Yankees asked ? Including guaranteed money owed to released players is another way of computing payrolls , though not the standard way . Nevertheless , teams have to pay that money ; so , including termination pay , the Dodgers do eclipse the Yankees , $121.5 million to $117 million . <p> The Yankees win some , they lose some . <p> URL : http : //www.nytimes.com <p> CORRECTION-DATE : August 14 , 2001 <p> CORRECTION : <p> A Baseball notebook article on Sunday about playoff contenders omitted a byline in some copies . The writer was Murray Chass. 
##3000759 <p> Lou Boudreau , the Hall of Fame shortstop who both managed the 1948 Cleveland Indians and played inspired shortstop to lead them to their first American League pennant in 28 years and the World Series championship , died yesterday at a hospital in Olympia Fields , Ill . He was 84 . <p> He was taken to St. James Hospital and Health Centers yesterday in cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead , said Julie Miller , a hospital spokeswoman . He was hospitalized last month for circulatory problems , forcing him to miss the Indians ' 100th anniversary celebration honoring their top 100 players . <p> Boudreau was once known as the Boy Wonder because , at age 24 in 1941 , he became the youngest manager in major league history . He had been the Indians ' regular shortstop for two seasons when , in November 1941 , the team fired its manager , Roger Peckinpaugh . <p> Boudreau applied for the job . " I was only 24 years old at the time , with just four seasons of professional ball behind me , " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to lose because I did n't tell anybody about it -- not even my wife . " <p> He wrote a letter to Alva Bradley , the Indians ' owner . " I told him I was qualified to handle the job , " Boudreau said . " I thought he might ignore it . Instead , he called me into a meeting of club directors . " It was determined that the Indians needed young blood , and Boudreau got the job , shocking the baseball world . <p> For his first few years , the best that Boudreau the manager could do was help make Boudreau the player better . In 1944 he led the American League in hitting with a .327 average . He also led the league 's shortstops in fielding percentage , assists , putouts and double plays . In his first six years as manager , however , his team never finished higher than third and finished in the second division three times . <p> Bill Veeck took over as owner of the sixth-place Indians in 1946 . " My first problem , " Veeck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " " was that the best shortstop in baseball was , in my opinion , not the best manager . " He added , " I particularly wanted to get Louie out of the manager 's office " -- and retain him as the shortstop -- " because I had Casey Stengel waiting in the wings , ready to sign . " <p> But the reaction to removing Boudreau was so strong -- newspaper columnists condemned the change , and more than 16,000 letters of protest from fans inundated Veeck 's office -- that Veeck backed off . " Louie held all the cards , and he knew it , " Veeck said . <p> Boudreau remained manager . It was among the best decisions Veeck ever made . In 1948 , the Indians contended for their first pennant since 1920 with an assortment of outstanding players : outfielder Larry Doby , the first black player in the American League ; Bob Feller and Bob Lemon , the ace starting pitchers ; everyday stars like second baseman Joe Gordon , third baseman Ken Keltner and catcher Jim Hegan ; and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in midseason . <p> " It was quite a year , " Boudreau recalled . " The pressure kept building and building , until I thought we 'd all burst . " <p> Bill McKechnie , who had managed three different teams to pennants , had been hired as a Cleveland coach at Veeck 's suggestion , and , Boudreau said , " was a big , big help to me . " <p> " I have never known another year like the one we had in Cleveland in ' 48 , " McKechnie said . " Every day was like a final game of the World Series . And that year , Lou Boudreau was the greatest shortstop and leader I have ever seen . " <p> Boudreau batted .355 , second best in the league , and he drove in 106 runs , hit a career-high 18 home runs , struck out just 9 times in 560 at-bats , led A.L . shortstops in fielding and was named the league 's most valuable player . And he called the shots from the bench and from the field . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indians and the Boston Red Sox were tied for first , setting up a one-game playoff on a chilly afternoon at Boston 's Fenway Park . <p> Boudreau made the unexpected move of skipping Feller and Lemon and starting the 28-year-old rookie left-hander Gene Bearden , with only one day 's rest , against a lineup stocked with left-handed power . " Bearden was one of the finest competitors I had ever known , " Boudreau said . <p> Bearden pitched a five-hitter and Cleveland won , 8-3 . Boudreau went 4 for 4 : he homered over the left-field wall in the first inning , singled in the fourth to begin a four-run rally , homered again in the fifth and later singled again . <p> The Indians went on to beat the Boston Braves in the World Series , four games to two , with Boudreau batting .273 . <p> His greatest thrill as a player beyond the playoff game , he said , was helping to end Joe DiMaggio 's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 . DiMaggio hit two smashes down the third-base line , which Keltner stopped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep the streak alive in the eighth inning , he grounded a ball up the middle and it took a bad hop . " But I was able to get it and threw him out , " Boudreau said . <p> After the 1950 season , with his skills diminishing and with the Indians having finished fourth , Boudreau was traded to the Red Sox , ending a nine-year managerial reign . He played in 82 games for Boston in 1951 and was named the manager the following year , his last as a player . He managed the Red Sox through the 1954 season and managed the Kansas City Athletics from 1955 to 1957 . He then became a WGN radio and television broadcaster for Chicago Cubs games , and in an unprecedented move changed places with Charlie Grimm , the Cubs ' field manager , on May 4 , 1960 . <p> Boudreau returned to the broadcasting booth after that season . <p> None of the teams he managed after 1948 finished higher than fourth . <p> Boudreau became known for a 1946 managerial move called the Williams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left-handed pull hitter . Boudreau , seeking to throw him off balance , put all four infielders between second base and first and moved the center fielder into right field -- only the