SCOUTS ARE DROOLING OVER THIS DREAM TEAM - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

BOB KURLAND, Staff Writer
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
12-11-1994
SCOUTS ARE DROOLING OVER THIS DREAM TEAM
By BOB KURLAND, Staff Writer
Date: 12-11-1994, Sunday
Section: SPORTS
Edition: All Editions -- Sunday

CORRECTION - Bill Timony of Park Ridge should have been listed as a quarterback
on the All-Bergen County football team honorable mention listing. PUBLISHED
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1994, page s09, all editions.

The 1994 All-Bergen offensive football team, selected by the Bergen
County Coaches Association, has everything needed to field a great unit
-- skill, speed, and size. And proving its worth is the amount of
Division I college scouts buzzing around the players.

Bergen Catholic's big tackle Ryan Carfley is set at North Carolina,
Hackensack's sensational runner, Rashidi Brown, has five visits set,
Teaneck's 6-foot-7 1/2 John Wellington is balancing such schools as
Duke, Purdue, and Penn State, and Paramus Catholic's sensational
receiver Anthony DiCosmo is also being recruited.

Pointing up the strength of the unit is that second-team tackle
Brad Messina of Bogota is being wooed by such schools as Maryland, Iowa,
and Nebraska.

Here's a close-up of the players:

NUNZIO CAMPANILE, Paramus Catholic, QB -- Although one of the
smaller players on the team, he played like a giant. He led the team in
rushing with 439 yards and completed 157 of 262 passes for 1,952 yards
and 19 touchdowns despite being hobbled in the last two games by an
injured knee.

And since the Paladins weren't as strong as in the past, they
played a lot of catch-up, including going on fourth down 37 times. He
made the necessary yardage 27 times -- nine times in a close loss to
Hackensack.

'He's a real leader,' says coach Mike Campanile, his father. 'He
knows how to make the kids around him play better. And he had his best
games against the better teams.'

On defense, the 165-pounder played middle linebacker and strong
safety while leading the club in tackles. He carries a 4.0 GPA and is
looking at Dartmouth, Brown, and Princeton.

JUSTIN SCHWARTZ, Glen Rock, QB -- The senior did it all in leading
the Panthers into the playoffs, two years after they had a winless
season.

'His poise is so incredible, it was like having a 25-year-old on the
field,' says coach Paul White.

An All-County javelin thrower, he completed 79 of 135 passes for
1,074 yards and carried 107 times for 733 yards and nine touchdowns. He
averaged 7 yards a carry on audibles. 'He could run over you, but once
in the open could beat people to the end zone,' says White.

The 6-1, 190-pounder quick-kicked twice for 40 and 45 yards, and
when outstanding defensive end Sean Brady suffered an ankle injury,
Schwartz learned the position in days and had a sensational game against
Hawthorne.

Colleges like him, but his heart is in track, and right now he's
deciding whether to attend Virginia or Rutgers.

RASHIDI BROWN, Hackensack, RB -- The mighty little dynamo with 4.3
speed wrapped up his career with almost every school career offensive
record, including 64 touchdowns and 5,421 yards.

He was closing in on the Bergen TD mark this year only to suffer a
fractured ankle and missed three games. He wound up with 27 touchdowns
and averaged nearly 10 yards a carry in picking up 1,714 yards.

'He's the most dominating player I've ever seen in the county,'
says coach Greg Toal. 'Unlike other great speed backs, he was best on
going inside the tackles. And very few people kicked to him.'

Brown returned two punts for scores and picked up a lot of yardage
on all his returns.

The 5-7 sensation will probably visit Clemson, Pittsburgh, South
Carolina, North Carolina State, and Rutgers.

JIM FINN, Bergen Catholic, RB -- 'His ability to cut and make
something out of nothing is unlike any player I've ever seen,' says
coach Fred Stengel. 'He has tremendous vision of the field. Jim has more
moves and ability than any back I've coached except for Eric Lane
[Tennessee scholarship].'

Finn carried 161 times for 1,326 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also
caught seven passes for 133 yards and three scores. And on defense he
recorded 36 tackles from his safety position.

He would like to play football in college, possibly James Madison
or Boston University, but Syracuse and Brown have shown interest in him
as a wrestler.

JOE MAURO, Rutherford, RB -- The senior was so important to the
Bulldogs that he never left the field. 'He was explosive every time he
touched the ball,' says coach Al Weber. He scored carrying the ball,
receiving, and on kick returns. He was the major difference in us
winning nine games in a new, bigger league [NNJIL National].'

Mauro was a defensive back as a sophomore, wide receiver last year,
and moved to tailback this season. In his final game he returned a
kickoff for a 92-yard touchdown. He also had TDs of 76 and 86 yards.
Also, he was an outstanding linebacker.

The 195-pounder carried 171 times for 1,137 yards and 12 scores and
caught 15 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns. Including kick
returns, he posted 2,062 yards.

While he would like to play football in college, he could wind up
playing baseball. The Dodgers have checked him out as a catcher.

STEVE SUL, Hasbrouck Heights, RB -- The 5-8, 160-pounder was the
Aviators' answer to Brown, as he rushed 185 times for 1,520 yards and 20
touchdowns.

'He has the running ability to go north and south,' says coach Nick
Delcalzo. 'And that pays off in extra yardage as he follows his guards
straight ahead. There are faster runners but he just knows where the
holes are.'

Although the Aviators seldom threw the ball, he showed he has good
hands by grabbing six passes. A strong student, with a 4.3 GPA, he looks
like a good bet for an Ivy League team.

ANTHONY DICOSMO, Paramus Catholic, WR -- Great hands and speed
explain why he caught 70 passes for 996 yards and 10 touchdowns.

'What the college scouts like the best about him,' says Campanile,
'is that after making the catch he has the ability to make the first guy
miss him and turn a short pass into long yardage. And he did it when
mainly being double covered.'

DiCosmo graduates with a school-record 143 receptions and 21
touchdowns. And this season he averaged nearly 30 yards on kick returns.
'He was truly amazing on fourth-down plays,' says the coach.

