European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday january 8 1991 the stars and stripes a a Page 23commentarybears resent second Echelon tag Chicago that toddling town has seethed Ever since . Leibling dubbed it the a second City Many years ago meaning new York was first. And now quietly and smugly the Chicago bears Are Seething about being considered in the a second Echelon of super bowl xxv contenders meaning somewhere below that of the san Francisco 49ers, the giants and the Buffalo Bills. A a nobody a put us in their class a Trace Armstrong a bears defensive end said. A a we be been in the second Echelon All year. But now we just happen to go up there and play  by eliminating the new Orleans saints 16-6 sunday the bears will be growling in giants stadium next sunday after the 49ers oppose the Washington redskins at san Francisco on saturday in. The other National conference divisional playoff. But did the bears really consider themselves a second Echelon team a after the last four games a Armstrong said a everybody said we were Lucky to be Here. Maybe we Are. Well find  As the regular season wound Down the injury riddled bears lost three of their last four games and four of their last six. After a 9-1 Start they finished with an 11-5 record with Mike Tomczak Acquar Terback instead of Jim Harbaugh out with a separation of his throwing shoulder. A if we can go up there a said Steve Mcmichael another bears defensive lineman a and just stay with those Guys in new  you could almost feel the bears resentment of the giants a team that Mcmichael and the other older bears from their super bowl xxx Champion team twice dominated at Soldier Field 21-0 in a Windy divisional playoff after the 1985 season and 34-19 in the opener of the 1987 season that somewhat deflated their super bowl successors. But one of those older bears the defensive end Richard Dent was also realistic in assessing next sundays showdown. A against san Francisco Washington new York a Dent said a you can twin too Many games with Only Dave Anderson 16 Points on the Board. We should be got More Points against the saints than we  but the bears defense made those 16 Points stand up nobly especially in a goal line stand Midway in the fourth Quarter after the saints had moved to a first Down at the 2-Yard line. If the saints had scored a touchdown there they would have narrowed the bears Lead to 13-10. Instead the bears Rose up like so Many grizzlies on their Hind legs. On first Down the cornerback Vestee Jackson shoved Dalton Milliard out of Bounds for a 3-Yard loss. On second Down John Fourcade who had Heen inserted at quarterback after Steve Walsh suffered a separated shoulder found Craig Heyward in the end zone but Heyward dropped the pass. Armsrong then sacked Fourcade for a 16-Yard loss. A in the huddle a said Mike Singletary the bears Middle linebacker a we were just saying a lets get it  and we  a without much fanfare the Bear defense has been getting it done All reason. Over the 16-game schedule it ranked third in the pfc behind that of the giants and the 49ers. In the ratio of takeaways to giveaways it ranked second in the pfc with plus 19, one behind the giants. With their 45 takeaways 31 interceptions 14 recoveries of opponents Fumble the Bear defense shared the nil Lead with the Kansas City chiefs. Against the saints sunday the bears had three interceptions but lost one Fumble. And now that Bear defense is a threat to Jeff Hostetler the giants backup quarterback who has replaced Phil simis. / a the game Simms Hurt his foot against Buffalo i saw Hostetler on television and he did a Good Job a Singletary said. A a we really done to know much about him but we re going to have to look at film get a feel for him and go from  if the giants had a healthy Simms a at quarterback the bears might indeed be a second Echelon team. But with Hostetler on stage in his first playoff game the bears will be dangerous. A a we re both Blue Collar teams a a Armstrong said. A play Good defense run the Ball. On defense Well prepare pretty much the same As we did for the saints. Stop the run. Make Mem pass. And when they pass get in the Guys  t in both the 1985 divisional playoff and the 1987 season opener Richard Dent harassed Phil Simms constantly. A the giants Are much better than we Are they be got the Bye a a Dent said with a Small in it irk. A a we la  a a a a. A a a a a a a a a a a v but what Dent and the other bears also Hope to see is the prolonging of Dan Hampton a career. Somewhat stiff legged after five operations on each knee during his 12 seasons the 33-year-old defensive tackle played his last game at Soldier Field sunday unless the bears were to oppose the redskins in the pfc championship game on Jan. 20. A a in a like to go out the Way i want to take Dan out in the super bowl you know that a the last game a Dent said. A i Hope someday they take me out the Way we want to take Dan  Hampton has been a Bear for the Ages a Bear that bears of other eras cherish. Not Long ago Richie Petitbon once a bears defensive Back for 10 seasons and now the redskins defensive coordinator was reminiscing with Mike Ditka the bears coach who was a Hall of Fame tight end for the bears. A a there a one Guy on your team that i really Admire a Petitbon said. A Dan Hampton. He was one of a us.