League honor returns to Hawks, 3C ■ Anniversary battle at Kingston, 4C ■ Paddling and fishing the Cedar, 8C Heading home The Gazette Friday Richardson, Moeaki G September 22. 2006 playing back in their home state of Illinois this Saturday, 3C SPORTS www.gazetteonline.com PREPS COLLEGES PROS Red Sox record Dazzling show kicks off Cup tumes were perched on 15- C.R.s Johnson foot high stanchions posi­ 36th Ryder Cup not scheduled to play tioned on the four comers of the practice range, ■ Site: Straffan, Ireland in opening session started. ■ Schedule:Today Sunday. Today M ary M cA ­ and Saturday, four morning By Bob Denney leese. the pres­ best Trail matches and four News correspondent ZACH ident of Ire­ afternoon alternate-shot matches: STRAFFAN, Ireland — Golf AT THE land. gave the Sunday. 12 singles matches. officially crossed into the welcome ■ Course: The K Club. Palmer realm of the Cirque du Soleil RYDER speech. It was Course (7,335 yards, par 72) Thursday at The K Club. .CUP_ . an all Ireland ■ Television: USA (Today. 7 The 36th Ryder Cup open­ jp»~ blitz to get a.m.-5 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday. 7 ing ceremonies, a three-act ■, » this show The a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday. 6 a.m.-ll:30 Boston Red Sox slugger David tribute to “ the gods of golf,” •’ program, ac- a.m.) Ortiz gets a hug from former set the stage for one of the ^ cording to Ry- ■ On the Net: www.rydercup.com most anticipated weekends in der Cup hospi­ Red Sox player Johnny Pesky Inside after Ortiz hit his 51st home sports to hit this country. tality director David Watt, An audience of 45,000 were was the culmination of two run of the season last night United States Ryder Cup team players Tiger Woods (left) and Zach dazzled by the performance of years of preparation. ■ A look at the course and Johnson smile in a team group photo session Thursday at The K against the Minnesota Twins the 360-member Spanish El Commedients has had lineups. 6C Club golf course in Straffan, Ireland. The 36th Ryder Cup is at Fenway Park in Boston. troupe, El Commedients, fea­ plenty of practice, having Ortiz added his 52nd later as turing acrobats, balloons in served as the main act for the scheduled to begin today. he set a Red Sox record for the shape of planets, and a 1992 Olympic Games in Bar­ on a day that originally had most home runs in a season. retractable top half of a golf celona. Spain. This humid, we were very pleased,” Watt States and European Ryder ball at center stage that ex­ overcast day, they were said. “ Things went well.” received a gloomy forecast. It Cup teams. all evolved into a special af­ posed a massive orchestra joined by an Irish dance There was a touch of Irish The ceremonies received SIDELINE and choir. troupe, Cos Coein. magic, too, with intermittent ternoon as spectators cheered Performers in medieval cos­ “ It was a great show and sunshine to open the program the arrival of the United ► RYDER CUP, PAGE 6C TELEVISION IOWA BASKETBALL ESPN’s “ GameDay” HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL looking toward Iowa City ESPN’s popular “ College GameDay” show could be Alford gets coming to Iowa City. In a column posted on ESPN.com Thursday, extension “ GameDay” host Chris Fowler might have let the cat out of the bag on the through possibility of "GameDay" Saint shutout making a stop in Iowa City for the Ohio State-Iowa 2011 season game next weekend. On the subject of best By Jim Ecker student crowds at a game The Gazette visited by "GameDay,” IOWA CITY Steve Alford Fowler wrote, “ My sight has made a good impression unseen nominee might be on his boss. the group dressed in Black Gary Batta, the athletics and Gold next week, if the director at the University Io­ Buckeyes arrive at Iowa wa. announced Thursday he’s ranked No. I. That’d be a given Alford a one-year exten­ fun night in ole Iowa City.” sion on his contract, pushing An ESPN official told Alford's pact as the Iowa The Gazette on Thursday a men’s basketball coach decision w ill be made through June 30, 2011. Sunday night or Monday The decision was made morning and that “ Ohio even though Batta, hired this State at Iowa is on a short summer from the University list of games we are looking of Wyoming, hasn t had a at.” chance to see Alford coach a “ GameDay” hasn’t game since they began work­ produced a show from Iowa ing together. City since 1996 when Iowa “ C I e a r I y hosted Ohio State. Steve is a good Marc Morehouse coach and a good person,’’ Batta said. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL “ We’ve spent a lot of time to­ U.S. women lose at gether. I felt World Championships confident that Leila Navidi photos/The Gazette this was the Steve Alford SAO PAULO, Brazil Zach Schulte (right) of Cedar Rapids Xavier gets tackled by Jordan Grimm of Cedar Rapids Kennedy during a showdown of right thing to Iowa coach Russia beat the two time do." defending champion United unbeatens last night at Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids. Xavier won it, 17-0. This is Alford’s second one- States, 75-68, last night in year extension in three the semifinals of the months. He received a one- women’s world year extension June 20 from championships, snapping No. 5 Xavier off to best start since ’03 Bob Bowlsby before Bowlsby the Americans’ 26-game By Jeff Dahn Kennedy, they’re such a good team left to become the A I) at winning streak in this The Gazette we had to rely on that if it presented Stanford. event. itself.” Bafta said he wanted A l­ Russia took advantage of CEDAR RAPIDS — To the opportu Holding onto a precarious 3-0 lead ford to have five years on his poor shooting and sloppy nistic go the spoils, and the Cedar early in the third period. Xavier contract, both as a vote of ball-handling by the U.S. to Rapids Xavier Saints are nothing if not opportunistic. Oh, OK. They’re senior defensive back David Drahozal confidence and for recruiting. take a 58-38 lead after three came up with the play that turned the quarters. pretty darn talented, too. “ I appreciate the support Class 4A fifth-ranked Xavier easily game in the Saints’ favor. and confidence Gary anti the Russia (5-3) advanced to Kennedy (3-1) had started a posses­ Saturday’s gold medal game won the field position battle last UI administration have night and used a couple of short sion on the Xavier 27 after W ill Mario shown our program," Alford against Australia (8-0), recovered a Xavier fumble, moved which beat Brazil, 88-76. fields to score two second-half touch­ said in a press release. “ We downs, and handed No. 9 Cedar Rap­ forward to the 18, then backward to look forward to building on ids Kennedy its first loss of the the 35 on a blocking in the back our past success and we’re COLLEGE FOOTBALL season, 17-0, at wet and windy Kings­ penalty. excited about the future. ton Stadium. Facing a first-and-28, Kennedy “This solidifies Gary’s trust Knight weighs in on OU’s The defensive slugfest wasn’t total­ quarterback Guy Martino let go a Xavier’s Domingo Vega (right) runs with in the overall state of the controversial call ly unexpected, and the Saints proved pass just as his intended receiver the ball with Kennedy’s Greg Easley (top) program and the direction we to be just a smidgen better as they slipped and fell on the wet turf. and Ben Mere (bottom) along for the are heading in all areas.” OKLAHOMA CITY improved to 4-0, their best start since Drahozal was in the right place at the ride last night in Cedar Rapids. Alford, 42. has a 135-92 re­ Texas Tech basketball the 2003 Saints won their first five right time. cord in seven years at Iowa, coach Bob Knight said games. He hauled in the interception and including a 52-60 mark in Big Oklahoma fans now knows “ What we talked about at halftime raced 50 yards down the right side­ Saints with 2:58 left in the third Ten games and a 1-3 record in how he felt after his team was hopefully taking advantage of line to the Kennedy 30, and five plays quarter. three NCAA tournaments. lost a game at OU three any opportunities we get,” Xavier later W ill Martin scored on a I-yard The Hawkeyes won 25 years ago when a Coach Duane Schulte said. “ Against run off right tackle to make it 10-0 ► SAINTS, PAGE 7C games last season, the second­ late-starting clock gave the best total in school history. Sooners extra time to score They won the Big Ten tourna­ a game-tying basket. ment. finished second in the Knight called for Little Hawks squash West with fourth-quarter explosion Big Ten standings and were Oklahoma to forfeit its By John Riehl ly difference was it was 6 guessed Gobush missed the damage in the final quarter ranked in the Top 25 most of basketball game with Texas The Gazette yards longer. last two games with an after a two-carry, I-yard the year before being upset Tech on Jan. 20, 2003, when IOWA CITY — Travis Go- injured knee.