Among the schools interested are Duke, Syracuse, and Rutgers.

MIKE RICKETT, Fair Lawn, WR -- 'He's the best of both worlds, as
he's a real good possession receiver and can beat you deep,' says coach
Mike Alberque, who gets another year out him.

The junior owns the school season record of 54 receptions, 1,022
yards, and 11 touchdowns, plus the career mark of 91 catches. He also
uses his sticky hands on defense, where he picked off seven passes.

MIKE FOX, Waldwick, TE -- It's tough enough catching passes, but for
three games Fox accomplished the feat while wearing a cast on his broken
left wrist. In his first outing with the cast, he caught 12 passes
against Paterson Catholic for 120 yards.

'He's a good blocker, hard hitter, and once catching the ball loves
to run with it [4.8 speed],' says coach Neil Johnson.

He wound up with 48 catches for 554 yards and six scores. Fox also
played well at defensive end and blocked three punts.

Among the possible colleges are Northeastern, Fordham, Delaware,
and Monmouth.

BRIAN VISTOSKY, Hasbrouck Heights, TE -- 'We did a lot of running
behind him,' says Delcalzo. 'He's a great blocker and one of the big
reasons we were so successful on the ground.

'We didn't have to throw the ball but he does have excellent
hands.'

The old-fashioned blocking tight end did catch 11 passes for 205
yards and three touchdowns. His size (205 pounds) could mean Division
I-AA or II college teams.

RYAN CARFLEY, Bergen Catholic, T -- 'He's the best offensive lineman
I've coached in 27 years,' says Stengel. 'He's an outstanding run
blocker and we picked up a big chunk of our 3,000 yards behind him. Ryan
played only a half [knee injury] in the championship game against St.
Peter's and that was a tremendous loss because he's our emotional
leader, our King Kong.'

Carfley played defense as a sophomore, both ways last year, and
strictly offense this season. The 296-pounder is a devastating blocker.

JOHN WELLINGTON, Teaneck, T -- 'He improved 150 percent over his
junior year,' says coach Dennis Heck. 'And now it looks like he'll be an
even better player in college because he'll be pushed by guys his size
instead of having problems with smaller people.'

The size and quickness are the initial lures, but his 3.4 GPA made
him irresistible to the colleges. Among those calling him are Virginia
and Syracuse.

And the scouts feel if he keeps developing and getting stronger --
'They're talking of him being more than 300 pounds when he gets out of
college,' says Heck -- he could go to the pro level. 'The last couple of
games he was outstanding with our zone and trap blocking.'

The coach should know about tackles, as he coached Dave Szott at
Clifton, who now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. He could wind up with
a second pro product.

CHRIS CHRISTOUDIAS, Ramsey, G -- 'He's such a tenacious blocker that
we moved him around so we could run most of our plays behind him,' says
coach Steve Hyman. 'He has good strength and probably played his best in
our two playoff games.'

Christoudias is a very good student and is undecided whether he'll
play at Tufts, where he will major in engineering. 'He never said
much,' said the coach 'but just went out there and played his
position.'

ADRIAN PUZIO, St. Joseph, G -- 'He was our best offensive lineman,'
says coach Tony Karcich, who will have him back next season. 'He opened
as our center but injuries at guard moved him there. Then there were
injuries at tackle, and we put him there before moving back to guard.
What makes him so good is that he has excellent feet, which makes him a
great trap blocker.'

On defense he started slowly, but wound up being the top lineman.
The 225-pounder bench-presses 315 pounds. 'He has a great work ethic,'
says the coach.

JASON CHIUSOLO, Hackensack, C -- A year ago he played tight end, but
a lack of a center forced the position on him. And the rookie snapper
quickly turned into a veteran.

'He was a devastating trap blocker and a major factor in our
offense picking up 4,000 yards,' says Toal. 'And he built himself up
from about 180 to 218 pounds.'

Another strong student who is looking to play for an Ivy League
school.

BUCK ELSEY, Bergen Catholic, PK -- The soccer player-turned-kicker
connected on 49 of 55 extra points, with four being blocked. And he
connected on a 43-yard field goal while making 4-of-6 attempts.

The junior wound up with the school record for kicking points with
61. He had 14 kickoff touchbacks.

'What's scary,' says Stengel, 'is he's still learning and doesn't
know what he's doing.' It could be quite a senior year if he continues
to develop.

(SIDEBAR, page s20)

ALL-BERGEN OFFENSE

First team

POSITION NAME SCHOOL HT. WT. CLASS
End ANTHONY DICOSMO Paramus Catholic 6-3 175 Senior
End MIKE RICKETT Fair Lawn 5-11 170 Junior
Tackle RYAN CARFLEY Bergen Catholic 6-3 296 Senior
Tackle JOHN WELLINGTON Teaneck 6-7 275 Senior
Guard CHRIS CHRISTOUDIAS Ramsey 6-1 280 Senior
Guard ADRIAN PUZIO St. Joseph 6-0 225 Junior
Center JASON CHIUSOLO Hackensack 6-1 215 Senior
Quarterback NUNZIO CAMPANILE Paramus Catholic 5-10 175 Senior
Quarterback JUSTIN SCHWARTZ Glen Rock 6-1 190 Senior
Running back RASHIDI BROWN Hackensack 5-8 170 Senior
Running back JIM FINN Bergen Catholic 6-0 205 Senior
Running back JOE MAURO Rutherford 5-10 195 Senior
Running back STEVE SUL Hasbrouck Heights 5-8 160 Senior
Tight end MIKE FOX Waldwick 6-3 215 Senior
Tight end BRIAN VISTOSKY Hasbrouck Heights 6-5 205 Senior
Placekicker BUCK ELSEY Bergen Catholic 6-2 190 Junior

