St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 57

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH SUNDAY-j- rfX 1W home run race 599 McGwire Total Pace 51 63 Through 130 fames Saturday: 0for5 Today: vs. Atlanta, 7:05 p.m. Sosa Total Pace 53 67 Through 128 games Saturday: 1 for 4 Today: at Los Angeles, 7:05 p.m. v- 1 ft V3 Ad SECTION QB Green suffers knee injury; outlook remains uncertain He could miss from four weeks to a year after hit vs.

Chargers Rams 24, Chargers 21 A srisus IT1 1. 1 i i mi i -jii. i-i "-II 1 i IJ'il -t- I a N- -v v- r- i.i .1 4 Green injury is just another tough break for Rams Trent Green was dropping back, setting up to pass, and feathering balls to an assortment of butterflies. Green had completed his first 11 passes of the game, zinging the San Diego Chargers, filling the Trans World Dome with hope on a Saturday night that offered a distinct promise of better gamedays. Were these Bernie MikJasz really the same old Rams? The 22-42 since-moving-to-St.

Louis Rams? This was the start of something different. They were making plays, making new fans, making a transition, KIRK WAGNERPOST-DISPATCH Rams quarterback Trent Green rides off the field after sustaining ligament damage in his knee that will put him out at least four weeks. He had completed 1 1 of 1 1 passes before the injury. By Jim Thomas Of the Post-Dispatch As San Diego safety Rodney Harrison came crashing into quarterback Trent Green, the Rams' hopes for the 1999 season may have come crashing down as well in their 24-21 exhibition victory Saturday night over the Chargers. Green suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee on the play, which occurred late in the second quarter of the game at the Trans World Dome.

Green also has a possible torn anterior cruciate ligament. The injury could be season-ending. Before heading to Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital for a magnetic resonance imaging exam (MRI) Saturday night, Green told part owner Stan Kroenke that the most optimistic assessment was a four-week recovery time. But the Rams and Green won't know for sure until the results of the MRI are known. As might be expected, the Rams were crushed by the injury and its possible consequences on what looked like a promising season.

"Disbelief," said executive vice president Jay Zygmunt, who has been with the organization since 1982. "This is the worst I've ever felt." "We're cursed," said another longtime Rams official. "We're (bleeping) cursed." The Rams have endured nine Who's left at QB? What's the injury? I Medial The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is the ligament extending from the upper-inside surface of collateral Anterior Femur 1 ligament the tibia (shin bone) to the bottom- eructate inside surface of the femur (thigh ligament 1La -Z How did it happen? San Diego Chargers safety Rodney Harrison struck Green in the back of the knee after the Rams QB completed his 1 1th pass with 1 :31 left in the first half. How was Green doing? He was 1 1 of 1 1 for 166 yards passing and the Rams were leading 14-7. His statistics so far in the preseason.

Opp. Att. Cmp. Yds. TD Oakland 8 7 119 1 Chicago 13 10 121 0 San Diego 11 11 166 1 Totals 32 28 406 2 bone).

The ligament prevents the knee joint from instability in the inside of the joint. 1st degree injury: any stretch of the ligament. 2nd degree injury: partial tear of the ligament. making us watch as they suddenly rein- vented themselves. Green flipped the ball to Marshall Faulk, he went deep to Isaac Bruce for a 52-yard touchdown, he delivered the goods to rookie wide receiver Torry Holt, he went 11-for-ll.

Wow. It was football artistry. We were inspecting a suped-up offense that was ready to drive this franchise into playoff contention. And just like that Green was down on the carpet with 1 minute 31 seconds remaining in the first half, rolling See Miklasz, Page D4 frvbia Joe Germaine Kurt Warner Kurt Warner, 28, is the Rams' second-string quarterback. He's in his second year out of Northern Iowa.

Joe Germaine, 24, who starred at Ohio State last year, is the team's third-string QB. 3rd degree injury: complete tear of the ligament. An MRI was scheduled for Satur- Fibula day night to determine if there was damage to the anterior cruciate See Green, Page D4 Sunday Insight: College football preview Downtrodden Illini face Cardinals hit a new low; that's about all they hit Penn State rips Arizona Paterno opens up offense; Nittany Lions respond Penn State 41f Arizona 7 VTA MJM. VltlL yr- 1 ft 'JA il 1 13-inning loss puts them four games under .500 Braves 3, Cardinals 0 eight out of nine and five in a row. They collided before a full house Saturday at Busch Stadium and the Cardinals played dead even with the Braves at 0-0 until the 13th inning.