left fielder remained on the left side of the field -- daring Williams to hit to the opposite field . Williams would not concede and wreaked considerably less havoc on the Indians than in previous years . <p> " There is no doubt , " Williams said , " that the shift hurt me . " <p> Louis Boudreau was born in Harvey , Ill. , on July 17 , 1917 . He first made his athletic reputation as a basketball player , leading Thornton High School to the Illinois state championship in 1935 , then becoming the captain and star guard at the University of Illinois before leaving to sign with the Indians . <p> Boudreau , at 5 feet 11 inches and 185 pounds , had average size , an average arm , less-than-average speed and small hands . But he had deceptive talent , competitive zeal and a good mind . His lifetime batting average @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970 . <p> At the induction ceremony were his wife , Della , and their four children , the youngest of whom was Sharyn McLain , wife of Denny McLain , a longtime major league pitcher . <p> Boudreau retired as a sportscaster in 1988 , after 30 years . In the mid-1990 's , he moved to Frankfort , Ill. , about 35 miles west of Chicago . <p> His baseball legacy remains with a plaque in Cooperstown . " It 's something you dream of and think about , " Boudreau said when elected to the Hall of Fame . " This is what we all strive for -- to reach the top . " <p> URL : http : //www.nytimes.com <p> CORRECTION-DATE : August 25 , 2001 <p> CORRECTION : <p> An obituary of the Hall of Fame baseball player Lou Boudreau on Aug. 11 referred incorrectly to his standing among the youngest managers in major league history . At 24 when he started managing Cleveland in 1942 , he was not the youngest ; Roger Peckinpaugh , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selected to manage the team 's final 20 games of the 1914 season . 
##3000760 <p> " This is the way it 's supposed to be , is n't it ? " Brian Crawford remembers thinking as he watched Korey Stringer stumbling near the end of a 90-minute practice in brutal heat on the second morning of training camp last week . <p> Crawford , a rookie backup at right offensive tackle , assumed that Stringer had to know what he was doing . Stringer , 6 feet 4 , 335 pounds , was a team leader and an All-Pro . With his dreadlocks heaped under his helmet , his purple jersey stained with sweat in the blazing sun and the heat of the Minnesota Vikings ' training camp on this breezeless plain , Stringer was going through the drills with stunning determination . <p> For Crawford , there was no need to alert anyone that Stringer was stumbling . There were trainers and coaches around , other veteran players . This is the way it was supposed to be in football , in the pros . You suck it up . You push yourself to the edge and beyond to get ready @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the Vikings ' players , coaches and trainers struggled to come to terms with what happened on the morning of Tuesday , July 31 , on the practice football field at Minnesota State University at Mankato . Were there obvious signs during practice that Stringer had heatstroke ? Should they have alerted someone ? What could have been done to prevent Stringer 's collapse at the end of practice and his death early the following morning ? <p> The Vikings ' doctors and trainers have not yet talked publicly in detail about Stringer 's death , although the team has begun an internal investigation . " We 're doing everything we can to see that this kind of tragedy never happens again with the Vikings , " said Michael F. Kelly , the team 's executive vice president . <p> The state agency that oversees workplace safety , the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry , is also investigating the case , the first time a National Football League player has died of complications from heatstroke . <p> While team executives have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , many players were willing to share their thoughts this week as they prepared for their first preseason game , Saturday night against the New Orleans Saints in San Antonio . <p> They will be playing for the first time without Stringer , who was buried Monday in Warren , Ohio , his hometown . But Stringer will hardly be forgotten ; the Vikings plan to add a patch with his number , 77 , to the sleeve of their uniforms . <p> Many players are still thinking about what they saw during the team 's first practice on Monday , July 30 , when Stringer had to be carried from the field on a cart because of exhaustion , and what they saw the following morning , when he collapsed minutes after practice ended . <p> " He was right next to me , " guard Corbin Lacina said of the Tuesday morning drills . " I turned to him and said , ' Big K , are you O.K. ? You want me to call a trainer or anything ? ' Because he looked tired . He was breathing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He said , ' No , man , I 'm good . I 'm good . ' That was the last time I talked with him . " <p> It was initially reported last week that Stringer had vomited three times during practice Tuesday morning . Vomiting is a common symptom of heatstroke . But Mike Tice , the Vikings ' offensive line coach , said Stringer had vomited during practice Monday . Tice and several players said they did not see him get sick Tuesday . <p> " I 've been over that whole practice 20 times in my head , " Tice said . " I 've looked at the tape . There 's nothing I would have done differently , because I did n't think he was struggling . He had a great practice . There was no indicator as there was on Monday , when I threw him out of the drills and said , ' Get out of here , you 're done . ' " <p> Brad Badger , an offensive tackle , recalled that Stringer had sprained his ankle slightly . He had it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was uncertain whether this happened Monday or Tuesday . <p> At the end of practice on Tuesday , Stringer went with a trainer into the team 's mobile first-aid trailer at one end of the field . The trailer is air-conditioned at 60 degrees . He sat down on a trainer 's table , then fell back , losing consciousness . An ambulance was called and came rapidly to the scene , Vikings officials say . The Vikings have not said whether Stringer ever regained consciousness . <p> Crawford , a 23-year-old rookie who was drafted by the Vikings in the seventh round from Western Oregon , a Division II school , said the last thing on his mind Tuesday morning was Stringer 's safety . In just the first few days of training camp , Stringer had become a mentor to Crawford . <p> " Funny , I 'd been watching him in practice , but he 'd been watching me , too , " Crawford said . " When he finished his five