Second team

POSITION NAME SCHOOL HT. WT. CLASS
End MIKE ETTZ Lodi 5-9 160 Senior
End CHUCK MAZZARONE Bergen Catholic 5-10 175 Senior
Tackle BRIAN KING Indian Hills 6-2 222 Senior
Tackle BRAD MESSINA Bogota 6-6 285 Senior
Guard BILL DEAETT Glen Rock 6-2 210 Senior
Guard JEFF WERNER Hasbrouck Heights 5-9 180 Senior
Center BRIAN COUGHLAN Bergen Catholic 6-3 255 Senior
Quarterback PERRIN MOSCA Hackensack 6-2 185 Senior
Quarterback PAT WILLIAMS Fair Lawn 6-2 225 Senior
Running back MIKE GUAZZO Indian Hills 6-4 195 Junior
Running back PAT MALLOY Cresskill 6-0 190 Senior
Running back SAL PICINICH Becton 5-8 205 Senior
Tight end DAVE DANHO Dumont 6-2 190 Senior
Tight end BOB KONDRAT Mahwah 6-3 210 Junior
Placekicker PAUL WIOROWSKI Cresskill 5-9 165 Junior

Third team

POSITION NAME SCHOOL HT. WT. CLASS
End TIM JORDAIN Westwood 6-2 185 Senior
End WALTER KING Hackensack 6-3 170 Junior
Tackle JOHN JACKSON Becton 6-2 210 Senior
Tackle KEN MERLO Westwood 6-3 235 Senior
Guard WILLIE SIMMONS Hackensack 6-2 255 Senior
Guard ANTHONY TORRACA Rutherford 6-2 220 Senior
Center BRIAN VOSS Northern Highlands6-0 195 Senior
Quarterback MIKE BRANAGH Waldwick 6-4 180 Senior
Quarterback MAX SABINO Northern Highlands5-11 170 Senior
Running back ANDREW MARINIELLO Pascack Hills 6-2 190 Senior
Running back BRYAN RUST Garfield 5-10 175 Senior
Running back IDRIS WELLS Westwood 6-0 190 Junior
Tight end JOE MERLINO Paramus Catholic 6-1 197 Junior
Tight end ANTHONY REGA Becton 6-0 180 Senior
Placekicker DAX STROHMEYER Northern Highlands6-3 197 Senior

Honorable mention

WIDE RECEIVERS -- Anthony Gallella, Paramus Catholic; John Lerch,
Fair Lawn; Keith Michel, Indian Hills; Mike Malizia, Northern Highlands;
Robert Davis, Englewood; Scott Silverman, New Milford; Mike Bradley,
Palisades Park; Chris Leonard, Glen Rock; Adam Wolfson, Waldwick; Mikkel
Brown, Elmwood Park; Mike Paolercio, Park Ridge; Brian McGuire,
Cresskill.

TIGHT ENDS -- Tom Steiner, Ridgewood; Karl Weiss, Paramus; Jake
Hamrick, NV/Demarest; Arno Rheinberger, Fair Lawn; Ken Solarino, Pascack
Hills; Jon Surran, Westwood; Tito Valdez, Palisades Park; Mark Kalish,
Lodi; Fernando Verterdor, Garfield; Ron Kempe, Elmwood Park; Marty
Vitkovsky, Wood-Ridge.

TACKLES -- Chris Van Cleve, Ridgewood; Jay Camerlengo, Paramus
Catholic; Fatmir Dema, NV/Old Tappan; Chris DeLuna, Fair Lawn; Bill
Gibbons, Bergenfield; Ian Steberson, NV/Old Tappan; Chad Parker,
Northern Highlands; Eric Tomaszewski, Rutherford; Greg Bilyk, North
Arlington; Chris Toforo, Glen Rock; Andrew Varaj, Glen Rock; Anthony
DiMartino, Lodi; Donny Janeuski, Elmwood Park; Andrew Elford, St.
Mary's.

GUARDS -- Jack Kashishian, Bergen Catholic; Mike Krauchuk, NV/Old
Tappan; Greg Zurberg, Fair Lawn; Ron Min, Pascack Hills; Vin Venetucci,
Ridgefield Park; Steve Dogherty, North Arlington; Ali Fathali, Palisades
Park; Erick Anderson, Waldwick; Bryan Rendon, Lodi; Anthony Iaquez,
Elmwood Park; Martin Grycuk, Wallington.

CENTERS -- Derrick Borkowski, Fair Lawn; Mike Giampietro, Cliffside
Park; Allen Bull, Tenafly; Phil Santiago, Lyndhurst; Chris Rigg, Glen
Rock; Rich Falletta, Elmwood Park; John Kryzanowksi, St. Mary's.

RUNNING BACKS -- Mark Mitchell, Don Bosco Prep; Rob Carey, Nutley;
Mike Sellari, Nutley; Jeff Galucci, NV/Demarest; Rob Miano, Ramapo;
Jason DiRese, NV/Old Tappan; Marcus Giles, Mahwah; Chris Burrows,
Cliffside Park; Marquis Easley, Ridgefield Park; Pat Auteri, Lyndhurst;
Alex Cruz, Palisades Park; Korey Wright, Glen Rock; Domond Anderson,
Glen Rock; John Yessis, Midland Park; Ed Murphy, Lodi; Caran Nelson,
Lodi; Mark Beneken, Bogota; Wally Elegbe, Teaneck; Orande Higgans,
Paramus Catholic.

QUARTERBACKS -- Ray Harmon, Ridgewood; Mike Greco, Nutley; Jason
Tardio, Ramapo; Bill Falkenstern, NV/Old Tappan; Bill Weigel,
Bergenfield; Ryan Caputo, Indian Hills; Manny Gotay, Cliffside Park;
John LoBello, Westwood; Mike McSweeney, New Milford; Pat Powers, Leonia;
Chuck Manzo, Garfield; Frank D'Amico, Lodi.

PLACE KICKERS -- John Mulfinger, Ramapo; Aaron Schrager, Ramsey; Joe
Careri, Rutherford; Joe Lucious, Westwood; Tom Bermingham, North
Arlington; Kevin Tode, Glen Rock; Lou Taylor, St. Joseph.