At that point, the Braves had a couple of timely hits, executed a sacrifice bunt that the Cardinals couldn't, and the Cardinals' defense fell apart. The result was a 3-0 Atlanta victory, knocking the Cardinals four games under .500 for the first time this season. The Cardinals finished Saturday with as many errors as hits (four), and two of the hits didn't come until the bottom of the 13th. They have scored just one run in their last 30 innings, over three games, and they were held hitless for 11 innings in a See Cardinals, Page D13 Coach Ron Turner analyzes rubble as he tries to rebuild. By Nick Wishart Of the Post-Dispatch CHAMPAIGN, 111.

By now, third-year coach Ron Turner has answered all the questions about his downtrodden University of Illinois football program. He repeatedly has explained that he inherited a team plagued by self-doubt and marginal talent, particularly on offense. He has taken personal responsibili ty for some recruiting misfortunes. Turner has tried to critically analyze the slide that began a year before his arrival to make certain the same mistakes are not repeated. He already has come to some conclusions: Instability and NCAA recruiting violations have seriously injured the program.

Since 1980, the school has employed four athletic directors and four head football coaches. Making matters worse, between 1992-97, the team was forced to digest four offensive systems, three under former coach Lou See Illini, Page D10 Illini coach Ron Turner D7: Rob Riti anchors the Mizzou offensive line. Florida, Florida State and Tennessee will battle for No 1. D9: Nebraska and Penn State are the best of the Big 12 and Big Ten. D10: Coach Ron Turner gets a vote of confidence as the Illini try to rebuild.

By Rick Hummel Of the Post-Dispatch These are teams streaking in opposite directions. The Atlanta Braves, against whom an opponent absolutely cannot make a fundamental mistake, have won nine in a row. The Cardinals, who are striking out furiously and erring far too often, have lost 1 Members 1111 By Vahe Gregorian Of the Post-Dispatch T-STATE COLLEGE, Pa. Jittery as he was over attaching this bonus game to the schedule, Penn State coach Joe Paterno shamelessly offered a fresh perspective In the aftermath. Zl think," he said, smiling, "it was an act of genius." What was billed as an enticing matchup of national title contenders proved to be a hideous mismatch in the season-opening Pigskin Classic at Beaver Stadium.

Surprisingly liberated on offense, Penn State steamrolled Arizona 41-7 before a crowd of 97,168 the third-largest in stadium history. Also on hand were 611 creden-tialed media none of whom could sum up the debacle any better than Arizona coach Dick Tomey. "They beat us," he said, "as bad as a team can get beat." The Nittany Lions entered the game ranked No. 3 by The Associated Press and No. 4 in the USA TodayESPN coaches' poll, with Football Top 25 of the Far East team from Osaka, Japan, pile it on after winning the Little League World Series.

Stan Musial is not among the top vote-getters in fan balloting for the best players in the last 100 years. D2 Japan won the Little League World Series. Kazuki Sumiyama struck out nine and allowed only two hits in a 5-0 victory over Nancy Ueberman wants to revive the St. Louis Marathon. She is working with the St.

Louis Track Club to save the race, which has been canceled this year. D16 Milwaukee at San Diego, night AL Cleveland 3, Tampa Bay 0 New York 2, Seattle 1 Boston 7, Anaheim 6 Texas 9, Toronto 7 Detroit 4, Baltimore 3 Oakland 7, Chicago 5 Minnesota 4, Kansas City 3 NL Atlanta 3, Cardinals Colorado 11, Philadelphia 6 Philadelphia at Colorado, night Los Angeles 4, Chicago 3 San Francisco 6, Pittsburgh 2 Montreal 8, Cincinnati 6 Florida 5, Houston 2 New York at Arizona, night 1. Florida State 41 Louisiana Tech 7 3. Penn State 41 4. Arizona 7 17.

Texas 20 N. Carolina State 23 18. Notre Dame 48 Kansas 13 See Penn State, Page D6 THE ASSOCIAI E.D PHtSS.