ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 17, 1997 TAG: 9701170071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: IN SPORTS
Larry Rinker, still seeking his first victory in 15 years on the PGA Tour, and seven-time winner Mark Calcavecchia shared Thursday's second-round lead at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Indian Wells, Calif.
Rinker, the first-day leader, shot a 4-under-par 68 to go to 13-under. Calcavecchia, one shot behind starting the second round of the five-day event, had a 67.
Roanoke's Chip Sullivan, making his PGA Tour debut, carded a second consecutive 2-under-par 70. Sullivan's two-round total of 4-under 140 leaves him tied for 57th in the 128-player field.
Sullivan got to 6-under for the tournament before bogeying two of his final four holes Thursday.
``I hated giving away those two shots,'' Sullivan said. ``Just a couple stupid bogeys. But overall, I can't complain. I'm hitting the ball horribly, but I've been able to get away with it so far.''
Sullivan, who has nine birdies and five bogeys through 36 holes, remains on pace to make the cut in the 90-hole event. The field will be trimmed to the low 70 players and ties Saturday after the fourth round.
Sullivan likely will need to get to 8- or 9-under in the next two days in order to survive the cut and cash a paycheck.
``Right now I'm not thinking about the cut,'' he said. ``I think the nervousness is gone now after the first round. I just need to stay focused on what I'm doing out there.''
Jay Don Blake shot a 67 to stay one stroke behind the leaders.
In other golf news:
* Arnold Palmer is making an ``extraordinary recovery'' from surgery for prostate cancer, and the golfing great is expected to leave the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., today.
Palmer, 67, planned to return to his home in Orlando, Fla., as soon as possible, said Doc Giffin, a spokesman for the golfer. Palmer checked into the clinic Monday after learning Friday he had prostate cancer.
BASEBALL Mesa indicted on rape charge
Jose Mesa, the Cleveland Indians' record-setting relief pitcher, was indicted on a charge of raping a 26-year-old woman he met at a nightclub.
Mesa, 30, also was indicted on two counts of gross sexual imposition, one count of felonious assault and one count each of theft and carrying a concealed weapon related to a complaint by two women Dec.22, said Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Prosecutor Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
The county grand jury also indicted Mesa's friend, David F. Blanco, 34, of Solon, Ohio, on one count of gross sexual imposition and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.
Gerald Messerman, Mesa's lawyer, said the pitcher would plead innocent. Blanco also plans to plead innocent, said his lawyer, Niki Schwartz.
Mesa and Blanco were arrested Dec.27 on charges they fondled two women at a hotel in Lakewood, Ohio. The women told police they had met Mesa, who is married, and Blanco at a downtown nightclub. Police said they found a 9mm handgun in each man's car when they arrested them.
Mesa and Blanco pleaded innocent to gross sexual imposition Jan.8. A new arraignment has been scheduled Jan.31.
8 The Boston Red Sox have placed left-handed pitcher Steve Avery on their 40-man roster and the contract of Roberto Mejia has been designated for assignment.
The Red Sox also agreed to a $400,000, one-year contract with left-hander Butch Henry. He can earn an additional $450,000 in performance bonuses.
* Left-handed reliever Ed Vosberg, one of the few reliable arms in Texas' bullpen this past season, avoided going to arbitration by agreeing to a $450,000, one-year contract with the Rangers.
Vosberg was 1-1 with eight saves and a 3.27 ERA in 52 appearances in 1996. He was second on the staff in saves and third in appearances.
Texas also signed one-year deals with infielder Mike Bell and outfielder Marc Sagmoen.
* The Montreal Expos signed free-agent pitcher Jim Bullinger to a one-year contract, adding depth to a starting rotation that has several question marks.
Bullinger joins his brother Kirk, who also is a right-handed pitcher in the Expos organization. Financial terms of the contract weren't disclosed.
* The Arizona Diamondbacks will become the 15th team in the National League and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will join the American League, a source confirmed.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press the assignment of the major leagues' newest teams was approved unanimously by NL owners and by a 12-2 vote of AL owners. Votes of 11-3 in each league were required for passage.
The vote ended a threat by five AL teams that had threatened to block league assignments for the 1998 expansion clubs. There was no immediate announcement on which divisions Arizona and Tampa Bay would join.
ETC. Johnson takes another double win
* Michael Johnson, the first man to sweep the Olympic 200 and 400 meters, has accomplished another first - winning the Jesse Owens International Award Trophy again.
In winning the award for the second consecutive year, Johnson beat swimmer Michelle Smith of Ireland, the runner-up, and weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu of Turkey, who was third in balloting by a worldwide panel of electors.
* James ``Buster'' Douglas, the first man to beat Mike Tyson, will fight for the third time in his comeback when he meets Dick Ryan in a 10-round bout Feb.12 at The Theater in New York's Madison Square Garden.
Douglas, who upset Tyson in 1990 for the undisputed heavyweight championship, then lost the title to Evander Holfyield, began a comeback from a retirement of 68 months with a third-round victory over Tony La Rosa on June 22. On Jan. 10, Douglas outpointed Rocky Pepeli.
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