
##3000350 <p> All the components for an electrifying series are in place . Each team dislikes the other one , but each also has the other 's respect . There will be games within games -- Reggie Miller versus John Starks , Patrick Ewing versus Rik Smits , Mark Jackson returning home to face the team that traded him away . <p> The battle begins this afternoon , when the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers start their four-of-seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series at Madison Square Garden . Neither team expects it to be easy . Neither team expects to lose . <p> The outcome will have a profound impact on both franchises . Beating Indiana would put the Knicks in the conference finals for the third consecutive year , providing hard evidence that despite an inconsistent regular season , the Knicks are very capable of winning a championship . But a loss would force the Knicks to re-evaluate their direction and personnel . All five of New York 's current starters will be at least 30 years old when next season starts . If the Knicks are eliminated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their best chance to win a title slipped away last year . <p> For the Pacers , a victory would mean a place in the conference finals for the second consecutive year , earning them recognition as an elite team . And beating the Knicks , the team that eliminated Indiana the past two years , would be a significant milestone for a franchise that has never won a National Basketball Association title . However , losing to the Knicks for the third straight season might make the Pacers wonder if they 'll ever have what it takes to beat New York . <p> The Pacers say they are ready to take Manhattan . The Knicks , who have endured a season of injuries and internal strife , say they are ready to win a championship . The time has come to find out what both teams are made of . <p> " Indiana is going to be a huge challenge for this team , " said Dave Checketts , president of Madison Square Garden Sports Group , who will watch the series closely and nervously . " They pushed us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Game 7 at the Garden , and we had to come back and win it . It 's going to be a great series . But this is a team that can win this series , if we play the way we 're capable of playing , and if they put all the other stuff behind them and play together . " <p> The other East semifinal series , between the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls , is the glamour series . The Knicks-Pacers series is the grudge series . Michael Jordan , Scottie Pippen , Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway will provide oohs and aahs . Anthony Mason , Charles Oakley , Dale Davis and Antonio Davis will provide bumps and bruises . <p> As Pacers Coach Larry Brown put it at practice in Indianapolis yesterday , " Both teams play the right way , with rebounding and defense as the keys . " <p> But there are a number of other keys to watch as the series unfolds : <p> Ewing 's mobility is one of his major advantages against Smits . But if Ewing 's calf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smits 's size ( 7 feet 4 inches ) makes it difficult for Ewing to shoot his favorite turnaround jumper . But when Ewing can get Smits to move laterally , the edge goes to Ewing , who averaged 25.3 points against Indiana this year . If Ewing dominates , the Knicks should win . But if Smits avoids foul trouble and scores consistently in the low post , the Pacers will be tough . <p> Ewing was reluctant to talk about his health after admitting last Wednesday that he was " all banged up . " But asked about Ewing 's physical condition following the Cleveland series , Checketts said : " I think everybody feels that given a little rest , he 'll be fine . We 're not going anywhere without him , I know that . " <p> The Pacers ' Brown certainly expects Ewing to be a major factor . " The guy has had a phenomenal year , " he said . " He 's a warrior . With all the talk about David Robinson , Patrick has probably had his finest year , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> As for Miller , forget what he says . Pay attention to what he does . Indiana lacks the scoring balance to win a seven-game series unless Miller has a few big games . <p> Miller may be the best long-range shooter in the game . The key for the Knicks is to limit his open shots . But containing Miller will be more difficult than containing Mark Price of the Cavaliers . The Pacers set more picks away from the ball for Miller than Cleveland set for Price . And Miller is a master at moving without the ball . Despite his great range , Miller is a very disciplined shooter who rarely forces bad shots . Miller averaged 23.8 points against New York during the regular season , but he only averaged three 3-point attempts per game . The Knicks can live with that . If they stay in Miller 's face and prevent him from shooting , they have a chance to contain him . But once Miller gets on a roll , he can make shots from almost 30 feet . Ask anyone who saw last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be as intense , as it always has been . But Starks said he would keep his emotions in check . " We 've both matured , " he said . " We do n't go out there just to try and get under each other 's skin anymore , but it 's a challenge . Players like Reggie bring out the best in me . " <p> There may be unsung heroes . Can Anthony Mason have a greater impact for the Knicks than Byron Scott will for Indiana ? Can Derrick McKey give the Pacers more offense than Charles Smith gives the Knicks ? Can Dale Davis , Antonio Davis and Smits win the rebounding war against Charles Oakley , Ewing and Mason ? Can Derek Harper outplay Jackson , or whomever else the Pacers use at point guard ? Will Hubert Davis give New York offense off the bench , or will Miller rattle Davis like he did last year ? The answers to those questions may determine the winner . <p> Both teams will face pressure . But the Knicks were barely denied a championship last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . The Knicks had internal problems this year , and when things get rough , will they point fingers or pull closer together ? <p> For the Pacers , particularly Miller and Jackson , this series is a mission . Miller has talked for a year about beating the Knicks . If he fails again , it would be a major blow . Jackson , a Queens native , loved playing for the Knicks , and he was hurt when he was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1993 . Revenge would be sweet , failure would be bitter . But if the Pacers get too caught up in their emotions , that could play into New York 's hands . <p> Both teams have proved they can win in the other team 's building , but the Knicks still have an edge . The home team has n't lost a Game 7 in the N.B.A. since 1982 . So unless the Pacers win in six games or less , a huge edge goes to the Knicks . <p> Can these teams top the excitement of their series last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be one of the great series in a long time , " said Davis . " It 'll be a lot of fun . " <p> But only one team will enjoy how it ends . 