or six reps , and I would take his place , he 'd observe me and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " <p> Crawford remembered Stringer telling him that he had to " pop out " of his stance quicker to confront the defensive player . And Stringer tutored him on the best way to wait for a defender in a pass rush to make his move . And then , Crawford said , recalling Stringer 's words , " Give him the shot that 'll stop him . " <p> These are essential tricks of the trade , and it is rare , Crawford said , for a veteran to give such counsel to a rookie . " I heard from players that veterans on other teams are n't so helpful , " he said . <p> In the aftermath of Stringer 's death , the Vikings and other N.F.L. teams are reviewing their practice procedures . <p> " We 're looking at our practices from top to bottom to see , obviously , what we can do better , " said Kelly , the Vikings ' executive vice president . " I feel our team is at the cutting edge for looking after the health and safety of our players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ timeline for Korey , beginning with precamp . And over all we 're looking at the equipment , we 're looking at the facilities , the training table , we 're looking at educating the players better . " <p> In fact , the need for hydration and for keeping the body cool was addressed in a seminar by one of the team 's trainers the day before practices began . The following day , similar points and the importance of good nutrition were the focus of a seminar for players and coaches given by a team doctor . <p> State investigators have talked with the Vikings ' trainers , medical staff and administrators . Next week , they plan to interview players and coaches , and their report is expected to be completed in two or three weeks . <p> One reason the team 's doctors and trainers have not said much about the case in public is that it has been reported that Stringer 's family is looking into a possible negligence suit against the team . <p> " We have been counseled by our legal staff that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , " so we 'll wait until things are cleared up before we have the doctors and trainers speak publicly . " <p> Meanwhile , the players continue to celebrate Stringer as a dedicated worker and valued teammate , and try to learn some lessons from his death . <p> " You have to keep pumping fluids in you , " said Shonn Bell , a tight end . " But you have to keep playing . I think Korey would have said , ' Keep pushin ' , do n't let it beat you . ' " <p> Carter said he has felt woozy in practice from the heat . " The thing we all have to understand , " he said , " is that it could have happened to any one of us . " <p> Lewis Kelly , an offensive tackle , said : " I think I 've drunk more water in the last few days than in my entire life . It certainly made us think . " <p> Kelly added : " But we 've mourned , and we have to go on . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do n't want to sound crass , but the world turns , and we have to turn with it . " <p> And in the last team practice before the Vikings departed today for San Antonio and the Saints , Brian Crawford , for one , thick in shoulder pads and helmet , in the stifling heat , with patches of sweat appearing on his uniform , slammed into the blocking dummy again and again . Knowing , of course , that this is what football players do . <p> URL : http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000764 <p> The most exciting aspect of the 2001-2 N.B.A. season will be the race for second place . Barring injury , internal discord or a miracle , the Los Angeles Lakers will win their third straight championship next June . But who earns the right to be the Lakers ' fodder in the finals will be the real story and provide the real drama . <p> Before he returned to Sacramento without seriously considering other teams , Chris Webber should have thought about this : if you do n't share a locker room with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant , the Eastern Conference is the place to be . <p> No fewer than seven teams -- Philadelphia , Milwaukee , Toronto , Orlando , Charlotte , Miami and the Knicks -- can enter training camp in October with a realistic chance of winning the conference crown . <p> " I see one legitimate team in this league that looks dominant and that 's the Lakers , " Miami Coach Pat Riley said . " Anybody else that begins to sing their own song about dominance failed to look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here or there could have changed the fortunes of three or four other teams . There 's so much parity and equality . " <p> There are favorites in the East , however . The two conference finalists , Philadelphia and Milwaukee , have to be placed atop the mix , and if the Bucks are able to pull off a sign-and-trade with Miami for Anthony Mason , they will be downright scary . <p> Even so , the real powers may be Toronto and Orlando . After maneuvering to get Hakeem Olajuwon in what for them was a painless sign-and-trade with Houston , on paper the Raptors are arguably the conference 's best squad . And Orlando will welcome back Grant Hill , who missed all but four games last season with an ankle injury , while adding Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant . <p> Toronto appears to be the most imposing . It has the superstar scorer in Vince Carter , the rugged yet skilled power forward in Antonio Davis , outside shooting in Alvin Williams and Morris Peterson , doggedness in Chris Childs , athletic frontcourt play off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , one of the top five or six centers in the league . <p> Though he is 38 , Olajuwon could be a force in the East if he remains healthy . He has been limited to half-seasons the past four years because of injuries and last season nearly had his career ended by a blood clot . But after his health was restored , Olajuwon averaged an impressive 15 points and 9 rebounds over his last 23 games . And that was in the rugged West . <p> Olajuwon , who was also being courted by Indiana and the Knicks , now says he has been rejuvenated by his move to Toronto . <p> " It 's going to be fun playing with Vince , " Olajuwon said in a conference call Thursday night . " It 's like college and Phi Slamma Jamma . We 're going to dunk on people . It 's like I 'm a rookie again . I 'm excited . It raises my curiosity to another level . " <p> Ewing , who turns 39 today , does not have as much left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the East than he was last season in Seattle . If Ewing can stay healthy and provide a respectable post presence on both ends of the floor , the Magic 's perimeter of Hill , Tracy McGrady and Darrell Armstrong