Illustrations/Photos: 16 PHOTOS 1 - Anthony DiCosmo, Paramus Catholic, End
2 - Mike Rickett, Fair Lawn, End 3 - Ryan Carlfey, Bergen Catholic, Tackle
4 - John Wellington, Teaneck, Tackle 5 - Chris Christoudias, Ramsey, Guard
6 - Adrian Puzio, St. Joseph, Guard 7 - Jason Chiusolo, Hackensack, Center
8 - Nunzio Campanile, Paramus Catholic, Quarterback 9 - Justin Schwatrz, Glen
Rock, Quarterback 10 - Rashidi Brown, Hackensack, Running back 11 - Jim Finn,
Bergen Catholic, Running back 12 - Joe Mauro, Rutherford, Running back 13 -
Steve Sul, Hasbrouck Heights, Running back 14 - Mike Fox, Waldwick, Tight end
15 - Brian Vistosky, Hasbrouck Heights, Tight end 16 - Buck Elsey, Bergen Catholic,
Placekicker

Keywords: BERGEN COUNTY. SCHOOL. FOOTBALL. ATHLETE. THE RECORD. AWARD

Copyright 1994 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.

SNOWBALL THROWER OUSTED, BUT SEX ABUSER IS WELCOME - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

STEVE ADUBATO JR.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
11-24-1996
SNOWBALL THROWER OUSTED, BUT SEX ABUSER IS WELCOME
By STEVE ADUBATO JR.
Date: 11-24-1996, Sunday
Section: REVIEW & OUTLOOK
Edition: All Editions -- Sunday

THE 'second chance' signing of football player Christian Peter by
the Giants raises a host of troubling questions and issues. This
incident speaks volumes about how we continue (even post-O.J.) to give a
wink and a nod to talented ballplayers with histories of physically and
sexually abusing women.

Christian Peter was once a star at Middletown South High who played
on two national championship teams at the football factory known as the
University of Nebraska. At 6 feet 3 inches, and 300 pounds, Christian
was an imposing figure around campus. He was a star, named captain in
his senior year despite 'some problems with the social thing,' as one
teammate put it.

The 'social thing?' Meet Kathy Redmond, who claims that on two
occasions in September 1991, Christian raped her. He says he was falsely
accused. Not long after, former Miss Nebraska Natalie Kuivenhoven went
to the police claiming Christian grabbed her crotch in a crowded Lincoln
bar. He eventually pleaded 'no contest' to third-degree sexual assault.

Melissa Demuth claimed Christian sexually assaulted her after they
met at a club and went back to her apartment. She says he held her down
and sexually abused her. He said the sex was consensual. The police
dropped the charges.

Janulle Mues charges that Christian abused her physically and
verbally when they got into an argument. The 95-pound girl said the
300-pounder grabbed her by the throat, then called her a string of
obscenities. Christian cut a deal with the county prosecutor by pleading
guilty to 'disturbing the peace.'

Christian was also arrested for trespassing, urinating in public,
refusing to comply with a police officer, and third-degree assault for
threatening to kill a parking lot attendant. Nice kid.

Amazingly, on April 21 of this year, the New England Patriots
drafted Christian. Did they know his history of 'social problems' at the
time? Well, a few months earlier, Christian claims, he met with a group
of Patriot coaches and scouts. When they asked if he had ever been
arrested, he answered, 'Do I have to give them in order?' Later
Christian described the reaction to his question: 'The whole group
started laughing . . . cracking up.' He said that once he finished
running down his record, 'these guys started telling me their own
stories . . . That's nothing, they told me.'

Nothing, until women's groups in New England went nuts. With the
public pressure on, three days after they drafted Christian, the
Patriots released him, claiming they didn't know all of his criminal
history. Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne felt his player had gotten a
raw deal and banned professional scouts from his team's practices.

If this story ended there, it would be bad enough. I mean, how could
it be this kid wasn't chastised by the entire University of Nebraska
campus for his criminal antics? How could his coaches allow him to be
named captain of the team? Would the Patriots have dropped him if the
National Organization for Women and the Boston newspapers (one called
him 'a dysfunctional piece of trash') hadn't trashed them?

Enter the Giants, the losing franchise that wants to give Christian
Peter a 'second chance.' They want to sign him to play in 1997. Truth
is, the Giants brass wanted to keep this whole thing quiet (head coach
Dan Reeves wasn't even told until the story was about to hit the papers)
until this sorry season was over.

Dr. Joel Goldberg is a sports psychologist handling Christian
Peter's 'rehabilitation,' which includes substance abuse treatment
(Christian says he is an alcoholic who doesn't remember any of the
incidents he was involved in), treatment for attention deficit disorder
(the other explanation for his actions), and psychological counseling.
Goldberg convinced the Giants that Christian was ready for a second
chance.

Goldberg says Christian finally admits to being an alcoholic. That,
and his good behavior over the past six months (no rape charges), were
the keys to the doctor's recommendation. Why haven't the Giants demanded
a single word of responsibility or remorse from Christian for the pain
and suffering he inflicted on several innocent women? That's right -- he
doesn't remember.

Listen to Giants co-owner Bob Tisch, who says his team is 'helping
society' because, 'We've taken a kid with problems, made him a better
young man.' What a saint. Giants General Manager George Young offered
this, 'There are hundreds of guys in this league who did worse than he
did. We're not in the choirboy business.' Thanks, George.

Caroline Janus, who started New Jersey Rape Survivors, says, 'We
are offended the Giants would even think to hire a man with his history
of violence against women.' Giants President Wellington Mara says he is
'concerned about the possible reaction, but it's not going to stop us
from doing the right thing.'

Think about it: Anyone caught throwing a snowball at Giants Stadium
is banned from going to another game; yet, if all goes as planned,
Christian Peter will be on the field playing for the pathetic Giants in
1997. Pretty sick, huh?

Keywords: FOOTBALL. PROFESSIONAL. ATHLETE. DRUG. ALCOHOL. ABUSE. WOMAN. ASSAULT.
CONTRACT

Copyright 1996 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.