##3000351 <p> My America 's Cup initiation came last spring at the Plaza Hotel in New York City . Bill Koch brought in one of his $3 million America 's Cup yachts by trailer the night before to serve as a backdrop for the official announcement of his historic all-women 's team . I was an Olympic rower recruited to bring strength and endurance to the boat as a grinder . But at the time of the announcement , even though people were congratulating us for our courage and efforts , the women 's team was still a mere concept . The team had done no sailing together , and so I set foot aboard my first America 's Cup boat in the middle of Manhattan . <p> That cold spring day was also the first time J. J. Isler , Olympic sailing bronze medalist , had her eyebrows plucked . I still remember sitting in a hotel room across from J. J. in our matching blue blazers , cream slacks and navy flats and watching the pain and surprise in her eyes well into tears as the makeup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debut expertly removed a few errant hairs . Until then , J. J. , in her early 30 's , had been an amateur sailor . She had never had to worry about making herself into a media darling . But as the team 's prospective helmsman , J. J. , along with the rest of us , had to look right , because when our team broke through barriers , we wanted to be sure the media and the public noticed . <p> Several of us mildly protested the makeup , but we all complied and eventually we paraded into the ballroom downstairs where , despite some grumblings about the real motivations underlying Koch 's decision to field a women 's team , the media and the public swallowed the idea whole . <p> Looking back at the women 's team now , with less than two weeks of perspective since our final do-or-die trials race against Dennis Conner , I am still trying to measure what was gained and at what cost . Unquestionably the women 's team was a net gain for the women who sailed , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspired . But I know J. J. was not the only person who had some part of herself extracted in the name of the cause , which leaves me with reservations about mythologizing the women 's team into a pure and glorious Joan of Arc effort . <p> One thing is clear : We know we scared the heck out of Conner in that last race . Even though he ended up winning , we led for five of the six legs , and there is no way after four months of trading races that he or anyone else can say that women do n't belong out on the race course . <p> Our performance on the water surpassed most predictions , and left a new impression about the viability of women 's teams as competitors against men . In the context of the America 's Cup , we will have to wait until the 1998 team tryouts to find out if we made a difference . Probably we were to sailing what Geraldine Ferrarro was to Presidential politics : a crucial , but small , first step along the road @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world of the America 's Cup , our results did not matter . Mighty Mary and her crew seemed cut from elemental American cloth : We were pioneers . Daily faxes , mail , flowers and phone calls offered unconditional support . We were underdogs , crusaders against discrimination and role models for future generations . <p> In one way or another , we know we inspired thousands of people . If retail sales are an indication of the impact we had on the public imagination , it was powerful . Sales of the women 's team gear -- everything from T-shirts to chocolate bars bearing our logo -- have so far totaled $2 million , twice the total of the men 's America<3> team in 1992 . Some of the most striking testimony to the range of our appeal came when young and adolescent boys approached me asking for autographs and saying they wanted to be America 's Cup grinders some day . <p> It did take a lot of guts for the America<3> women to race against the saltiest of dogs after less than a year of training in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though , if the women 's team would have been gutsier and heartier if the team had actually belonged to us and not belonged to Bill Koch . <p> Even before the Plaza Hotel announcement , Koch and his associates decided that he and the all-male coaching staff would have control over the team . Bucking centuries of maritime tradition , America<3> would sail with no designated skipper . We had a driver at the helm and a tactician at her side , but no captain to whom everyone turned for the final word . Ironically , we female sailors would be faulted later for our lack of leadership capabilities . It would be a long time before anybody recognized the problem . <p> On one of our early morning warm-up runs before racing had begun , J. J. recounted a conversation she had had with Lyn St. James , one of Indy car racing 's rare female drivers . She had come to San Diego to go out on the boat with us for a day and share her thoughts about women competing against men . St. James had said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot in common . We 're both racing in male-dominated sports , we 're both looking for sponsorship , and we both have owners . " J. J. said she thought the statement was kind of funny when she heard it at first , because she had never thought of herself as having " an owner . " She decided she liked it . At that point , before we had a sense of our capabilities on the race course , having an owner sounded big time to both of us . <p> Plus , Bill is an extraordinarily beneficent owner . He spared nothing . Our equipment , coaching , boat maintenance and design team , and just about everything else , was as good as he could get . The morning he announced to our team that he was replacing J. J. with a male tactician from his winning ' 92 team , he gave us Pucci scarves to match the blazers he had designed for us . But I will always wonder if all that giving and our taking did not afford Bill too much power to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in our team . <p> One evening during the final round of racing , most of our team was gathered to watch a video of the day 's race in the sail loft . At the end of the video , one of the team 's oldest and most outspoken members , Diana Klybert , jarred the group by suggesting that we take a vote on whether or not we wanted to put J. J. back on the boat for the next day 's race . That evening we were at a point where we had to win all our remaining races to advance to the final America 's Cup races . Diana wanted our team to vote on whether or not we should race again as an all-women 's team . <p> The ensuing conversation revealed that nearly everyone was a little shocked that Diana would ask us to make such an important decision . There were so many factors involved , how could we know for sure what was the right thing to do , people asked . Some of us had not rotated into the race boat enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of us had not been sailors long enough . Maybe we should take a vote on whether or not we wanted to vote on the issue , someone suggested . Ultimately we asked the coach who was present to report our concerns to the powers that be . <p> The scene reminded me of the time my younger sister , 15 years old at the time , told me she had to write a school paper about the death penalty , but was stuck because she did not know how she felt about the issue . We had a fight . I argued with her . How could she not have a gut feeling about something so basic ? We talked and talked , but in the end she was still waffling . I realized she simply did not feel entitled to an opinion , nor was she ready to feel accountable for one . <p> Of course , the profound accomplishments of the women 's team are not negated by the fact that we were under male rule off shore . And I 'm not sure the women would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-male coaching staff made for us . <p> But I do wonder if we would have had a little more fight if we had been given , or had taken , more responsibility . If we had , from the beginning , demanded to skipper our boat . 
##3000355 <p> Re lief plain old relief -- was the word used most often in the Rangers ' dressing room late this afternoon after the defending Stanley Cup champions , in their next-to-last game of the season , finally clinched a spot in the playoffs . <p> Playing without Captain Mark Messier , who stayed home in New York nursing a sore back , the Rangers turned in one of their strongest efforts in this truncated campaign . Brian Leetch scored the game 's only goals and Glenn Healy , looking more and more like a playoff goaltender , stopped all 24 Philadelphia shots as the Rangers removed all the pressure -- and the possible indignity of failing to make the post-season -- with a solid 2-0 victory over one of the best teams in the league . <p> Messier , who is expected to be back for the playoffs when they begin this weekend , is the Rangers ' spiritual leader , the player who vows in public that his team will win playoff games and who gives locker-room pep talks between periods when things are n't going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he stayed home for this crucial game with a bad back , which he apparently first injured in a game against Washington last Monday and then re-injured Friday in a loss to the Islanders . <p> The Rangers went into today 's game needing a victory here , or a victory Tuesday at home against Florida , or a tie in both of those games to guarantee that they would make the post-season . And now Messier and his team-leading 53 points were gone . <p> But only four and a half minutes into the contest , the Flyers lost their own captain and best player , Eric Lindros , when his own slap shot deflected back into his face . He went directly to the hospital to get stitches under his eye . That bad break for the Flyers was followed by another one when an apparent second-period Philadelphia goal was disallowed because the net was off its moorings . Still later , the Rangers got lucky when Healy stopped a shot with his ear . <p> But over all , it was a rare , complete effort by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game to game this season and stood in peril of becoming the first defending champion not to make the playoffs in a quarter century . <p> " We were n't flustered by having Mark out of the lineup , " said Leetch . " Everyone beared down . " <p> The Rangers ' big defenseman , Jeff Beukeboom , added : " We 're just starting to hit our stride . Maybe people do n't believe that . Everyone was saying we won ugly last week . But 20 games ago , we were n't winning regardless . Today , we did n't win ugly , either . " <p> Which might be bad news for the team the Rangers meet in the playoffs . With the victory , the Rangers ( 22-22-3 ) have 47 points , and they moved into at least a temporary tie with Buffalo for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs . The Sabres have not clinched a playoff spot , but they almost certainly will . And , with a game in hand , they can easily finish ahead of the Rangers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seventh or eighth they will play either Quebec , Pittsburgh or the Flyers in the first round of the playoffs , which will begin next weekend . <p> And considering the way today 's game went , the Flyers may not want to see the Rangers , and Leetch , any time soon . <p> Leetch 's play has improved considerably in recent weeks . The offensive-minded defenseman now has 3 goals and 11 assists in his last 8 games , and in one of them , a 4-2 loss to the Islanders last Friday night , he did not score despite firing 12 shots on goal . <p> " He 's been incredible , " said Adam Graves , who wore the captain 's C on his sweater today and took most of the important face-offs in Messier 's absence . " He 's controlled the puck all over the ice , and he 's stepped up . He 's been flying , playing great both defensively and offensively . I ca n't say enough good things about Leetchie . I 'm probably his biggest fan . " <p> Leetch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 3 seconds left on a Rangers power play when he blasted a feed from Steve Larmer right through Dominic Roussel 's pads at the left post . <p> At 16:27 of the second period , Leetch pounced on a weak Mikael Renberg clearing attempt from behind the Flyer net . He picked up the puck in the left circle , skated in alone on Roussel and again beat the goaltender between his pads , this time over his stick . <p> There would be no more scoring . <p> One reason may have been that Lindros was long gone from the action . The hulking 22-year-old center and budding league superstar was cut under his left eye after his slap shot from the left circle ricocheted off Beukeboom 's hip right back into his face . Lindros went down like a rock , crumpling on the dot in the center of the circle as blood slowly spread on the ice . He was taken to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital and never came back on the ice . <p> Even with him , the Flyers may never have beaten Healy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coach Colin Campbell has asked him to spell Mike Richter , one of the heroes of last season 's playoffs but a struggling goaltender at the moment . <p> Healy did not enjoy the way he was treated by Mike Keenan as Richter 's backup last season . But after today 's game , an appreciative Healy stressed the word respect in his dealings with Campbell , who faces a difficult choice in the next week as to whom the Rangers ' playoff goaltender should be . <p> " Glenn Healy , he 's a battler , " said Campbell , who as a rookie coach is probably more relieved than anyone in the Rangers ' organization now that the Rangers have finally clinched a playoff spot . " And Mike Richter has struggled through a few games . " <p> Whoever starts in goal this weekend , all the Rangers care about is that they will still be playing . And the 34-year-old Messier will be , too , said Campbell , although he wo n't play in the season finale on Tuesday . <p> " Last game , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described the injury as a " middle-of-the-back " strain . <p> Campbell 's confidence that Messier will be available for the weekend was echoed by the captain 's teammates . <p> " We all know what Mess is like , " said Graves . " He 'll play no matter what , but I think he 'll be fine . " <p> Maybe , just maybe , the Rangers will be , too . " We 've had a pretty good roll the last 9 or 10 games , " said defenseman Jay Wells . " We 're playing better and we 're finding ways to win . Maybe it 's not the most exciting hockey . But I keep looking back to Vancouver last year . They just barely made the playoffs . And look how far they went . " <p> To the seventh game of the finals at Madison Square Garden , to be exact . SLAP SHOTS <p> Even as the Rangers were earning their way into the playoffs , the Florida Panthers eliminated themselves by getting only a tie with the Washington Capitals . 