should be enough to make it formidable . <p> Orlando Coach Doc Rivers 's greatest challenge might be getting Hill and McGrady to play well together . Their games are strikingly similar . <p> " It will take some time , and I know that because they have n't played together , " Rivers said . " The only thing that 's holding this team back is that all the best parts have n't played together . Usually , it takes time , a couple seasons actually . But I 'm too impatient for that to happen . We have to try and shorten that curve . The best part with both of them is that they 're willing passers . They do n't mind setting each other up . " <p> Rivers admitted to being unsure of how big a role Ewing would play in the regular season , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playoffs . <p> " He 's not going to be the Patrick Ewing that I played with or the Patrick Ewing that most of the fans remember , but he 's still better than half the centers in the N.B.A. , " Rivers said . " He 's a guy who I 'm not sure yet how we 'll use him . For us to make it through the playoffs , he needs to be strong , fresh and healthy . Part of my job will be to manage the minutes so that can take place . If Patrick gives us not one quality second on the court , he 'll still help the team because his work ethic can rub off on our young guys . " <p> Elsewhere , Charlotte is hoping to build on its best postseason performance ever , the Knicks are looking for redemption from first-round failure , and Miami is planning to change its style of play . <p> After the Heat was swept in the first round by speedier , more athletic Charlotte , Riley decided to move away from the plodding , bruising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1991 . He believes his young perimeter players Anthony Carter , Eddie House and Ricky Davis -- who will join Alonzo Mourning , Brian Grant and Eddie Jones to form the Heat 's nucleus -- will be better in a fast-paced game . <p> " We 'll change our style of play to really enhance the athleticism and enthusiasm of some of these guys , " Riley said . " I want to get younger , more athletic , more energy , less scars and wounds and hangovers . " <p> Sprewell Must Accept Role <p> Marcus Camby has spent much of the off-season working out and hanging out with Latrell Sprewell . When asked if the popular belief that Sprewell was tired of playing with Allan Houston was true , Camby answered with a quick , " Not at all . " But he went on to say that Sprewell was tired of playing the small forward , or 3 spot . <p> " From what I 've seen , Spree 's not upset or anything with Allan , " Camby said . " His biggest thing right now is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's his natural position . He feels he has to guard bigger players every night . He 's getting posted up , but he does n't say anything ; he just goes out there and plays the 3 . But he definitely wants to play the 2 . " <p> The 6-foot-5 , 190-pound Sprewell , who is currently in Milwaukee and could not be reached for comment , voiced displeasure with his position last March after being torched for 30 points by the 6-9 Shareef Abdur-Rahim in a loss to Vancouver . He said his inability to guard taller forwards was forcing his teammates to double-team too much . <p> There is really no answer to Sprewell 's plight other than a trade , and he does not dislike playing out of position enough to leave New York . Instead , he had better get used to it because Houston 's new six-year , $100 million contract makes him virtually untradeable . <p> The fact of the matter is that if Sprewell is going to be a Knick , he is going to be a 3 . <p> Camby Spokesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the league 's " Welcome Back to School " initiative , which will kick off the coming school year . The league was so impressed with Camby 's annual March With Marcus , in which Camby walks several hundred students to school on the first day of classes , that it borrowed the idea and plans to have similar opening-day events in every N.B.A. city . <p> URL : http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000765 <p> The office overlooking Cardinal Arena , the multimillion-dollar contract , the 14 basketball players waiting a couple of floors below in the gym so he could harangue them about their diets and defensive stances : Billy Minardi gave this all to Rick Pitino . The University of Louisville only paid for it . <p> Last spring , Pitino was at the kind of loose ends that could hang a restless sort . He was out of a job ; he had resigned as the coach and president of the Boston Celtics after experiencing something he had never encountered in 25 years : professional failure . <p> Broadcasting beckoned , as did Nevada-Las Vegas , Michigan and Louisville . The first three universities were viable options . Replacing Denny Crum here at Louisville was not , at least at first . Pitino had spent eight seasons in the state , resurrecting Kentucky 's program from probation , taking the Wildcats to three Final Four appearances and a national title . <p> He rebuilt a winning tradition in a state that took basketball as seriously as he did . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the majority of them thought that it would be unwise to return to the Blue Grass State as the head coach of Kentucky 's archrival , Louisville . <p> Everyone , that is , except Billy Minardi , Pitino 's best friend from high school in Oyster Bay , N.Y. , a golf and horse track buddy and the brother of his wife , Joanne . Minardi , a derivatives broker on Wall Street , had a knack for making Pitino think clearly about his career , whether it involved ripping up a contract offered by a professional team , as Minardi did once in a bar , or asking a concise question , as he did last spring . <p> " You 're going to let one game a year keep you out of Kentucky , a place where you have people who love you , where you were the happiest you 've ever been ? " Stephanie Minardi recalled her husband asking Pitino . <p> Ultimately , Pitino agreed that those who cared for him in Kentucky would not see his taking the Louisville job as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were not friends anyway . <p> After more than 1,000 people turned out for his introduction as the new coach last March , Pitino immersed himself in turning around a program that had gone 62-62 over the last four seasons . He remodeled the practice facility , down to turning a broom closet into an exercise room , redesigned the Cardinals ' uniforms and told the returning members of a 12-19 team what he expected : to be lean and fit , and to listen . <p> Over Labor Day , the Pitinos and the Minardis vacationed at Pebble Beach , Calif . It was one of the best of dozens of vacations they had