By ANTHO C RTER P IGE
from TM City un
TMWFL?
D ad/
TheUSFL?
Dead/
Th Ar na Football League?
In a wheelchair/
TheWLAF?
Comato et
So what are th chance that the
new Profe ion I, Spring Football
League (PSFL) will go belly up just
all the other pring leagu ?
"I don't want to answer that and
get into controversy. I'mjustlooking
to pI y," id Kevin Singleton, the
very much alive linebacker fro the
Albuquerque, N.M. team of the
PSFL. which will play in the West
Division along with teams from
Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City, Utah:
Las Vegas, Nev.; and Little Rock,
Ark. The Ea t Divi ion will consist
of franchi e in Bo ton, Mass.;
Columbia, S.C.; Tampa Bay and
Mi ml, F1 .:
Moun d.
Th P ident nd founder of the
I gu i 3-ye t-old Vincent et
of Bellmore, .Y. The commi -
ioner nd CEO i former televi ion
executive Rex ("We will return all
phone call I") rdner. The ch ir-
man of th le . Judge Peter B.
Spivak, former pre ident of the
Michigan Panthers of th USFL, nd
the league' director of football
operatio i former ew York Jets
and New Je ey General he d co ch
W It Mich Is.
The league will hold its player
draft in January 1992 with its 16-
game chedule to begin on February
29. Each franchise co 1$ $250,000,
with the verage player alary
$45,000 and the team roster size at
45 players. The league own the
team, 0 a tronomical player
alarie will be nonexistent. There is
no television Contract but the league
hopes for � regional TV con�ct and
20,000 fans per game to urvive.
.-
Kevin Singleton of the PSFL'sAlbuqureque, N.M., franchise points to
his new home (Lobo Field) on the. map,
conferen to
SFI..., th only tin m
pi yer in tt n nee Lorenzo
H rnpton, th fonner Mi mi Dol
phin runnin b k.
Th hook for th PSFL i not
televi ion contract but the region I
d wand tyin th te m up with
regional pi aye uch H mpton,
who ttended th University of
Florida nd will play for th Mi mi
franc hi e.
"People have to remember thi i
tart-up le gue," id Judge
Spivak. But not to people like
Singleton. Thi is a continuation of
hi dream, which h been id track
ed by illn
Singleton, who played with hi
identical twin, Chri , was an AlI
PAC 10 lin backer at the University
of Arizona, where he led the team in
tackle. But when in Kevin' enior
year he was diagno ed as having
leukemia, that not onl y put hi career
on hold.
"I didn't know that leukemia at
tacked people my age and kids," aid
the handsome 24-year-Old who was
born in Omaha, Neb. and lived for a
while in Parsippany, NJ., and now
resides in Tucson, Ariz. "I feel nor
mal. I 10 t a lot because of all the
chemicals that was put in my body.
"You name it, I had it, including
chemotherapy. I wouldn't wish that
on my enemy," he aid with an un
smiling face.
BUT THE 6-foot 2, 235-pound
linebacker who runs the 40 in 4.6
seconds is grateful for this oppor
tuni ty, and is especiall y grateful to
his brother, Chris, the No. 1 draft
pick for the surprising New England
Patriots. It was Chris who gave
Kevin a bone-marrow transplant in
. January t990 0 he could continue to
live.
"I've given myself the OK to play
again," Singleton said. Yes, the doc
tors have given the psychology
graduate the OK to play again. "I
'missed feeling the crowds .... It's the
ultimate rush."
See PSFL, 8-4
DON"�'�L lK-Mumford 19b cboolCo cb Robert Lyncb re tbeDetroitPublic cboolLe gue
. trophy in triumphy fter b his Mustan beat Ketterin HJgh 22-12. The celebration w premature.
Officials yanked the trophy nd title fter it wa learned the Mumford Mustang had fielded an
ineligible player. BELOW: The te m lined up to exchange congratulatory wishes following the hard
fought game. Pboto by Maurice Harr •
Charles Barkley hates to lose, ven
when' he's got a perfect excuse.
By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sport. Wrlt"r
: LANDOVER. Md. (AP) - Charles
Barkley hates to lose, even when
�e's got a perfect excuse for doing
o.
.. Barkley took it upon himself to
iift the Philadelphia 7 rs out of their
season-opening ski uesday night.
fie had 33 points and 19 rebounds,
then passed to Hersey Hawkins for
the game-winning basket. in a 107-
106 victory over the previously un
beaten Washington Bullets.
: The 76ers, playing without
tdanute Bol and Charles Shacklefor�
because of. injuries, dropped th�lr
rirst two games. They also lost
Mitchell Wiggins to a hamstring in
jury in the second loss, at home
against the Orlando Magic, and were
in danger of falling to 0-3 for the first
lime since 1972 until Barkley took
.charge. '
• "I didn't want to lose," he said.
'''1 was in there working hard. We're
not world-beaters, so we've got to who's injured, either.
play hard every game if we're going "That's no excuse," he said.
to win." And it doesn't matter' "We've got guys here who can play,
No slave here
Charles Barkley has done it again, created a controversy.
Because he speaks his own mind and acts as free as he wants to be,
Barkley is a rarity on the plantation of pro ball.