##3000356 <p> While the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta are still 15 months away , fierce competition has already begun in the unofficial Olympic sports of ticket roulette , hotel price gouging and the long-distance commuter relay . <p> Getting tickets to at least 1 of the 542 sessions in 26 Olympic sports will be a piece of cake . Tickets go on sale today , and 11 million are available , more than the combined totals of the 1984 Los Angeles Games and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics . <p> And now for the fine print . <p> Getting tickets to preferred events , such as opening and closing ceremonies , swimming , men 's basketball and women 's gymnastics , will be a challenge . An even bigger challenge will be finding a hotel room in downtown Atlanta . <p> Olympic and consumer affairs officials are committed to keeping price gouging to a minimum . But spectators who do find a hotel or apartment or home outside the Olympic housing network will have to navigate an obstacle course of profiteers , some seeking $350 a night for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month for a one-bedroom condominium and $150,000 for two weeks in a rented house . <p> At these Centennial Games , a road atlas may be as valuable as a ticket . Many spectators will have to commute from outlying cities , even outlying states . To alleviate the housing crunch , there are also plans to fly spectators in for the day from Chicago and New York . <p> Officially , the Atlanta Olympics open on July 19 , 1996 , and close 16 days later on Aug. 4 . But the scramble for tickets begins with a mail-order phase today , when 35 million ticket brochures will be available at Coca-Cola displays at 15,000 grocery stores nationwide . Ticket brochures are also available at 335 Home Depot stores . <p> Ticket prices for sporting events range from $6 to $250 , with tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies costing $200 , $400 and $600 . All tickets include transportation on local bus and rail systems . The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games is relying on ticket sales to provide $261 million of its $1.6 billion budget . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly 6.3 million of the 11 million tickets . <p> But what may seem like an ocean of tickets for the average fan is actually something like an Olympic-sized pool . Four million of the 11 million tickets have already been set aside for purchase by corporate sponsors , holders of broadcast rights and Olympic committees from 200 nations . <p> The sport with the most seats available is soccer , which will have 2.4 million tickets to sell . But there 's one catch : Preliminary matches will be played in Birmingham , Ala. , Orlando , Fla. , Washington and Miami , but not in Atlanta . Only the semifinals and finals of the men 's and women 's competition will be held in Georgia -- at Sanford Stadium in Athens , 60 miles northeast of Atlanta . Another 2.4 million tickets are available for sports not traditionally popular with Americans in the Olympics -- baseball , field hockey and equestrian events . <p> But Atlanta officials say it is not true that most seats to the highly prized events have been grabbed by corporate sponsors . Scott Anderson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seats have been reserved for the general public than for corporate sponsors at each session for each sport . Tickets are available for every session , he said , from the opening ceremonies to the men 's basketball final . <p> " We have more seats available to the general public than Los Angeles had total seats available , " Anderson said , referring to the 1984 Summer Games , which had 6.9 million tickets for sale . <p> Several people familiar with ticketing plans said that of the approximately 60,000 seats available for the opening ceremonies at Olympic Stadium , about 20,000 would be reserved for the general public . Officials also said that given the 30,000-plus seating capacity for men 's basketball and women 's gymnastics in the Georgia Dome , the public will have a greater opportunity to see these sports than at previous Olympics . <p> " There is a good possibility of getting a high-profile ticket , " said Harvey Schiller , president of Turner Sports in Atlanta and formerly the executive director of the United States Olympic Committee . " If you want to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I do n't think you 'll get all that . At the same time , if you want to see handball and also gymnastics , I think you have a chance . " <p> He added : " It 's like the Final Four . It 's tough to get tickets , but after two teams lose , there are plenty available . " <p> Atlanta officials are encouraging fans to make a wide variety of requests for tickets . They emphasize such sports as women 's softball and women 's soccer , at which the United States is expected to win gold medals . <p> For those determined to see the glamour events , $50,000 will buy a patron package that includes a pair of tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies , as well as 30 other highly coveted sessions . <p> Tickets will be easier to come by in Atlanta than hotel rooms . As of February , 80 percent of the 55,000 hotel rooms in the Atlanta metropolitan area had been reserved for international Olympic officials , sponsors and members of the news media . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily commutes from satellite cities such as Birmingham , Ala. , ( 161 miles ) and Chattanooga , Tenn. ( 120 miles ) . <p> Atlanta organizers predict that half of the expected two million visitors during the Games will be residents of the Southeast . And many of them will be able to commute from their homes . As many as a third of the expected visitors are expected to stay with friends and relatives in Atlanta . Atlanta organizers are creating an Olympic housing network for the distant traveler . Ten thousand private homes and 3,000 apartments and condominiums are now in the network , with prices ranging from $150 to $425 a bedroom a night . <p> As evidence of price gouging by tour operators has surfaced , Atlanta officials have reminded hoteliers of a 1994 Georgia law that allows hotels to charge no more than their 1994 rate plus 5.7 percent for inflation during the Games . Spectators can not be forced to reserve rooms before and after the Olympics , and the price of the room must be separated from other services in any tour package @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates is $1,000 a room , officials said . <p> " Despite anything you may have heard or read to the contrary , this Olympic effort in Atlanta is not about how much money can be made , " Billy Payne , the chief Olympic organizer , said in a speech last week . <p> Chart : ' The 27th Olympic Sport : A Race to Buy Tickets ' Tickets for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta go on sale today . There are 11 million tickets available , more than the combined totals of the 1984 Los Angeles Games and 1992 Barcelona Olympics . How to order olympic tickets by mail . * Grab a 44-page ticket brochure from a grocery store or from a Home Depot store . * Choose up to 16 of 542 available sports sessions . Pick two alternate choices for each session . * Do n't expect tickets to all highly coveted events such as the finals of men 's basketball , swimming and women 's gymnastics . Make a smorgasbord of choices , say an early round of basketball , a session of track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tickets in the higher price categories . If a price category is sold out , lower-priced tickets will be automatically considered . * Apply by June 30 . Your order will be included in a lottery for sessions in which there are more requests than tickets . For an additional six months , mail-order tickets will be sold on a first-come , first-served basis . * Order tickets by check or with a Visa credit card . Include a $16 service fee with each order . Ticket orders requested by June 30 will be filled in September . Tickets will be mailed next spring . 