taken together over the years , because it ended with Rick and Billy getting out their daybooks to decide at which Louisville games they would meet this season . <p> " He has seen so many , " Pitino said . " I know that he has never missed me coach a game in the N.C.A.A. tournament . " Pitino is 26-7 in the N.C.A.A. tournament . <p> Pitino 's and Minardi 's plans were changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trade Center and the Pentagon . Minardi was in his office at Cantor Fitzgerald the morning when the hijacked planes hit the twin towers . <p> Pitino , who was in Louisville , watched television and tried to count the floors . In Bedford , N.Y. , Stephanie Minardi fled a health club and began calling . In the ensuing days , their hope was teased when Billy 's name showed up on a list of hospital patients in critical condition . It turned out to be a mistake . <p> By the time a memorial service was held on Sept. 20 -- four days after what would have been the Minardis ' 13th wedding anniversary -- at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mount Kisco , N.Y. , Rick Pitino did not really care about his return to the state of Kentucky and the college ranks . He told Stephanie he wanted to take the year off ; he was sure the administration at Louisville would understand . <p> Stephanie would not hear of it . She is now a single parent of three -- William , 12 , Robert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is learning to pay the bills on her own . Only five months earlier , Don Vogt , who was married to Joanne 's and Billy 's sister , Mary , was struck and killed by a New York City taxi , leaving three more children without a father . <p> " Six children do n't have a father , and I had to make it him clear to him that he could n't quit , " Stephanie Minardi told Pitino . " These kids really need you . If you quit , they are going to quit . " <p> These are the numbers and accomplishments that have made Pitino one of the most sought coaching butterflies in all of sports : 352 victories and 124 losses as a collegiate basketball coach , a .739 winning percentage and a record for producing quick turnarounds . <p> Before Pitino arrived at Boston University in 1978 , his first head coaching job , the school had won a total of 17 games the previous two seasons . The Terriers won 17 games in his first season . The Providence Friars were 11-20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17-14 and 25-9 . The Friars were in the Final Four in his second and final season . <p> In 1987-88 , he took the Knicks , a team that had the worst two-year record in the N.B.A. before he arrived , to the playoffs in his first season . After inheriting a Kentucky team decimated by scholarship restrictions in 1989 , he scratched out a 14-14 record ; but he had Kentucky in the Final Four three years later and won the national title in the 1995-96 season . <p> Throughout his gym-hopping career , critics have accused Pitino of being interested primarily in landing in the net spun from the most gold . Pitino suggests that his concerns are different now . <p> " I honestly do not have any individual goals , " he said . " I just want to be a small part of a team that gets to the championship level . I 've had more than enough individual success . " <p> Louisville made it clear it wanted Pitino to build a championship team here by offering him a $5 million bonus if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pays him $2 million a year . Louisville wanted Pitino 's trademark full-court pressure , as well as the push-and-dump offense that leads to 3-point shots going up like fireworks . <p> And as he has remade the school 's basketball facilities , he has sculptured the bodies of his players with a high-protein , low-fat diet and merciless running drills . The team 's big men , Ellis Myles and Brandon Bender , have dropped 30 and 21 pounds , respectively , from their 6-foot-9 frames . <p> Pitino insists this is a way to build self-esteem . Myles agrees . " I never knew I could do it , because I never worked really hard , " he said . <p> Pitino is also not afraid of breaking down bad character . Myles agrees with that , too . Last season , Myles , a sophomore from Compton , Calif. , was a sullen presence prone to scowling at teammates and coaches . No longer . <p> " If you talk back to these coaches , you 're going to be gone , " Myles said . <p> In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talented player , Pitino has an eager student for his many coaching lessons . Among them : keeping hands up constantly on defense , with wrists stiff and fingers rigid to cause deflections , and viewing 40 percent shooting from the 3-point line as more effective than a 50 percent rate on 2-point shots . <p> " We 're relearning everything , and Coach wo n't let us get frustrated , " Gaines said . " I 'm more impressed that he 's not getting frustrated with us . " <p> Though Pitino is still trim enough to produce a nonstop crackle from his black and red sweatsuit with his never-ending motion , the lines in his face map his 49 years . Yes , he concedes , he is more patient than he once was . But he also knows that there is more to the coming season than just basketball . <p> " He tells us a couple of times a week to call our families and tell them we love them , " Hajj Turner , a co-captain , said . " He wants us to hang out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thrown his life into ours . It 's like having another family . " <p> In Pitino 's office , one wall holds pictures of his former Kentucky players and another has shots from his days with the Knicks . His desk , tables and shelves are filled with photographs of Joanne and their five children , as well as photos of Billy and Stephanie Minardi and their family . <p> " Joanne is big on pictures , and of the 600 of them we have , Billy is in 550 of them , " Pitino said as he smiled and pulled down one from the Kentucky Derby . " His face is next to our bed . Sometimes it 's unbearable . You know he 's in a better place , but you 're not . We either go to bed laughing about Billy stories or crying that he 's not here . " <p> Pitino says he cares little about whether Kentucky fans are upset with him . He vows that he will not make himself sick with anxiety as the Cardinals make their way through a season in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> It 's the hours in between that matter . He 's back in college , where he can reach players in a way he could not as a pro coach . <p> " They are like your own kids , " he said . " You can impact their lives . " <p> Billy Minardi had that gift with people from all walks of life . He befriended one of the Kentucky student managers , for example , on his many trips to Wildcats games