This time, Barkley said the 760rs would keep center Dave Hoppen
because of fan pressure to keep a white on the team.
The statement outraged Sixers fans and owner Harold Katz.
"Charles does not speak for this ,tea�," Katz said. "He does not
speak for the players. He does not speak for the coaches. And he
doesn't speak for this owner. I speak for myself." .
Barkley responded: "I think he'd rather me be a robot so I can Just
play and he'll be able to make money. I made an honest statement and
people got upset." �. . .
Barkley's honesty-whether or not you agree With him-IS
refreshing, especially in town like Detroit where fans have to suffer
the slave mentality of the robots Barkely refuses to become. Fans
know the kind the stars who seldom sayan hing, but who, when they
do speak up, 'the back down in the fac of pressure. Like !siah
Thomas and Dennis Rodman Ii few years ack when they evaluated
-correct} or not- B d.
so they've got to play."
"WE'RE TRYING TO get as
many wins as we can, and when the
guys come back we can go from
there," said Hawkins, who scored
22. Down by four points with time
running out, the 76ers used a three
point play by Armon Gilliam and a
layup by Hawkins with 5.7 sesonds
left to beat the upstart Bullets, who
were trying to go 3-0 for the first time
since they began defense of their
only NBA title at the outset of the
1978 eason.
The Bullets, who went 0-8 in the
preseason, are similar to the 760rs in
that they are also mi ing some key
people. Bernard King is out follow
ing knee urgery, top draft pick La-
Bradford Smith has an ankle praio'
and John Williams is 45 pounds short
of his recommended playing weight
and on the suspended Ii t.
Youth Basketball· .
League begins season
Evander Holyfield can lose
undisputed champions ip
"They're playing well," Bark!ey
said. "They've got a good little team'
there, and when Bernard comes back
they'll be tough i'n the low post."
Harvey Grant's three-point play
with 1:25 left gave Washington a
106-102 lead. But after Armon
Gilliam's three-point play with 33.5
seconds left and the Bullets' 24-
second violation, Hawkins scored on
bounce pass from Barkley.
"When you've got two guys on
you, someone' going to be open,"
said Barkley, who handed the ball to
a heckler after the game ended.
By DANNY COOKS
Co" •• pond"nt
The Northside Youth Basketball
League started its 1991-92 season
Friday afternoon, October 25th.
Begun in 1989 by Victor Hillman, of
the Safehouse (a drug rehab clinic of
Mount Zion Church) the league
started out with five teams featuring
boys and four teams consisting of
girls.
"So many kids want to participate
this year until there was no space for
all of them to play," Hillman told the
Michigan Ci tizen. .
James Palmore, Youth Program
Coordinator of Kalamazoo's
Recreation, Leisure, and Cultural
Services Division, stepped in and co-
onsored the league. Now, more
PERVIS ELLISON'S 22-foot
jumper at the buzzer fell. off the rim,
and Washington was knocked out of
a first-place tie in the Atlantic
Division with the equally surprising
Magic, who host the Bullets tonight.
Michael Adams had 33 points and 15
assists for Washington and Ledell
Eackles scored 22 points. Ellison had'
16 points and a team-high nine
rebounds.
, 'I can't fa ul t the effort. We made
some critical mistakes, but those
things happen," Washington coach
Wes Unseld said.
NEW YORK (AP) - Evander
Holyfield can lose the undisputed
heavyweight championship Nov. 23
at Atlanta, but Francesco Damiani
"It was a tough one, but we 've can't win it.
got all season," Eackles said. "We Bob Lee, president of the Inter
did make our run, which was a posi - national Boxing Federation, said
tive because we were <town and real- Tuesday that the IBF Executive
ly fought back." Committee voted Friday not to rank
Philadelphia used a 3-pointer by Damiani among its top contenders,
Hawkins to take a 95-90 lead with and "at this time we're not sanction-
7:12 left. But Eackles hit a jumper, ing the fight as a championship
Ellison a follow hot and Eackle match." Holyfield can request that,
another jumper to put the Bullets on he be allowed to fight an unranked
top 96-95 with 3:54 left, their first opponent, Lee said.
lead of the second �lf. . , The World Boxing Council pre-
"We fell one point short, �ut n. s vioUsly had announced it would not
going to be a good y.ear, said, anclion the fight. The World
Adams, who has 96 pomts and 39 Boxing Association will sanction the
assists in three g�mes. "I think it's 12-round bout.
coming together for us." Damiani, ofItaly, can become the
WBA champion, but should he core
a major upset and win, the IBF and
WBC titles would be declared
vacant.
than 200 youngsters are involved.
Making up earns of twelve and com
peting against each other until the
week before Christmas, the league
hopes to develop teamwork, a heal
thy sense of competitiveness, and
solid moral character in the
youngsters, according to Hillman.
On January 15th, play will
resume until the middle of March.
Games are played on Friday even
ings. Uniforms and team names are
provided. Nine to twelve year old
children may sign up for teams at Old
Central School, Douglass Com
munity Center, Lincoln and Wood
ward Schools, and the Recreation,
Leisure, and Cultural Services
Division of the City of Kalamazoo.
Evande� Holyfteld