##3000357 <p> Maybe it figures that in a land where style is everything , golf 's most stylish swinger and impeccable dresser would finally get some substance to go along with everything else . Steve Elkington , the man with the best swing in golf , finally did the best thing in golf -- he won a major championship , and he did so emphatically . <p> He did it by shooting a 64 today , the lowest final round in the history of the P.G.A . Championship , coming from six strokes back to overtake the faltering Ernie Els and then birdieing the first sudden-death playoff hole to turn back the charging Colin Montgomerie , who had merely birdied the last three holes for a 65 that tied Elkington at 17 under par . <p> In the process , he tied the lowest 72-hole total in major championship history with a 267 and established the record for the P.G.A . Championship . How 's that for one of the most substantive performances the old game has seen all year ? And it was all played out in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> " I just played the round of my life , " said a jubilant Elkington , 32 , the Australian resident of Houston who now has six PGA Tour victories . " I came into the day feeling like I had something to prove , and I proved it . " <p> He surely did . He proved that he can now make pressure putts , the kind that had previously bounced out and come up short . He proved that he could persevere , fight his way back and prevail under the most excruciating pressure . Finally , he proved that no lead is ever safe , no matter who has it . <p> That is a lesson Els has now learned . The 25-year-old South African , who had dominated the course , especially the par 5 's , succumbed to both the Elkington onslaught and the uncertainties that can creep into even the most seasoned mind on the final day of a major . He began the day with a three-stroke lead and ended it two strokes behind after a 72 . <p> " I could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said . " I 'm very disappointed . What can I say ? It was disappointing . I made some mistakes on the front nine . Some easy holes , I bogeyed . It was no fun . " <p> Els 's demise began at the fourth hole , the cruel , 236-yard par 3 . He had a four-stroke lead on that tee , and chose to try to fly a 2-iron over the bunker in front . He barely cleared it and then three-putted from 45 feet . Two holes later , at the 175-yard sixth , he bogeyed again , this time hooking his 7-iron shot left of the cart path . He had no chance to get up and down , with a bunker between him and the pin on a green that sloped away from him . <p> The golden putter he had wielded so magically through the first three rounds turned to tin in his hands today . He missed a 5-footer for birdie at the seventh and a 6-footer at the eighth and suddenly the four-stroke lead he had at the fourth tee had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . As he walked to the 10th tee , his caddie spotted Els 's standard , which said he was 15 under . Elkington had reached 14 under and was playing so perfectly that he felt he could go at every pin in sight . <p> " That 's a nice number there , " Elkington 's caddie , Dave Renik , said to his man . Elkington knew exactly what Renik meant . <p> He put up three straight birdies , at the 10th , 11th and 12th . Each one landed like a hard right hand to Els , who was already reeling and playing tentatively . Pressing now , Els was able to birdie only the 12th hole on the back nine . His last best chance for birdie to tie at the 16th hole hit the hole , dipped down and spun out . It did a 360-degree turn , and Els was shocked . <p> " That really took a lot out of me , " he said . <p> He bogeyed the 17th hole , the same par 5 he had dominated all week . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it put him , figuratively , six feet under . Only Montgomerie had a chance now . <p> He mounted an impressive charge . Coming off the 15th green , he looked up at the scoreboard and figured he needed three straight birdies if he was going to have a chance . Somehow , he produced . <p> He hit his shot to four feet at the 16th . Birdie to go 15 under . He hit his chip from the rough to within four feet at the 17th . Birdie . He hit his eight iron to 20 feet at the final hole . <p> Montgomerie has never been regarded as a tough closer . In four career playoffs he was 0 for 4 . To get into his fifth , he would need to make this putt , and it was n't an easy one . Twenty feet across the pockmarked green . <p> Elkington , who had parred in from the 12th , was sitting in the scorer 's tent signing his card . He heard the roar and immediately knew what happened . Montgomerie 's putt had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's a terrible feeling when someone makes a long putt to tie you and put it into a playoff , " Elkington said . " But I 've been in enough playoffs . I know what you have to do . You regroup and you try to birdie the first hole . " <p> Riviera 's 18th hole -- the first hole of the sudden-death playoff -- has seen many theatrical finishes in the years since this place opened in 1927 . But this might have topped them all . The 451-yard hole has had a reputation as one of the toughest finishing holes in the game . But not today . <p> Elkington and Montgomerie both ripped their drives , with Montgomerie 's landing on the right side and Elkington 's stopping in the light rough to the left . Elkington started to pull out a 7-iron for the 178-yard shot , but heard his caddie 's voice again . <p> " We hit an 8-iron here in the first round , " Renik said . " If you can carry the 8-iron 160 yards , hit it . It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . He put it 25 feet right of the hole . Montgomerie then hit his 20 feet below . It was all laid out . Elkington could feel it . After shoulder surgery to remove a melanoma in February of last year , after sinus surgery in May , Elkington wondered if perhaps his career was over . <p> Now it was really just beginning . He stroked the putt . <p> As the ball rolled up the hill and toward the hole Elkington 's arms went up with it . The ball was still five feet away , but there was no doubt . This would finally be the one , the putt that would end all the waiting , the putt that would go down into the cup and end Elkington 's long quest for a major championship victory . <p> Down it went . Elkington leaped into the air . When Montgomerie 's putt slid past on the right side , it was over . For the second time this year , a man had won his first major . Corey Pavin won his at the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> Montgomerie has now lost playoffs for the United States Open and the P.G.A . He 's getting closer and he knows it . " I did nothing wrong , " Montgomerie said . " I saw him 17 under and I had to make three birdies on the last three holes and I managed that . Steve won the tournament . I did not lose the tournament . " <p> True enough . Elkington has been threatening . In the last five major championships , he had four top-10 finishes . He tied for sixth at the British Open last month at St. Andrews . It was his time , his moment , and he seized it . <p> " It 's always the hardest one , the first one , they say , " Elkington said . " I know it 's the sweetest . " 
##3000358 <p> In the end , the muscles that had made Mickey Mantle an emblem of athletic might were gone . His physique was withered not by age but by a liver transplant , cancer and desperate rounds of chemotherapy . He knew , but never told the public , that he had perhaps the most aggressive tumors his doctors had seen . <p> But he also had his Yankee teammates , his lifelong friends , whose arrival by his hospital bed beginning last Wednesday night rallied his spirits one final time , even when his doctors thought he had only hours , not days . <p> And at about half past midnight Central time this morning , in his last waking moments , he had his family , however torn . Merlyn , his estranged wife , and David , one of his three sons , each held one of his hands as his awareness faded . He slept about 40 minutes more until they saw his final breath . <p> If Mantle 's redemption came in time for him to start on a new course , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In his last public appearance , a month ago , he admitted that hard drinking had ruined his health and broken his family , even though he had given up drinking a year and a half ago . He pledged to make amends by helping others as a spokesman for a national organ donor program . In his farewell to the public , a short tape made two weeks ago and replayed at the hospital today , he urged his fans to request donor cards . Since then , thousands have . <p> It was a sudden end for a baseball hero whose second career , running fantasy baseball camps and signing autographs , had become more lucrative than his first . He was a vigorous , strapping 63-year-old when he complained to doctors less than three months ago about a nagging stomachache . <p> Since then , the drama of his surgery , his recovery and his final defeat has drawn more national attention than the health of almost anyone but a president . <p> His doctors at Baylor University Medical Center revealed today that they had known even during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at best uncertain . After removing his liver , they discovered that the cancer had already spread around his bile ducts , and from there probably elsewhere . <p> By then , they said , the vessels to