and helped get him a job on Wall Street upon graduation . <p> " I thank God every day for having Billy in my life as long as I did , for how he urged me to come here , " Pitino said . " And Stephanie , she 's the rock in this family . Here I 'm supposed to be the big uncle , but she is holding us all together . " <p> The Cardinals will wear a red-white-and-blue patch on their uniforms with Billy 's initials this season , and Stephanie promises to bring her children and all of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new team . <p> " Billy never wanted to miss anything , " Stephanie said . " I told Rick he 'd be in the stands , just like he always was . Just like he always will be here with me . " <p> URL : http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000766 <p> Rafael Hermoso of The Times analyzes the nation 's best teams and forecasts which ones have the best chance to make it to the final 16 in March . <p> LAST TEAM STANDING <p> DUKE -- The obvious choice is the correct one . How many teams can lose the consensus national player of the year and still claim to return its best player ? Shane Battier may be in the N.B.A. , but point guard Jason Williams was the top Blue Devil by the end of last season . Now a junior , he has stated his intention to get his degree before leaving for the N.B.A. ; he is on schedule to do that by finishing the spring semester one or two courses shy and then attending the school 's first summer session . By then , he should have another title . Duke often buried its opponents in an onslaught of points . Battier 's absence will be felt most on the other end , with defense . Of course , with Battier gone , that means more scoring opportunities for guard Chris Duhon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Dunleavy . Oh , and swingman Dahntay Jones , a Rutgers transfer , joins the group . Get ready for the first repeat since 1991-92 ( also Duke titles ) . <p> ANOTHER THREE FOR ATLANTA <p> ILLINOIS -- Frank Williams may place just below Jason Williams on the point guard registry , but he is still talented enough to guide the Fighting Illini to the season 's final weekend . Williams , a 6-foot-3 junior , needs to recover from his 3-for-15 shooting performance in a regional final loss to Arizona . Illinois needs consistency from Williams and the 6-10 junior forward Brian Cook , who averaged a mundane 11.2 points last season despite shooting 54.6 percent . <p> FLORIDA -- The junior Justin Hamilton 's healthy return from reconstructive knee surgery -- he did not even wear a sleeve on his knee at the Ikon Classic last week -- should offset the sudden departure of guard Teddy Dupay , who was removed from the team in September after being at the center of a gambling investigation . The Gators have guards aplenty , with Brett Nelson and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lee playing like outsiders . But their inside game rests with talented senior center Udonis Haslem , and they look terrible against zones . <p> KENTUCKY -- Saul Smith -- Coach Tubby 's son -- got an awful lot of criticism from Wildcats fans . He 's not around to blame anymore , and the point will be manned by the speedy if rushed sophomore Cliff Hawkins . Forwards Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans give Kentucky two powerful scorers and Marvin Stone is a rock in the middle . <p> FOUR KNOCKING ON THE DOOR <p> MARYLAND -- Things are not as bad as Terrapins fans thought at the Garden last week , when Maryland followed up Coach Gary Williams 's first Final Four appearance last March with a clunker against Arizona in its season opener . Williams insists last season 's run has not changed him , and his players backed his words , showing that Maryland still needs to shake its reputation for not finishing things . The senior guard Juan Dixon and center Lonny Baxter are stars , leading four returning starters . They should have learned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 0-2 start . The Owls have a great player in Lynn Greer , and point guards can carry teams in March . They started poorly last season , losing seven straight at one point , but their complicated , changing matchup zone takes time to digest , and the Owls take time to peak . The key here is guard David Hawkins , who will not return until the end of December at the earliest because of an academic suspension . Center Kevin Lyde , who withdrew from the N.B.A. draft , should be even better as a senior . <p> VIRGINIA -- The Cavaliers do not possess great size -- their projected starting lineup has just two players taller than 6-foot-5 -- but they have experience and scoring ability , two luxuries in today 's game . Roger Mason Jr . made 44 percent of 3-pointers , and his new point man , Majestic Mapp , is back after missing last season to knee surgery . <p> U.C.L.A. -- Some teams benefit by recruiting . The Bruins do it by keeping their stars . The front-court players -- the senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Matt Barnes , a senior -- all have professional aspirations , but not yet . Earl Watson , a four-year starter , is gone from the point , leaving the freshman Cedric Bozeman with big targets but little experience . <p> EIGHT THAT COULD HANG AROUND LATE <p> ST . JOSEPH 'S -- The Hawks will be more than Coach Phil Martelli 's comedy show , and are in many preseason top-10 polls . Guards Marvin O'Connor and Jameer Nelson are a big reason why . If they get enough help from their teammates , the Hawks can show why other coaches do n't want to get in their way . <p> KANSAS -- Nick Collison and Drew Gooden are each 6-foot-10-inch junior forwards who combined to average 29.8 points last season . The Jayhawks are experienced and could be the top team in the Big 12 , but their backcourt could provide drama . Point man Kirk Hinrich ranked seventh in Division I in assists per game last season ( 6.9 ) , but the freshman Aaron Miles from Portland , Ore. , could start soon , pushing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high school , Michael Lee , is also a rookie Jayhawk . <p> MISSOURI -- Forward Kareem Rush is a premier scorer , averaging 21.1 points and shooting 44.8 percent from 3-point range last season . Shooting guard Clarence Gilbert provides more outside punch ( 16.5 points , 36.8 percent on 3-pointers ) , but the Tigers need to improve their defense -- and hope they do not run into Duke again . <p> IOWA -- Luke Recker , a 6-6 senior guard , averaged 18.1 points before breaking his kneecap . How well he does in his return will determine the Big Ten title . The senior forward Reggie Evans finished second in Division I with 11.9 rebounds a game . Chauncey Leslie is a speedy freshman trying to replace the four-starter Dean Oliver at point guard . <p> MICHIGAN