TALK OF THE TOWN.(Local) - Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)

Byline: Norm Clarke

The owner of a LoDo nightclub said Monday he had a man partying with the Colorado Avalanche bounced from the establishment after the customer threw a drink on a female bartender.

Drew Adelman of Polly Esther's, a popular new disco club near Coors Field, said the incident occurred Saturday night. Adelman said he was certain the ejected patron was a member of the Avalanche because he was with a large group of the players.

He said the man tossed the drink after complaining the service was too slow.

Avalanche veteran Claude Lemieux, reached in Boston with the team late Monday, said, ``Something did happen with someone that I know, but I'm not going to rat. I'm a peacemaker. I tried to settle the issue.''

Before throwing the drink on the bartender, Adelman said the reveler told her, ``I don't have to wait for service in my country.''

After the man was thrown out, he pulled out a $100 bill and ``tried to negotiate his way back in by offering it as a tip to the bartender.''

``That stuff won't be tolerated,'' said Adelman.

Uneasy rider - It was about 20 years ago when Peg Warren Reed, a semiprofessional actress, boarded a shuttle plane in Aspen for a trip back to Denver after doing a TV commercial.

Preoccupied with some paperwork, Reed didn't look up when a passenger sat in the aisle seat next to her. During a very bumpy flight, the passenger repeatedly reached across her to plug in an oxygen mask.

``The plug kept coming out, so I plugged it in the last two to three times,'' Reed said. ``But I was getting exasperated and I whirled around and looked at him.''

She found herself face-to-face with Jack Nicholson, who was more than a little under the weather from the flight - and who knows what else. Reed said she started complimenting him on his movies - Five Easy Pieces and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

But Nicholson was too green around the gills for chitchat.

``Well, honey, you want to know the toughest thing I've done in the last five years?

``Riding on this bleep-damn plane.''

The Scene and Heard - Mayor Wellington Webb was aboard a plane among the Air Force One fleet that made an emergency landing Wednesday in Accra, Ghana, because of a mechanical problem. Webb was a member of the U.S. delegation that was joining President Clinton for his South African leg of his six-country African tour. . . . The folks at 9th Avenue West are positively giddy over their April 17-18 booking of the New Morty Show, an acclaimed San Francisco swing band. How good is this act? In the words of the late Herb Caen, the San Francisco Chronicle's legendary man-about-town, Morty Okin and Connie Champagne ``do the best duets since Louis Prima and Keely Smith in the golden era of Las Vegas lounge acts. Not to be missed, lounge lizards.'' Reservations: 572-8006. . . . Impulse Theater, after 12 years of being known as Comedy Sports, launches its new name with an April Fool's Day romp through four downtown restaurants. You can catch the 15-member troupe doing gigs Wednesday at Wynkoop Brewing Co., Old Chicago, Rock Bottom and Paramount Cafe. . . . Get-well wishes to Denver jazz pianist and singing legend Ellyn Rucker, who is recovering from a heart attack. . . . Thank you, Donna Dewey, for putting some pizzazz in my resume. Not every ink-stained wretch can make the claim ``directed by an Oscar winner.'' Six years ago, Dewey directed a commercial for the Rocky Mountain News that included my slam-dunking ability (OK, so there was a ladder involved) and some other trickery showing a basketball spinning on my finger that put Dan Issel to shame.

The Punch Line - File this under Typos We Love Seeing Other People Make: ``An open house is scheduled for Dec. 12-13. . . . a live flamingo guitarist will play both days.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo (2)

Jack Nicholson.

UMaine capsules - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

Men's hockey

MAINE vs. NORTHEASTERN

Time, site: Saturday, 7 p.m., Alfond Arena, Orono

Records: Maine 8-7-1 (6-4-1 Hockey East); Northeastern 6-7-1 (4-6-1)

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 47-40-15, NU 5-2 on Nov. 14

Key players: Maine - RW Gustav Nyquist (11 goals, 13 assists), LWBrian Flynn (4 & 12), C Tanner House (7 & 6), LW Spencer Abbott (4 &9), D Will O'Neill (4 & 9), D Jeff Dimmen (2 & 6), G Scott Darling(8-3-1, 2.59 goals-against average, .909 save percentage); NU - RWGarrett Vermeersch (4 & 6), RW Kyle Kraemer (5 & 4), LW Wade MacLeod(4 & 5), C Alex Tuckerman (3 & 4), D Jake Newton (2 & 5), G BryanMountain (1-1, 1.86, .905), G Chris Rawlings (5-6-1, 2.95, .913)

Outlook: Maine has won four in a row and is unbeaten in five (4-0-1) while Greg Cronin's Huskies are 3-2-1 in their last six. NU is1-5-1 on the road. Maine is 5-2-1 at home. However, Northeastern haswon its last three games at Alfond Arena and four of its last five.Rawlings and Mountain are freshmen so whoever starts will be makinghis Alfond Arena debut. Maine will look to exploit thatinexperience. NU has scored two goals or less in eight of its last11 games. The Huskies are talented and will work hard and finishtheir checks. The Bears will have to match their intensity and grit.Maine has allowed just four goals in its last four games. Croninfeels his team will have to play a strong defensive game and stayout of the penalty box. The teams split a Nov. 13-14 series inBoston and the team that won the special teams battle won the game.