his new liver had already been attached , so they had no choice but to proceed . They sliced away as much of his bile ducts , crucial to digestion , as they could . But within two days , under a pathologist 's microscope , the cancer cells proved to be the most dangerous his doctors had seen . <p> When Mantle heard the news , he vowed to keep fighting and told his doctors to avoid disclosing just how long his odds were . " I think I 'm going to make it , " he said a month ago when he was strong enough to begin working out on a treadmill and a stationary bicycle . <p> Only when Mantle learned on Monday that his cancer had spread throughout his organs , even seizing his heart and his new liver , did he give that fight up . Told that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but probably futile , he asked only that his doctors relieve his pain . His gastroenterologist , Daniel DeMarco , knew that Mantle only had 2 to 10 days left and offered to share his outlook with his patient . <p> Mantle said , " I 'll tell you what , " according to Roy J. True , a lawyer and friend who was there , " do n't even tell me how long I have . " <p> He also did n't want to learn the worst from television and so asked his doctors to remain silent . <p> As Mantle weakened day by day , his three sons asked his teammates to bid him goodbye . On Wednesday , Danny , his youngest son , told DeMarco that Whitey Ford , the team 's star pitcher , was flying in that night and would stop by the next morning . <p> " You ought to get Whitey here as soon as you can , " DeMarco responded . " You bring Whitey here tonight . " <p> Mantle was so cheered by the prospect of seeing his friend that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chair and traded jokes as if they were on a road trip decades ago . Ford handed Mantle a baseball with autographs from today 's Yankee players and an inscription that said , " Get Well Mickey . " Mantle kept it by his bedside until the end . <p> Merlyn Mantle was astounded to see her husband looking better than he had in a week or two . " I thought you said he was sick , " DeMarco said she told him . <p> " I really thought he was going to pass away , " the doctor said . " Mickey made a liar out of me , and Whitey Ford helped . " <p> He continued to rally , showing off the autographed ball and watching golf on television , as Bill ( Moose ) Skowron , Hank Bauer and Johnny Blanchard came in the next day . He had called Skowron every day three months ago when Skowron had double-bypass heart surgery . On Thursday , Mantle wanted to talk about Skowron 's health , not his own . <p> But most of all , Mantle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his favorite bat in two after he hit a shot to distant , dead center field at Yankee Stadium , certain that it would drop for an out . <p> " Anything hit out there was Death Valley , " Blanchard said , recalling Mantle 's account . " Well , this cotton picker kept traveling " for a home run . " And that was a good bat , " Mantle said . <p> Blanchard said that he and the others had a difficult time coping with the contrast between the Mantle of the clubhouse and the Mantle before their eyes . " My heart just sank , " Blanchard said . " I remember this guy carved out of granite . And to see his face withered and shrunk . " <p> Blanchard , nearly choking -- " my Adam 's apple was as hard as a rock " -- often had to look away , out the window , anywhere but at his wasted friend . <p> Mantle was surprised , almost shocked -- " Really ? Is that right ? " -- to hear Bauer recount how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a video of him on Old-Timer 's Day . On the way out , Skowron and the others told Mantle they wanted to see him again soon . " I 'll let you know when , " Mantle said . <p> But Mantle grew ever more feeble , taking morphine instead of milder pain relievers . Sometimes he was too groggy to recognize guests . But he spent much of his final days with Bobby Richardson , a teammate he and his hard-drinking buddies had once ridiculed as " the milk drinker . " <p> When Richardson came in on Thursday , Mantle noticed his bare ankles . " Hey boys , go buy him a pair of socks , " he teased . <p> Richardson , now a lay minister , helped Mantle pray and , at his request , will preside over his memorial service Tuesday . With Richardson 's counsel , Mantle accepted his death with grace and his wide , well-known grin . <p> " Somebody is lying on their deathbed , and you disturb or awaken them , and the first thing they do is smile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never really seen anyone do that . And then he would lift his hand up and shake your hand . " <p> Mantle 's doctors followed his orders to avoid heroic measures , but they stayed in close touch . Last night , a Baylor clergyman stood by in his room . <p> Shortly after 12:30 this morning , Merlyn Mantle called DeMarco at home to come immediately . She called on his car phone just after 1 A.M. to say that Mantle had stopped breathing . <p> DeMarco arrived minutes later to pronounce him dead . " I 'm sorry , " he said , turning to Merlyn and David . He paused , then added , " He 's resting now . " 
##3000359 <p> Mickey Mantle , the most powerful switch-hitter in baseball history and the successor to Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio as the symbol of the long reign of the New York Yankees , died of cancer yesterday in Dallas . He was 63 . <p> Mantle died at 2:10 A.M. Eastern time at Baylor University Medical Center , succumbing to the disease that had spread from his liver to most of his other vital organs . His wife , Merlyn , and son David were at his bedside . <p> On June 8 , Mantle underwent a transplant operation to replace a liver ravaged by cancer , hepatitis and cirrhosis . At the time , doctors said he would die within two to three weeks if he did not receive a new organ . On July 28 , he re-entered Baylor Medical Center for treatment of cancerous spots in his right lung . Recently , he had been suffering from anemia , a side effect of aggressive chemotherapy treatment , and had been receiving blood transfusions . On Aug. 9 , the hospital said the cancer had spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive cancer that anyone on the medical team has ever seen , " said Dr. Goran Klintmalm , medical director of transplant services at Baylor . " But the hope in this is that Mickey left behind a legacy . Mickey and his team have already made an enormous impact by increasing the awareness of organ donation . This may become Mickey 's ultimate home run . " <p> Mantle , who said he was " bred to play baseball , " traveled from the dirt-poor fields of Oklahoma to reach Yankee Stadium in the 1950 's and , after his retirement in March 1969 , the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of the superstars of the second half of the 20th century . <p> He commanded the biggest stage in sports as the center fielder for the most successful team in baseball , and he did it at a time when New York was blessed with three great center fielders renowned as " Willie , Mickey and the Duke , " home run hitters who captivated the public in the 1950 's as the leaders of memorable teams : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers . <p> He outlived the family curse of Hodgkin 's disease , which had contributed to the death by heart attack of his 36-year-old son Billy , and the early deaths of his father , at 39 , his grandfather and two uncles . He was separated from Merlyn , his wife of 43 years , although they remained friendly . He was an alcoholic , which doctors said was at least partly responsible for causing his liver cancer . <p> Through all the adversity , he exhibited a quiet but shrewd wit that he often unfurled in a down-home Oklahoma drawl . Of his fear of dying early , he once said : " I 'll never get a pension . I wo n't live long enough . " And after years of drinking and carousing with Whitey Ford and Billy Martin as his chief running mates , he joked , " If I knew I was going to live this long , I 'd have taken better care of myself . " <p> In the end , though , he had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 , a remorseful Mantle told the nation , especially its children : " Do n't be like me . God gave me a body and the ability to play baseball . I had everything and I just . . . " <p> But that 's not how he was remembered by teammates . " He was not a phony role model , and I think people really identified with that , " former teammate Tony Kubek said . " Mick was never a contrived person , he was a genuine person . He brought a lot of Oklahoma with him to New York and never really changed . He showed a certain amount of humility and never let the stardom go to his head . " <p> Said Gene Woodling , who played in the outfield beside Mantle for four seasons : " What can you say about Mickey after you say he was one of the greatest ? " The Powerful Symbol Of a Yankee Dynasty <p> He was the storybook star with the storybook name , Mickey , or simply Mick , or Slick to Martin and Ford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . He was the blond , muscled switch-hitter who joined the Yankees at 19 in 1951 as DiMaggio was winding down his Hall of Fame career . Wearing No. 7 , he led the team through 14 years of the greatest success any baseball team has known before he endured four more years of decline . <p> He not only hit the ball , he hammered it . He hit often , he hit deep and he did it from both sides of the plate better