STATE -- Marcus Taylor finally gets to take the point after subbing for Charlie Bell last season . The Spartans were a menace on the boards , as much to do with Coach Tom Izzo 's relentless practice drills as his bevy of big men . Andre Hutson and Zach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ double figures in scoring . But Izzo has built too good a system and is too strong a recruiter to let the program suffer . It may not get a fourth straight Final Four appearance , but Michigan State will again be feared . <p> STANFORD -- The departure of Jason and Jarron Collins means The Cardinal is no longer the land of the big men . The junior Casey Jacobsen , the 6-6 forward-guard , averaged 18.1 points and shot 47.2 percent from 3-point range . Curtis Borchardt , a 7-foot shot-blocker , has played sparingly the past two seasons because of a stress fracture in his right foot . <p> NORTH CAROLINA -- You would be silly to dismiss the Tar Heels from your preseason poll , and any tears Coach Matt Doherty sheds after his last game will not come from falling short of heavy expectations . Carolina lost point guard Joseph Forte to the N.B.A. draft , but forward Jason Capel could have a breakout season . Kris Lang moves to center with Brendan Haywood 's departure . Otherwise , the Tar Heels are young , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season . Carolina could start two freshmen : guard Melvin Scott and forward Jawad Williams . <p> ARIZONA -- It would have been difficult to put the Wildcats on this list a week ago , but their showing at the Ikon Classic over the weekend was enough to rethink their placing . Four starters from last year 's national runner-up left , but the junior point guard Jason Gardner could single-handedly compensate for the lack of experience , forward Rick Anderson showed that his time working out with the football team last year was well spent and the junior Luke Walton is a forward with the mind of a point guard . <p> URL : http : //www.nytimes.com 
##3000769 <p> Virtually in the clouds , on a mountaintop resort that is making the transition from the rust color of fall leaves to the rainbow raiment of skiers , the heavyweight boxing champion of the world is in training for his first defense of the title . <p> This is Hasim Rahman , no household name , at least not yet . Rahman is working here for his return match Nov. 17 in Las Vegas against the former champion Lennox Lewis in near anonymity , and it has nothing to do with the secluded setting . On the street , in a mall , at the post office , Rahman , at 6 feet 2 1/2 , 245 pounds , might be noticed for his rippling muscles , but hardly for being , as his title belts suggest , the toughest man on the planet . <p> He is , in what has traditionally been one of the most acclaimed positions in sports , no Mike Tyson , no Muhammad Ali , no Smokin ' Joe Frazier . Nor is he a Lennox Lewis , here or anywhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Baltimore . But for Rahman , this is a good thing , especially the part about Lewis . <p> Last April 22 , in Brakpan , South Africa , Rahman , a decided underdog , stepped into the ring against Lewis , who had held the titles of the World Boxing Council and the International Boxing Federation for seven years and who considered this only a tuneup before his next fight , a widely anticipated big payday with Tyson . <p> Rahman -- called Rock because of the pronunciation of the first syllable of his last name as well as for his mass -- did have an impressive professional record , 35 victories , 2 defeats and 29 knockouts , despite having been boxing for only eight years . His amateur record was lackluster . <p> Lewis , at 37-2-1 with 29 knockouts , had fought fighters with greater reputations than Rahman had , and Lewis also had the experience of 14 previous heavyweight title fights . <p> Lewis , at 254 pounds , seven pounds heavier than he had ever been for a fight , seemed to take the match @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acting in a cameo in the remake of the movie " Ocean 's 11 " to travel early to adjust to the nearly 6,000-foot altitude in Brakpan , which is near Johannesburg . Lewis showed up 11 days before the fight , while Rahman had been there for a month . <p> " It was do or die , " Rahman recalled recently about that bout . " If I lost , I might never get another opportunity at the title . I could n't afford just a moral victory , of having given the champ a decent fight . I had to win , and I thought I would . But I 've always had confidence in my ability , and I know Lewis thought I was just a journeyman , someone from the meat wagon . " <p> In Round 5 , just a round after a gash from an accidental head butt had opened over Rahman 's left eye , Rahman staggered Lewis with a right . Lewis smiled , as if saying , " Is this really the best you got ? " A few moments later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the jaw sent Lewis to the canvas , where he was counted out at 2 minutes 32 seconds of the fifth round . <p> Afterward , Lewis disparaged Rahman , saying he had been felled by " a lottery punch . " <p> " Ah , so you saw the lottery punch , " Rahman said with a half-smile to a visitor who had recently seen a videotape of the fight . Rahman had just bicycled from his rented living quarters to the small training facility on the outskirts of town for a training session . " There are more Powerballs where that one came from , " he said . <p> An American and a Muslim <p> There would be no sparring session this late morning , but the workout would be rigorous , starting with six rounds of working on his hand speed and combinations with an assistant trainer who wore padded mitts . Rahman , with thick red boxing gloves , punched the mitts vigorously -- grunting a rhythmic " uh , uh , uh " with each blow -- while his trainer , the gray-bearded Adrian Davis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instructions and encouragement . <p> On his head , Rahman wore what is known as a do-rag , a handkerchief tied in a knot . The design was the American flag . <p> Rahman said he was proud to have returned the heavyweight title to America . " It meant a lot to me , " he said . " It had been gone from here for too long . And I 'm equally pleased to defend the title at home . This country is a great country . There are opportunities like nowhere else in the world . I 'm living proof of that . " <p> Rahman is a lifelong Muslim . His father , John Cason , is an imam employed by the Maryland state prison system to offer religious services and guidance . <p> " Bad people are bad people , regardless of their religion , or what they profess to be their religion , " Rahman said of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks . " There is no