Men's basketball

MAINE vs. KENNESAW STATE

Time, site: Sunday, 1 p.m.; Alfond Arena, Orono

Records: Maine 4-4; Kennesaw State 4-4

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 1-0; Maine 60-47 Nov. 15, 2008

Key players: Maine - 6-3 G Gerald McLemore (16.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg,1.5 apg), 6-7 F Sean McNally (12.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg), 6-3 G TerranceMitchell (10.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.3 apg), 6-5 G Junior Bernal (9.4 ppg,5.6 rpg, 3.1 rpg), 6-7 F Troy Barnies (7.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg), 6-7 FMurphy Burnatowski (4.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.6 apg); Kennesaw State - 6-7 F Markeith Cummings (17.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.3 apg), 6-3 G KurtisWoods (13.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.4 apg), 6-6 F Jon-Michael Nickerson(12.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.4 apg), 6-0 G Kelvin McConnell (8.8 ppg, 2.8apg), 6-9 F LaDaris Green (7.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg), 6-9 F Matt Heramb (7.1ppg, 3.6 rpg)

Outlook: The Black Bears are coming off a record-setting victoryin which they scored 133 points against the UMPI Owls, but pointswill be much harder to come by against these Owls, who Maine beat ontheir home court in the 100 Club Championship tourney title gamelast year. The KSU Owls have good size and should give Maine a toughbattle inside. KSU takes care of the ball with just 12.8 turnoversper game, so Maine will have to continue to cut down its turnovers.The Owls are scoring 76.8 points and grabbing 36.5 rebounds pergame.

Women's basketball

MAINE vs. QUINNIPIAC

Time, site: Saturday, noon; TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn.

Records: Maine 2-5; Quinnipiac 2-5

Series, last meeting: Quinnipiac leads 1-0, QU 70-49 on 11/24/07

Key players: Maine - 6-0 F Samantha Wheeler (10.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg,.490 FG pct.), 5-9 G Amanda Tewksbury (9.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.9 spg), 5-5 G Kristin Baker (9.1 ppg, 3.6 apg), 6-2 F Corinne Wellington (7.8ppg, 3.8 rpg), 5-9 G Katelyn Vanderhoff (4.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.9 apg),5-11 F Katia Bratishko (4.6 ppg, .870 FT pct.); Quinnipiac - 6-3 CCourtney Kaminski (11.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg), 6-1 G KathleenNeyens (11.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg), 5-7 G Felicia Barron (10.8 ppg, 4.5 apg,2.5 spg), 5-11 F Jacinda Dunbar (9.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg), 6-1 F Jacki Mann(5.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg)

Hastings joins SRU sevens push - The Scotsman

GAVIN Hastings has joined the Scottish Rugby Union as a'commercial manager' as part of a revamp to the game of sevens.

Scotland will compete in the full IRB World Sevens Series at leastfor the next two seasons, with Rob Moffat, the former Glasgow andBorders assistant coach, and sevens chief for the past three years,becoming the first full-time national sevens coach.

He will be assisted by part-time manager and physio PeterGallagher and Stevie Mutch, with former Scotland and Lions full-backHastings operating on a commission basis with a wide remit to attractsponsorship and other commercial support for the sevens squad. TheIRB's investment in travel and accommodation for competing nations,and help from other sources, such as the Commonwealth Games Councilfor Scotland - as sevens features in the Games - ensures that thismajor push by the SRU into the abbreviated form of rugby will notmean a significant change in Murrayfield funding, but Hastings haspledged to come up with extra finance through the sevens exploits.

He admitted: 'It is nice to be involved with the game in anofficial capacity because I've always wanted to be; I've always beenenthusiastic about helping Scottish rugby.

'I couldn't say they came knocking on my door, exactly, but frombeing in Hong Kong and at other events around the world I could seethe potential for support for Scotland. The sevens team didbrilliantly out there this year and it's a positive aspect of ourgame that we have to build on and maximise.'

With the A matches still sidelined, Ian McGeechan believes thesevens arena could provide a valuable testing ground for up-and-coming internationals. He said: 'This gives us a world-classcompetitive level - a concentrated run of eight tournaments that says'you have to deliver' - and I feel that's what we've been missing inthe past.

'Out of this you get more players who grow up quicker, and that'sbeen a weakness for us. They get further down the line before theserious questions, mental, physical and skill-wise, are being asked.We have a lot of talented players, but what we need to do is have astructure where the only limit to the player's ambition is himself,and the structure won't let him down. We haven't had that.'

McGeechan insisted that this new support for sevens followed hisown philosophy, stressing that Scotland qualified for the World Cup,to be held in Hong Kong next March, 'a task that had been beyond usfour years previously'. It remains a fact, however, that Scotland'sfailure to qualify for the last World Cup came when he was nationalcoach and at a time when neither he nor Jim Telfer, the SRU directorof rugby, put sevens development high on the agenda.

There was also a pledge from Moffat, in his wider role as 'sevensprogramme manager', to develop club and youth sevens, and a youngdevelopment team will compete at Selkirk Sevens this weekend to beginpreparations for the Commonwealth Youth Games in Australia inDecember.

Meanwhile, Steve Bates, the new Borders coach, has left leadingplayers Chris Cusiter and Bruce Douglas out of his team to play atLeeds tonight to help national coach Matt Williams.

Williams has put many of the Test squad on new strength andconditioning programmes in an effort to build them up, and also askedthat they be released from pre-season games to ensure they can stickwithin the SRU's new 30-game limit for top players.

Bates said: 'We're keen to support the Scotland effort. [Leavingplayers out] is part of the very positive attitude we are trying totake towards Scotland's international preparations.

'We're also talking to several players and might be able to boostthe size of our squad. We could suffer severely during the autumninternationals but the Union is very supportive of us and has assuredus that there will be funds to get us through.'

IRB World Sevens Series: Dubai (2/3 December), George, SouthAfrica (10/11 December), Wellington (4/5 February), Los Angeles (12/13 February), Hong Kong (World Cup 18-20 March), Singapore (mid-April), Bordeaux and London (dates to be confirmed).

Scotland Sevens squad: J Beattie (GHA and Glasgow), P Boston(unattached), K Brown (Borders/Scottish Institute of Sport), ATurnbull, J Weston (both Borders), D Burns, N Cochrane, A Nash(Watsonians), D Callam (Edinburgh/SIS), O Brown, M Clapperton, RCouper (all Boroughmuir), S Duffy (Glasgow Hawks/Glasgow), I Fairley(Kelso), D Gray (Gala), C Gregor (Watsonians/Glasgow), C Keenan(unattached), C Laidlaw (Jed-Forest), M Lee (Army), A MacDonald(Heriot's/Edinburgh), C MacRae (Borders/SIS), R Reid (Golden Lions),K Sinclair (Glasgow Hawks), A Strokosch (Edinburgh/SIS).