than anyone else . He could drag a bunt , too , with runaway speed , and he played his role with a kind of all-American sense of destiny . He signed his first contract for $7,500 and his last for $100,000 , which seemed princely enough at the time . But he became wildly famous for his strength , his dash , his laconic manner and , somewhat like Joe Namath in football , for his heroic performances on damaged knees . <p> Long after the cheers faded , so did Mantle , although he revived his image as a kind of fallen hero @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged that some of them were self-inflicted , especially drinking , a habit that had seemed harmless enough when crowds were cheering and he was playing and hitting home runs despite an occasional hangover . <p> In 1994 , while presiding over Mickey Mantle 's restaurant in Manhattan as a greeter , he entered the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs , Calif. , to undergo treatment for alcoholism . He came out of the clinic a chastened figure , and his frailty was reinforced by the public decline in his health since June . His transplant revived a debate over whether an alcoholic , even a recovering one , deserves a new liver , and whether his celebrity status had increased his chances of getting one . <p> Frail , and humbled by the sad events of his later life , Mantle received thousands of letters of support after his transplant operation and discovered that the public could forgive and forget . People chose instead to remember his baseball feats , unforgettably part of the heroic character he portrayed . <p> He was the anchor of the team for 18 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his knees could n't take the stress anymore , at first base . He played in 2,401 games and went to bat 8,102 times -- more than any other Yankee -- and delivered 2,415 hits for a .298 batting average . He hit 344 doubles , 72 triples and 536 home runs ( 373 left-handed , 163 right-handed ) , and he knocked in 1,509 runs . <p> He led the American League in home runs four times ( in 1955 , 1956 , 1958 and 1960 ) and led the league in almost everything in 1956 , when he won the triple crown with these totals : a .353 batting average , 130 runs batted in and 52 home runs . He was named the league 's most valuable player in 1956 , 1957 and 1962 . He also hit a record total of 18 home runs in 12 World Series , and 2 more in 16 All-Star Games . <p> He took such an all-out swing at the ball that he struck out regularly and broke the record set two generations earlier by Ruth . It was a record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hall of Fame on Aug. 12 , 1974 . <p> " I also broke Babe Ruth 's record for strikeouts , " Mantle said . " He struck out only 1,500 times . I did it 1,710 times . " <p> During their empire years , the Yankees built on the mountains of success they had fashioned in the days since Ruth joined them in 1920 . In the 1920 's , they won six American League pennants and three World Series . In the 1930 's , they won five pennants and five World Series . In the 1940 's , they won five pennants and four Series . And then came the era of Mantle . <p> In 1950 , the year before he arrived , the Yankees won the Series again . With Mantle established in the lineup , they won the pennant seven times and the Series five times in the next eight years . And from 1960-64 , with the addition of Roger Maris , they won five pennants and two World Series . <p> Not only that , but in their championship year of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their chase of Ruth 's home run record ; Mantle , sidelined by an abscessed hip , dropped out in mid-September with 54 , while Maris finished with a record 61 . Early Baseball Lessons From Both Sides of Plate <p> Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw , Okla. , on Oct. 20 , 1931 . His father , Elvin , nicknamed Mutt , worked in the zinc mines . But he was also a part-time baseball player who had such a passion for the game that he named his son in honor of Mickey Cochrane , the great catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and player-manager for the Detroit Tigers . When Mantle was 4 years old , his father would come home from work and teach him how to swing the bat from both sides of the plate while his mother held dinner for them until there was no more daylight . <p> " When I was a kid , " Mantle remembered a few years after he retired , " I used to work in the mines with my dad for $35 a week . Then my dad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poles . You see , when you have a prairie fire , if you do n't clean out a 10-yard spot around a telephone pole , it will burn the telephone pole out , and it will cost you a lot of money . <p> " I was still in high school and we were living out near Commerce in 1948 , and we did n't have a hell of a lot . My mother made every baseball uniform I ever wore till I signed with the Yankees . I mean , she sewed them right on me . I was 16 years old then , and my brothers and me would play ball out in the yard or out back in one of the fields . <p> " I was also playing semipro ball for a team they called the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids , and one night a scout from the Yankees named Tom Greenwade came through Baxter Springs . The ball park was right beside the road , and he was on his way to watch some guy play in another town . But he pulled his car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit three home runs in that game , two right-handed and one left-handed , and one of them even landed in the river out beyond the outfield . <p> " When I graduated from high school in 1949 , Greenwade showed up again . He even got me out of the commencement exercises so I could play ball because he was thinking of signing me for the Yankees . I think I hit two more home runs that night . When Greenwade came back a week later , he said he 'd give me a $1,500 bonus and $140 a month for the rest of the summer . That 's how I signed with the Yankees . " <p> The Yankees started Mantle at Independence , Kan. , where they had a Class D minor league club . He hit .313 , played shortstop and made 47 errors in 89 games . The next summer , at 18 , he played Class C ball in Joplin , Mo. , where he hit .383 but made 55 errors in 137 games at shortstop , mostly on wild throws to first base . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the following spring , he was in Phoenix as a rookie with the Yankees . <p> Ford , his ally on and off the field for years , remembered how shy and inarticulate the young Mantle seemed when he reported . <p> " Everything he owned was in a straw suitcase , " he said . " No money , none of those $400 suits he got around to buying a couple of years later . Just those two pairs of pastel slacks and that blue sports coat that he wore every place . <p> " Years later , we were sitting around the dining room at the Yankees ' ball park in Fort Lauderdale , and they had this oilcloth on the table , and Mickey said : ' This is what we used to have in our kitchen at home . We did n't even have chairs then ; we had boxes instead of chairs , and linoleum on the floor . And when it got cold , the draft would raise the linoleum up at the ends . ' " <p> Mantle was so insecure that he remembered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was playing his final season in center field and Mantle , who had been converted from shortstop to the outfield , was playing alongside him in right . <p> " Joe DiMaggio was my hero , " Mantle said , " but he could n't talk to me because I would n't even look at him , although he was always nice and polite . " Trip Back to Minors In First Year in Majors <p> Two months into the 1951 season , Manager Casey Stengel sent Mantle down to the Yankees ' top farm team in Kansas City because he was striking out too much . Against Walt Masterson of the Boston Red Sox he struck out five times in one game . He stayed in the minors for 40 games , returned to New York and closed his rookie season hitting .267 with 13 home runs in 96 games . <p> " Then in the World Series in 1951 , " Mantle said , " I tripped on the water-main sprinkler in the outfield while I was holding back so DiMaggio could catch a ball that Willie Mays hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . That was the start of my knee operations . I had four . <p> " Once , they operated on my shoulder and tied the tendons together . I had a cyst cut out of my right knee another time . And down in Baltimore in 1963 , Slick was pitching one night and Brooks Robinson hit a home run over the center-field fence . I jumped up and tried to catch it , and got my foot caught in the wire mesh on the fence , and that time I broke my foot about halfway up . " <p> He became one of the damaged demigods of sport , but he played with such natural power that he remained the key figure on a team achieving towering success for the fifth straight decade . <p> His strength as a hitter became legendary . In 1953 , batting right-handed , he hit a ball thrown by Chuck Stobbs of the Washington Senators over the 55-foot-high left-field fence in Griffith Stadium , a drive that was measured at 565 feet from home plate . Three years later , and again in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ball into the third deck , within a few feet of the peak of the facade in right field in Yankee Stadium , and no one has come closer to driving a fair ball out of the park . <p> In 1956 , he hit 16 home runs in May . In 1964 , he hit two home runs in his final two times at bat on July 4 , and two more in his first two times up in the next game the following day . In 1956 , he hit three home runs in the World Series , three more in the 1960 Series and three more in the 1964 Series , running his total to 18 and breaking Ruth 's record . <p> " Casey Stengel was like a father to me , " Mantle said . " Maybe because I was only 19 years old when I started playing for him , and a couple of years later my own dad was gone . The Old Man really helped me a lot . I guess he even protected me . But I still did n't have it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballplayer . <p> " Then Ralph Houk came along and changed my whole idea of thinking about myself . I still did n't have a lot of confidence . Not till Houk came along and told me , ' You are going to be my leader . You 're the best we 've got . ' " <p> After Leaving Baseball , Day and Night Drinking <p> The Yankees stopped winning pennants after the 1964 season , and Mantle stopped playing after the 1968 season . He remembered later what it was like : " When I first retired , " he wrote in an article in Sports Illustrated in 1994 , " it was like Mickey Mantle died . I was nothing . Nobody gave a damn about Mickey Mantle for about five years . " <p> By then , he reported , he was living in a steady haze induced by all-day and all-night drinking . <p> " When I was drinking , " he said , " I thought it was funny -- the life of the party . But as it turned out , nobody could stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Martin 's wedding in 1988 , and I can hardly remember being there . " Martin died in a one-vehicle accident on Christmas night 1989 . He was legally drunk at the time . <p> Mantle admitted that drinking had become a way of life even while he was playing . But it finally became a nightmare that undermined his life . And at the request of his son Danny and Pat Summerall , the former football player and current television broadcaster , he checked into the Betty Ford Center in 1994 . <p> He remembered what his doctor told him then : " Your liver is still working , but it has healed itself so many times that before long you 're just going to have one big scab for a liver . Eventually , you 'll need a new liver . I 'm not going to lie to you : The next drink you take may be your last . " <p> There was no next drink , Mantle said . And after leaving the Betty Ford Center , he seemed to be a revived person . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guys come up and shake hands and say , ' Good job , Mick . ' It makes you feel good . It 's unbelievable . They give a damn now . " <p> In addition to his wife and son David , he is survived by two other sons , Danny and Mickey Jr . <p> Funeral services are scheduled for 2 P.M. Tuesday at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas . Chart lists Mickey Mantle 's baseball statistics , his milestones and career highlights ( pg . B7 ) 
##3000360 <p> The Yankees , black armbands on their sleeves , had tears in their eyes yesterday . So did many of the 45,866 fans in attendance , the third-largest crowd of the season at Yankee Stadium , where the flags flew at half-staff . <p> There was a moment of silence , as there was at every major league ball park today , followed by a video remembrance of the late Mickey Mantle ; the crowd gave a long standing ovation . <p> " Mickey Mantle , a Yankee Forever , " proclaimed the Stadium marquee . One scoreboard message simply read , " 7 With Us Forever . " <p> In effect , yesterday was a Mantle farewell along the lines of those for Lou Gehrig , Babe Ruth and Thurman Munson before him . People came to mourn a larger-than-life figure , one of the last great superstars in the Yankee pantheon . They also came to watch a game , an important one played in the heat of a pennant race against the backdrop of a legend 's passing . <p> The Boston Red Sox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 3-0 when David Cone took the mound against the Cleveland Indians . Cone admitted afterward that he was aware of that score . <p> Inspired by Mantle , and inspired that the Yankees could not afford to fall yet another game behind the streaking Red Sox , Cone ( 13-6 , 4-0 as a Yankee ) was sensational . The right-hander delivered the Yankees ' second complete game in as many days , striking out nine and yielding just a solo home run , a double and four singles against a ferocious Cleveland lineup . <p> Paul O'Neill backed Cone with a two-run homer in the first inning , his second homer in as many games . Randy Velarde had three singles and drove in two runs . Don Mattingly had two doubles . Darryl Strawberry added three hits . And the Yankees took their second straight decision over the Indians , 4-1 , to close out this five-game set and head to Boston on a strong note -- after they had dropped the first three games of this series in heartbreaking fashion . <p> Boston held on yesterday for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Fenway Park . By winning , the Yankees remained nine games behind in the American League East . <p> " It was pretty emotional , " Mattingly , the Yankee captain , said afterward . " I 'm sure a lot of the guys do n't know Mick , they know of him . Watching the video before the game was tough . I wanted to do something on a day like today . I wanted to go deep , to tell you the truth . " <p> Mattingly nearly did , doubling off the right-field fence before scoring the Yankees ' final run in the sixth . But the game was almost an afterthought . <p> The day started with the news of Mantle 's death spreading through the Yankee clubhouse . Players reminisced about their experiences with the outfielder . The Yankees staged an impromptu news conference at which Mattingly , the longtime broadcaster Mel Allen , Manager Buck Showalter , General Manager Gene Michael and Bobby Murcer , Mantle 's longtime friend and onetime heir apparent , all spoke . <p> Murcer , who was once billed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was overcome by emotion at the death of his boyhood idol and fellow Oklahoman . <p> " Mickey , the reason people loved him so much is that he portrayed the innocence of what we all want to be , " Murcer said . " I do n't think to this day Mickey ever realized how people felt about him and how he touched their lives . We 've truly lost not only an American hero but a person that portrayed the innocence and the honesty that we would all like to have . " <p> Mantle was Showalter 's hero , too . He spoke of how , when he was growing up , Mantle was a part of every child 's dreams and how every Little Leaguer used to want to wear No. 7 for the Yankees . <p> " Part of the whole baseball world passed away this morning , " Showalter said . " Old-Timer 's Day will never be the same . " <p> Allen , who called many of Mantle 's great moments , related a story about how Manager Casey Stengel pleaded with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let him keep the raw 19-year-old . Said Allen : " ' That boy hits balls over buildings , ' Casey said . <p> " Mickey would always say that his grandfather and father had passed away at a young age from Hodgkin 's disease . He said , ' It 's going to hit me , so I 'm going to enjoy life as best as I can . ' Mickey had this real feeling , he did n't think he was going to live much past that . As he later said , he lived a lot longer than he ever expected . " <p> After the news conference , the Yankees held the on-field ceremony in memory of Mantle , who was 63 . <p> " Today is a sad day for the Yankee family and Yankee fans everywhere , " said the public-address announcer , Bob Sheppard , " because today we have lost one of our own , and one of the greatest players in the history of baseball . Please join now for a few moments of silent prayer as we all remember Mickey Mantle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had marked a No. 7 on their caps yesterday -- were joined by the Indians and fans in bowing their heads . Robert Merrill sang the national anthem . The video tribute was played over DiamondVision . The fans gave Mantle a standing ovation as a picture of a draped No. 7 pinstriped jersey hung on the scoreboard screen . <p> Showalter said that for once it was easy to get all his players out of the clubhouse and onto the field . <p> " I 've always liked that , our players realizing our heritage and how much it meant to our fans , " the manager said of the tribute . " It was uplifting but it was still a very sad day for the organization . " <p> Velarde said , " It was n't surprising to me to look down the dugout and see tears in some of the guys ' eyes . " <p> The Yankees came out and dominated the Indians behind Cone . <p> " I walked out and looked at the monuments and the Mickey Mantle plaque before the game , " said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he saw the Stadium marquee yesterday morning . " You ca n't help but get caught up in all the tradition . It was a privilege to be here . I feel pretty lucky . " <p> Showalter said afterward that , for the second straight game , he had planned not to use his overworked closer , John Wetteland . He did not need to . Cone threw 130 pitches and was in serious trouble only once -- in the eighth when Cleveland put runners on first and second with two out . <p> Cone quickly fell behind , 2-0 , to Eddie Murray . The pitching coach , Nardi Contreras , went to the mound . <p> " Pitching sort of backwards , " as Cone called it , the pitcher then threw a split-finger fastball past Murray , who was looking straight fastball . Cone then delivered a fastball away and Murray grounded out to second . Threat over . Game all but over . <p> " It was almost a copy of what Jack did , " Showalter said of Jack McDowell 's complete-game victory over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell you how tough it is to go through that lineup . " <p> Victory or no , yesterday was a very long day for Showalter . <p> " It 's just a sad day , " he said . " Mickey meant so much to this organization and the game of baseball . Many a kid played this game because he wanted to be like Mickey Mantle . " 