justification for the killing of innocent civilians . I do n't equate terrorism with Muslims . There are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But you ca n't take all Muslims as one . The Ku Klux Klan is supposed to be Christian , but all Christians do n't act or feel the way the Klan does . " <p> Rahman 's father earned a college associate 's degree and eventually operated his own business in engineering before devoting full time to religion . Rahman 's mother worked as a receptionist . His parents , who divorced when he was a boy , decided that they would rather have him be a swimmer than a football player , despite his being big for his age . <p> " I just did n't like the football mentality , the coaches as dictators with a young man 's body , " Cason said . " So I paid for Hasim and his brother to swim at a private club , and be on the swim team . I was able to afford it . " <p> Rahman was a superb student in the first years of grade school , but he was being picked on . " I saw that the bad boys got respect , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m.o. , " Rahman said . " I walked with that strut like a bad boy . I pouted and poked my lips out , and I sassed back the teacher . I got respect after that . Fear was more important to me than knowledge . " <p> When he reached the 11th grade in Baltimore , he dropped out of school , partying and getting into street fights . He said he spent time " riding around in stolen cars , hanging out with street kids and just missing being killed and being behind bars . " <p> " Friends were getting shot , others were going to jail for life , " he said . " There were shootouts every day . I never thought I 'd live to 21 , and I did n't care . " <p> When he was 19 , Rahman met Crystal Simpson , a day care worker ; they fell in love and had a son , Sharif . They are now married with three children . <p> " When my son was born , I felt a responsibility to him , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " When my parents were divorced , I felt neither was around me as much as I think I needed them . And I did n't want this to happen to my children . " <p> An Accident , and a Chance <p> He went back to school , earned his high school equivalency degree and entered a community college . One day he was driving with a friend in a truck that collided with another vehicle . Rahman was thrown and the truck rolled over on him . The driver , his friend , was killed . <p> " My whole side of my face was taken off , " he said . " I needed 560 stitches to put it back on . And I broke my wrist . My buddy , who was driving , was killed . But I was still alive . " <p> Sometime after the accident , an uncle took Rahman to a small neighborhood gym in Baltimore . " I knew I was strong , " he recalled , " because anytime I ever hit anyone , they told me I was strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave him perspective in the ring . " If I could take that from a truck , " he said , " how much damage could a man do to me ? " <p> He entered the amateur ranks and was less than spectacular . " He was something like 10 wins and 3 losses , " recalls his co-manager , Steve Nelson . " But he had called , because I 'd handled some fighters that he respected . He asked me to see an upcoming fight . I went to it . I saw an overweight heavyweight -- I think he weighed about 280 pounds . He had no boxing skills . He had no footwork , no balance . But he could punch . " <p> Stan Hoffman , Rahman 's other co-manager , said , " And when a heavyweight can punch , you tend to want to roll the dice on him . " <p> Nelson went to Rahman 's home to meet with him . " I told him I 'd sign him up to turn pro , and there would be no initial money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought I was doing him a favor , just to be representing him . Let me tell you , there was no line out the door to manage him . He was hardly impressive . I was the only one talking to him . " <p> But Rahman balked . He said he wanted $25,000 to sign , and a car . " Amateurs with outstanding records get deals like that , " Nelson told him . Rahman said , " If you sign me , I 'll become the heavyweight champion of the world . " <p> Nelson recalled : " You hear stuff like that all the time from young fighters . But there was something in Hasim 's tone , his look , that said to me , ' This kid 's confidence is real . ' " <p> Rahman got his $25,000 signing bonus , plus a used car . <p> Rahman turned pro eight years ago and won his first 28 fights , 23 by knockout . He was learning his trade , developing a jab , counterpunches , footwork . Hardly Sugar Ray Robinson , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better fights , beginning to earn as much as $100,000 a fight . <p> In December 1998 he ran into a punch by the contender David Tua , delivered after the bell of the ninth round . Rahman , ahead on points , could not quite recover , and Tua knocked him out . It was Rahman 's first professional defeat . <p> Rahman won his next two fights with early knockouts and in November 1999 faced someone he thought was a pushover , the Russian Oleg Maskaev . Rahman neglected his training and was knocked through the ropes in the eighth round . He hit his head on the cement floor and could not get back in the ring before he was counted out . <p> " I totally underestimated him , " Rahman said . " I learned a valuable lesson : never underestimate your opponent . " <p> He won his next three fights , two by knockout , then got the surprise call to fight Lewis . <p> After the Lewis fight , Rahman wanted a tuneup , an apparently easy-money title fight , before giving Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sued to be Rahman 's next opponent , and won . Each is guaranteed $10 million . <p> Learning From History <p> So here is Rahman back in training for Lewis , skipping rope , lifting weights , punching the bags , sweat pouring off his thick body . <p> " It 's up to Rock , to not be Buster Douglas II , " Nelson , his co-manager , said . <p> Douglas had upset Tyson in 1990 by training and fighting brilliantly , then lived off his laurels . He got fat fast , lost the title in his first defense in embarrassing fashion and faded away . <p> Rahman said he is determined not to be a one-shot wonder . " Buster gave his title away , " Rahman said . " That 's not going to happen to me . Someone 's going to have to take the title from me . " <p> Rahman was now hitting the speed bag as the sun from a small nearby window illuminated his face , speckled with sweat . He stroked the bag with a sleepy rhythm , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and resounding punch , leaving the bag limp . It was all a metaphor , he expects , for Lennox Lewis . <p> URL : http : //www.nytimes.com 