Scotland Development squad (to play at Selkirk Sevens, Sunday, 29August): S Crombie (Kirkcaldy), C Dunlop (Durham University), J Hood(Stewart's-Melville FP), A Hutt (Dunfermline), T Jericevich (AberdeenGSFP), C Johnston (Merchiston Castle School), J King (Berwick andBorders) capt, D McCall (Stewart's-Melville College), R Rennie(Stewart's-Melville FP), G Ryan (Ellon).

Obituaries in the News - AP Online

Umberto Abronzino

ONEONTA, N.Y. (AP) - Umberto Abronzino, whose lifelong dedication to soccer earned him a spot in the National Soccer Hall of Fame, has died. He was 85.

Abronzino died Saturday in San Jose, Calif. A cause of death has not been released, said Jack Huckel, director of the Hall of Fame museum in Oneonta.

Abronzino immigrated to the United States in 1937 from his native Italy, where he was an accomplished player, and continued playing in the Hartford, Conn., area. He moved to the San Francisco area in 1952 and organized the Peninsula Soccer League, serving in a number of roles.

Abronzino was an officer in the California Soccer Association. He also helped organize California North Youth Soccer, served on the U.S. Soccer National Amateur Cup's organizing committee and worked as a referee. He was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1971.

---

Dick Dickey

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Dick Dickey, who starred on North Carolina State's Final Four team in 1950 before playing briefly for the Boston Celtics, has died. He was 79.

Dickey died Monday at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis from complications of recent lung surgery, the university said.

In his four years at N.C. State from 1947-50, the Wolfpack went 107-22. Dickey, a 6-foot-2 forward, was part of the team that lost to eventual champion City College in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.

The 1947 Wolfpack team introduced to college the tradition of cutting down nets, a celebration that originated in Indiana high schools.

Dickey was drafted in the third round by the NBA's Baltimore Bullets. He played the 1950-51 season with the Anderson Packers and the next season with the Celtics, averaging 2.8 points.

He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

---

Kevin Herlihy

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Kevin Herlihy, who pitched New Zealand to two world softball championships, has died. He was 58.

Softball New Zealand said that Herlihy died Wednesday of a heart attack.

Herlihy competed in six world championships, beginning in 1966, and helped New Zealand win in 1976 and again in 1984 when he threw a perfect game.

While playing in the United States, Herlihy won two U.S. men's club championships with the Saginaw Bolters, and was twice chosen as league pitcher of the year. He was New Zealand player of the year three times, and won six New Zealand championships.

Herlihy was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, and the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame in 1991.

---

W.W. 'Bill' Finlator

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The Rev. W.W. 'Bill' Finlator, an outspoken Baptist minister who championed civil rights during the 1960s, has died. He was 93.

Finlator, who died Monday of pneumonia after a period of poor health, was pastor at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh for 26 years until he retired in 1982. A white man who spoke up for civil rights from his pulpit, he also openly opposed the Vietnam War. In retirement, he was an activist against war, poverty and capital punishment.

'He thought of himself as imitating Jesus, and trying to bring justice to the poor and peace to the world,' his son, Raleigh lawyer Wallace Finlator Jr. said.

A Louisburg native, the minister had congregations in Pittsboro, Weldon and Elizabeth City before coming to Pullen.

He once asked the federal government to cut funding to the University of North Carolina system on grounds that it hadn't made progress in racial integration. The view angered some faculty at N.C. State University, which is near the church.

---

Kenneth Lay

HOUSTON (AP) - Kenneth Lay, the founder of Enron Corp. who was convicted of helping perpetuate one of the most sprawling business frauds in U.S. history, has died in Aspen, Colo. He was 64.

An autopsy showed Lay died Wednesday of heart disease, Mesa County Coroner Dr. Robert Kurtzman said.

Lay was convicted May 25 along with former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling of defrauding investors and employees by repeatedly lying about Enron's financial strength in the months before the company plummeted into bankruptcy protection in December 2001.

Lay was also convicted in a separate non-jury trial of bank fraud and making false statements to banks, charges related to his personal finances.

Prosecutors in Lay's trial declined comment Wednesday, both on his unexpected death and what may become of the government's effort to seek a $43.5 million judgment from Lay that they say he pocketed as part of the conspiracy. Lay's death will not affect their case against Skilling.

Both were scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 23. Lay faced decades in prison, as does Skilling.

Lay led Enron's meteoric rise from a staid natural gas pipeline company formed by a 1985 merger to an energy and trading conglomerate that reached No. 7 on the Fortune 500 in 2000 and claimed $101 billion in annual revenues. Lay traveled in the highest business and political circles.

For many years, his corporation was the single biggest contributor to President Bush, who nicknamed him 'Kenny Boy.'

But Enron collapsed after it was revealed the company's finances were based on a web of fraudulent partnerships and schemes, not the profits that it reported to investors and the public.

Both he and Skilling maintained that there had been no wrongdoing at Enron, and that the company had been brought down by negative publicity that undermined investors' confidence.

---

Philip Rieff

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philip Rieff, a University of Pennsylvania sociologist who was one of the first scholars to explore Sigmund Freud's impact on Western culture, has died. He was 83.

A cultural theorist once married to Susan Sontag, Rieff died Saturday of heart failure at his Philadelphia home, his family said.

Rieff argued that the traditional function of culture - to teach morality - has been supplanted in modern times by the notion that culture exists merely for personal gratification. The first volume of his master work, 'Sacred Order/Social Order: My Life Among the Deathworks,' was published just this year.

Rieff, who taught at Penn from 1961 until his 1992 retirement, started his career at the University of Chicago.

His standout reputation led the 17-year-old Sontag to audit his Kafka class. They married 10 days later, an eight-year union that produced one child, the journalist David Rieff. Sontag died in December 2004.

