Buser captures 22nd Iditarod
NOME, Alaska Martin Buser won the 22nd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in record time Tuesday night, becoming the third person to win the 1,100-mile mushing marathon more than once.
Buser and his dog team trotted under the burled arch on Nome's historic Front Street at 10:04 p.m., unoffically about 10 days, 13 hours and 4 minutes after the March 5 start in downtown Anchorage.
The victory earned the Swiss-born musher $50,000 from a total purse of $300,000.
''I think we're at the stage where the program is working,'' Buser said.
The performance, in near-ideal weather conditions, beat the previous record of 10:15:38 set in 1993 by Jeff King by about 21/2 hours. King was running hard to hold onto third place this year behind Buser and Rick Mackey.
Prep All-Star games tonight
The District II All-Star North-South Basketball Games will be played tonight at Lewis-Clark State's Warrior Gym.
The girls
will play at 6 p.m. that night, followed by the boys at 8.
The annual event will pit the best of the 1993-94 seniors from District II. Area coaches selected the players.
GIRLS North Heather Owen, Kelli Johnson and Tiffany Richards (Moscow), Katie
Moser (Genesee), Kara Fenwick, Callie Strong and Robin Wood (Troy), Angie Bedard (Orofino), Aundi Howerton (Kendrick), Heather Nelson and Sunny Duffy (Timberline), Natalie Hines (Potlatch).
Co-coaches Sally Greene (Moscow) and Bobbi Hazeltine (Troy).
South Sarah Schumaker (Culdesac), Kim Frei, Kari Harris and Sid Schraufnagel (Lewiston), Robin Berg, Whitney Wimer and Krista Gresham (Grangeville), Shannon Jackson (Kamiah), Bridget Lyons (CVHS), Lisa Rehder and Jessica Funke (Prairie), Kasey Wells (Lapwai).
Co-coaches Skip Hall (Grangeville) and Dave Snodgrass (CVHS).
BOYS North Jesse Thomas (Troy), Chad Heimgartner (Kendrick), Donny Stamper and Bo Bonner (Orofino), Brad Stout (Genesee), A.J
. Armstrong, Terry Haddock and Jason Largent (Potlatch), Wade Latta (Deary), Brett Jones (Moscow), Rocky Barlow and Kelly Teed (Timberline).
Co-coaches Clarke Bradley (Kendrick) and Jerry Nelsen (Orofino).
South Michael Syron (CVHS), Greg Branson (Nezperce), Matt Ott (Culdesac), Justin Adams and Rob Rainville (Lewiston), Wayne Shears (Prairie), Zak Tomlinson (Grangeville), Chad Zenner (Highland), Scott Talbert and Sun Herrera (Kamiah), David Cunningham and Aaron Gould (Lapwai).
Co-coaches Oscar Salinas (CVHS) and Jerry Uhling (Highland).
Asotin, Pomeroy top All-BML
Asotin and Pomeroy each placed one boy and one girl on the All-Blue Mountain League basketball teams.
Asotin's Monica Eggleston and Pomeroy's Rachel Ruchert were selected to the girls' first team while the Panthers' Sean Farmer and the Pirates' John Cassetto graced the boys' first team.
Receiving second-team recognition were Asotin's Heather Faught, Rob Tetwiler, J.R. Blankinship and Jason Butler.
ALL-BLUE MOUNTAIN LEAGUE GIRLS First team Monica Eggleston, Asotin; Angela Barron, Dayton; Shannon Wyatt, Waitsburg; Rachel Ruchert, Pomeroy; Tammy Young Pomeroy.
Second team Heather Faught, Asotin;
Jessica Dutton, DeSales; Jamie Graham DeSales; Julie Wicher, DeSales; Tamara Ward, Dayton.
BOYS First team Sean Farmer, Asotin; Will Hutchens, Dayton; Jason Richard, DeSales; Jason Beasley, DeSales; John Cassetto, Pomeroy.
Second team Rob Tetwiler, Asotin; J.R. Blankinship, Asotin; Jason Butler, Asotin; Aaron Gurla, Touchet; Matt Talbot, Dayton.
Upsets knock off Vicario, Sabatini
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. Upsets eliminated Steffi Graf's three foremost challengers Tuesday at the Lipton Championships.
Two-time defending c
hampion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Gabriela Sabatini and Jana Novotna seeded second, third and fourth all departed in the space of less than three hours.
The quarterfinal results left only longshots to face the top-seeded Graf, who beat No. 5 Kimik
o Date 6-1, 6-1.
Graf has won 30 consecutive matches and 53 sets in a row. Her dominance underscores a predictability and lack of depth that have hampered women's tennis in the absence of Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati.
Braves release outfielder Gant
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. Injured outfielder Ron Gant was released by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, throwing his future in doubt and touching off a dispute about how much money the team must pay him.
Gant, coming off career-highs of 36 homers and 117 RBI last season, broke his right leg Feb. 3 in a dirt-bike accident. The injury, which could sideline him until the All-Star break, came one week after he signed a $5.5 million, one-year contract.
''Since he is unavailable to perform as a result of this accident and, according to our doctors, will be rehabilitating for an extended period of time, we have decided to take this action,'' Braves general manager John Schuerholz said.
''This is an unfortunate and sad day for us, but nonetheless, this is our decision,'' he said.
By cutting Gant before 11 a.m. PST, the Braves were to owe him only 30 days' termination pay, $906,593.40.
Bengals sign defensive back Oliver
CINCINNATI The Cincinnati Bengals signed safety Louis Oliver to a two-year, $3.5 million contract Tuesday after a team doctor concluded a foot injury that sidelined him for five games last season has healed.
Oliver had been a protected transition player for Miami until the Dolphins lif
ted the designation this week when they signed Michael Stewart. Oliver is the first free agent signed by the Bengals.
Picabo Street takes on new meaning
KETCHUM Olympic medal winners Gretchen Fraser and Christin Cooper have their names on two Sun Valley ski runs, and now Picabo has her street.
Lloyd Drive, at the base of the Warm Springs lift, was renamed Picabo Street after the Blaine County woman who won a silver in the downhill at the Winter Olympics in Norway.
The move to rename the drive was initiated by Warm Springs merchants, gathering 235 signatures of citizens in favor of the action.