##3000363 <p> When the Yankees drag what is left of their division-title hopes into Fenway Park tomorrow , they will brace for the usual nooks and crannies the old ball park can present . <p> However , the Yankees will not have to brace for the newest wrinkle , and among the most puzzling , presented by the Red Sox this season . They will miss Tim Wakefield , the born-again master of the knuckleball , by one day , a bit of good fortune needed by a team that has had too little of that commodity lately . <p> Wakefield , 13-1 this season , will pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park today . Win or lose , his very presence will remind everyone that the Red Sox again have a stopper on the mound , although one that does n't go by the name of Roger Clemens . Instead , it is Wakefield who is single-handedly making it possible for the Sox to think that this could be the year they put an end to a World Series championship drought that started in 1919 . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starts . If half of his victories were taken away , the Red Sox would be right with the Yankees -- thinking perhaps about a wild-card berth instead of swaggering toward their first division title since 1990 . <p> " Tim has been awesome , " said Mo Vaughn , the Red Sox first baseman . " We probably would n't be where we are without him . " <p> Not with Aaron Sele ailing . And especially not with Clemens suddenly vulnerable to injuries and being gingerly nursed through the season . <p> Wakefield has proved to be a savior . He has become so after first being released by the Pittsburgh Pirates this spring . And he has done so thanks to three Yankee expatriates : Sammy Ellis , the oft-fired Yankees pitching coach turned Red Sox pitching architect , and the brothers Phil and Joe Niekro , once practically the only practitioners of the knuckleball and now the world 's most famous knuckleball doctors . Wakefield was recommended to the Red Sox by Ellis and retooled by the Niekros in April , and made the Boston rotation in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me , " says Phil Niekro , who worked on Wakefield 's knuckleball and confidence level for two weeks . " We worked , but it was his show after that . And he came back from the dead . " <p> When Wakefield gained victory No. 13 , he did so by stopping the mighty Cleveland Indians on six hits last Tuesday night , going the route in a 5-1 victory . That marked the 13th time this season he has allowed two or fewer runs . He has n't given up more than three earned runs in any start . <p> Many naysayers will tell you that Wakefield 's successes are made of papier-mache and about as reliable as a Red Sox lead in August . Wakefield has picked up on both rhythms in his short stay in New England . <p> " I know that a lot of people are waiting for us to fall , but we 're starting to make a lot of believers out of people , " the 29-year-old pitcher said last week at Fenway Park . And while usually unobtrusive , Wakefield , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the bulldog other teams must see when the 6-foot-2-inch , 204-pound right-hander takes the mound . <p> " Let them think what they want to think , " Wakefield said , his eyes flashing and his resolve flowing . " All I know is that I never gave up on myself . I battled like crazy and struggled , but I learned a lot about myself . I 've learned to not let too many distractions get in the way of what I 've got to do as a starting pitcher , and that 's to keep the ball club in the game . Obviously , I 've done that so far , and hopefully I 'll keep going . " <p> So far he has . Simply put , Wakefield , with a one-pitch arsenal that floats like a butterfly but stings hitters like a swarm of bees , is the hottest pitcher in baseball . Maybe he is ahead only by a flutter , with Randy Johnson , Greg Maddux and Mike Mussina within whisper in many categories . Still , an extraordinary pace is being set by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ match his earned run average of 1.61 . Only Mussina can match the victory total of 13 . Only Maddux can match Wakefield 's total of six complete games . <p> Wakefield , the winner of nine straight , has not lost since June 14 , the longest streak by a Red Sox pitcher since Clemens won 14 straight in 1986 . <p> The streak is built on merit -- Wakefield has pitched at least 7 innings in 13 of 16 starts this season . He has allowed no more than one run in four of his last five starts . " He 's just so consistent , " said Red Sox Manager Kevin Kennedy . " I ca n't say enough about him . " <p> Said Wakefield : " I 'm just having a lot of fun out there . And as long as I walk off that mound knowing that I left everything out there , I 'll be O.K. " <p> Wakefield certainly awed Cleveland . The team that has crushed American League opponents this season did n't come close to muscling Wakefield last week . Eddie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second inning -- but after that , and aside from five harmless singles , the rest of the game was singularly futile for Cleveland . <p> " He got into the flow of the game and just beat us , " said Indians third baseman Jim Thome . " It 's not like we made a lot of mistakes . It 's just hard to prepare for the knuckleball . You 've got to wait and get a pitch up in the zone . But his knuckleball was rising , and we still could n't hit it . " <p> Red Sox catcher Mike Macfarlane said : " I 've got the utmost confidence to call it at any time . In fact , he was kind of surprised when I called a 3-1 knuckleball and he threw it for a strike , so I think you breed confidence in each other when you have that kind of ability . " <p> The knuckleball makes Wakefield 's sudden success somewhat quaint . That the pitcher went from the heights to the depths only to come back and deliver all over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rookie in 1992 , Wakefield was 8-1 with a 2.15 earned run average in less than half a season for the National League East champion Pirates . He made headlines , winning five straight going into the post-season and then going 2-0 in the playoffs against Atlanta . But the pitcher who got the opening day assignment the next season fell to 6-11 that season before falling into the minors for the entire 1994 campaign . <p> " My biggest problem was that I got caught up in the media hype that happened , " Wakefield said . " When things started to go wrong , I started to hit the panic button myself , and became very timid and was trying to aim it . " <p> Aiming a pitch as slow as the knuckleball , and thus causing it to flatten out , can be fatal . It was for Wakefield in Pittsburgh . The Pirates , reviewing his 5-15 record and 5.84 e.r.a. with Class AAA Buffalo in 1994 , released the knuckleballer just before this season began . <p> " I know it must have been tough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' manager . " He told me : ' I 'll never forget what you did for us in ' 92 . ' But he said : ' I think it 's better for you and for us if we let you go . I can almost guarantee you you 'll have a job within 24 hours . ' " <p> Leyland , who to this day wins praise from Wakefield , proved right . Ellis , Boston 's minor league pitching coordinator , recommended Wakefield be signed after consulting with Joe Niekro , who had pitched under Ellis with the Yankees in 1986 . <p> Dan Duquette , the Red Sox general manager , took Ellis 's advice , inviting Wakefield to the team 's extended spring training , with one condition . " Dan Duquette called me and said that the Red Sox were interested -- if the Niekros would work with me , " Wakefield said . <p> That was easy to arrange since the Red Sox train in Fort Myers , Fla. , as do the Colorado Silver Bullets , the women 's professional baseball team managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He still had the knuckleball , " said Phil Niekro , who won 318 games with the pitch , including 32 in two seasons with the Yankees . " He just forgot how to use it and what it was for . He was throwing it , but hoping , wishing , guiding it . He did n't know if he was going to win a ball game , get the ball over the plate , strike somebody out . So we just worked on that , getting him back to being a little bulldog out there . " <p> Something obviously clicked . " Mentally , he gave me a kick , and I can really sense that when I became aggressive , my confidence came back , " Wakefield said . <p> " Now you can see the confidence he 's got within himself , " Phil Niekro said . " Other clubs just pick that up and become defensive . He 's just turned it around . " <p> Wakefield has done that and more . The Yankees and the rest of the American League East can attest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote for the league 's Cy Young Award may well endorse that assessment , too . 