---

Pierre Rinfret

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Pierre Rinfret, the economist and political neophyte whose 1990 defeat against Mario Cuomo was the worst in modern times for a Republican candidate for governor in New York, has died. He was 82.

Rinfret died June 29 of heart-related problems on Nantucket, where he and his wife of more than 57 years had lived since 1991, his son, businessman Peter Alan Rinfret, said Wednesday. He had been briefly hospitalized at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, where he died, his son said.

The Manhattan-based Rinfret agreed to become the GOP candidate for governor after party leaders failed to find any well-known and politically experienced challenger to Cuomo. He collected just 22 percent of the vote in 1990 as Cuomo easily won a third term. A Conservative Party challenger, Herbert London, captured 21 percent of the vote.

His campaign for governor became something resembling comedic theater. He spent almost as much time criticizing state GOP leaders - many of whom had walked away from his candidacy after he balked at self-financing the effort - as he did attacking Cuomo, who largely ignored his Republican challenger.

On 2 - Winnipeg Free Press

Wonky hammy sidelines Mets' Martinez

MIAMI -- Pedro Martinez will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks with what the New York Mets said was a mild strain of his left hamstring.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner was placed on the 15-day disabled list before the Mets' game against the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night.

Martinez was injured Tuesday night, returned to New York and was examined by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

'It doesn't look good,' manager Willie Randolph said before the diagnosis was announced by Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz. 'He said he heard a pop, and that is not a good thing. It could have just been a combination of a real bad cramp or a strain. 'Any time a pitcher pulls a hamstring, that is usually automatic DL.'

Wickenheiser makes SI's list

of toughest jocks

Canadian women's hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser ranked 20th on Sports Illustrated's list of the 25 toughest athletes, posted on its website Tuesday.

Golf superstar Tiger Woods was ranked first overall.

Wickenheiser, from Shaunavon, Sask., was the second of two women on the list, coming in behind British triathlete Chrissie Wellington, who was No. 10.

'No player in women's hockey drives to the net with such purpose and fury,' the website says of Wickenheiser. 'Wickenheiser has grown from teen phenom to grande dame of Canadian hockey, carrying the weight of her country and game every time on the ice. Sadly, she isn't allowed to body check.'

Musher Lance Mackey was second, mixed martial arts fighter Anderson Silva was third, NFLer Bob Sanders was fourth and hulking Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara was fifth.

Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson was the top NBAer, at No. 7, while San Francisco Giants centre-fielder Aaron Rowand was the top baseball player, at No. 17.

On Wednesday Wickenheiser scored a natural hat trick in Canada's 6-1 win over Sweden in exhibition women's hockey in Harbin, China.

The game was a World Women's Hockey Championship warmup for both countries. Canada, the reigning Olympic and world champions, opens defence of its world title Friday against Russia.

The Swedes, who won bronze last year in Winnipeg and silver in the 2006 Olympics, start the tournament against promoted Japan.

-- The Canadian Press

Fenerbahce nips Chelsea in first leg stunner

LONDON -- Deivid de Souza scored a late goal Wednesday to give Fenerbahce a 2-1 upset over Chelsea, and Liverpool got a crucial away goal in its 1-1 draw at Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Deivid gave Chelsea the lead with an own-goal in the 13th minute, but he then scored with a dramatic shot from distance in the 81st to give the Turkish team a win in its first appearance in the quarter-finals of Europe's top club competition.

Five-time European champion Liverpool came back with a 26th-minute goal from Dirk Kuyt to get its draw at English rival Arsenal after Emmanuel Adebayor put the hosts ahead three minutes earlier. The teams will play again in the second leg on Tuesday, with the winners facing each other later this month in the semifinals.

'We are in a good position, playing at Anfield with our supporters who are a massive difference,' Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said. 'But against a good team with the quality you could see today we need to play counter-attack and working very hard in defence.'

Chelsea took the lead at Sukru Saracoglu stadium when Deivid deflected a cross from Florent Malouda into his own net. But Kazim Kazim equalized in the 65th by beating the offside trap and beating Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.

'We are strong enough at home,' Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack said. 'Everything is in our hands.'

Chelsea almost scored a goal of its own in the 26th when a header by Frank Lampard went wide. Didier Drogba then had a close-range shot saved by goalkeeper Volkan Demirel in the 29th.

'Normally it's a good result to lose 2-1 away from home, but because we played the better football, we are disappointed,' Chelsea manager Avram Grant said.

Kuyt scored for Liverpool by sliding inside the 6-yard box and deflecting in a cross from captain Steve Gerrard, three minutes after Adebayor had given the hosts the lead at the Emirates Stadium with a header off a cross from Robin van Persie. Emmanuel Eboue nearly scored another for Arsenal, but Martin Skrtel cleared it off the line with Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina beaten.

This was the first of three matches between Arsenal and Liverpool in six days.

-- The Associated Press

Condition improving,

but Koskie still can't play

MINNEAPOLIS -- Corey Koskie came to the Metrodome on Wednesday, and he didn't get sick.

That's not a joke about the dingy stadium the Minnesota Twins are two years from leaving. That's an accomplishment for the 34-year-old native of Anola who wants to be a third baseman in the major leagues again despite persistent post-concussion symptoms that won't let him.

The last time Koskie showed up at the Dome to see his old teammates, his daily nemeses -- dizziness and nausea -- told him it was time to go back home.

That was last summer, so he's clearly making progress. He's able to play catch and goof around with his three very active sons, ages seven, five and three, and drive them to and from school in their suburban community in the Twin Cities area. But visual stimuli still give him trouble. When he walks from a confined space to a large, open area, he often feels wobbly. Actual baseball activities are currently out of the question.

'I want to get to the point where I can go run and exercise and not think about it,' said Koskie, who had lunch with former teammate Torii Hunter and brought the new Angels centre-fielder to the ballpark. Koskie was in a chatty mood, talking to a small group of reporters for more than 15 minutes after catching up with Twins players, coaches and employees.