�?�. A a a a a a a a a a a a one of us. There a no higher compliment from a player from an earlier Era to a player of the current Era. But like his teammates Dan Hampton is smugly Seething about the giants too. A if we can make it there next sunday we can make it anywhere a he said. A new York new  the bears will get to Wake up in the City that never sleeps and Hope the giants Are. The new York Tim court backs nil on free Agency ruling Washington up the supreme court monday let stand a decision that the National football league cannot be sued under antitrust Laws for continuing to Block its Best players from testing their value on the open Market once their contracts expire. The court refused to hear a class action suit filed by players the Day the bitter 1987 strike ended without a collective bargaining agreement Between owners and the leagues 1,600 athletes. The players forced Back to work after a 24-Day walkout when the league fielded teams with a a replacement players Are nearing the end of their fourth season without a collective contract. At Issue was whether the nil could claim Protection from Federal antitrust Laws while continuing to unilaterally impose previously negotiated restrictions that make it virtually impossible for the leagues top athletes to work for the team of their Choice. In 1988, a Federal judge in Minnesota ruled the continued restriction on player movement a known As free Agency a in the absence of a collective bargaining agreement and Lack of renewed negotiations was subject to antitrust Laws. But on nov. 1, 1989, the 8th . Circuit court of appeals in a 2-1 ruling reversed the decision claiming a so called no statutory labor exemption from the antitrust Laws remains in effect indefinitely in such a Multi employer bargaining unit even after a contract has expired and the sides have reached an impasse in negotiations. The court monday by a 7-2 decision let the 8th circuit ruling stand without comment. Justices Byron White and Harry Blackmun wanted to hear the Case but it takes four votes for a Case to be considered. The nil players association which had acted As the Union representing players bargained away free Agency rights in return for other concessions under the five year contract that expired in 1987 the league has since Cut Many of those concessions including Severance and pension and unilaterally adopted a so called plan b free Agency system in 1989 under which Only players deemed least essential to a club Are allowed free movement from team to team. Under plan a the owners also will impose a league wide wage scale beginning with the 1993 season. The a Flea has since declared itself de certified As a Union to Force nil management to Stop claiming a de Facto contract still exists that would allow it continued Protection from antitrust Laws. The a Flea now serves As a form of Trade association representing the players. Nil players have always negotiated their own salaries but the collective bargaining pact would set minimum salaries and take care of other concerns such As pension. While free Agency technically exists the league requires Steep compensation from any club that signs a Premier player whose contract expires and his current team would have the right to match any contract offer and retain the player. The leagues compensation system a under which a team signing a a free agent would owe a players original team highly valued draft choices in return a is considered such an expensive measure that Only one player has changed teams under the system in the past decade. / under plan a which the a Flea opposed each team can a a protect the Best 37 players on its roster during a specific Span at the end of a season leaving Only the least coveted players As True free agents. Plan b has brought open Competition for Many marginal players who now Are often commanding salaries much higher than their a a protected a and thus presumably More valuable a colleagues. Kite off to flying 1991 toc i Carlsbad Calif. Not a As he has during his entire career Tom Kite combined steadiness with resilience sunday to outlast Lanny Wadkins and win the tournament of champions. Kite shot a final round 69 to Complete 72 holes with a 16-under-Par 272 score that featured four rounds in the 60s. It w As kites second Victory in the  aggressive Wadkins finished one shot Back. Shooting at the flags All Day he fired a 68, but missed a 4-foot Par putt on the 71st Hole that Cost him the Lead. Chip Beck Fred couples and Wayne Levi tied for third at 12-under-Par 276. In the senior division Bruce Crampton closed with a solid 71 for a nine under Par 279 total that beat Frank Beard by four shots. With Kite beginning the Day with a two shot Lead at 13-under-Par 203, both he and Wadkins made the nine Hole turn with a two under Par 34. Wadkins fell three shots behind when Kite birdied the Par-4 10th, but he then wrested the Lead away when he exploded with three straight birdies. Playing in the twosome in front of Kite Wadkins began his assault by Hong a 2-foot putt on the 541-Yard Par-5 12th Hole an 8-foot putt on the 410-Yard 13th, and a 12-foot putt after a solid 3-Iron to the 204-Yard 14th. Kite who watched from the tee As Wadkins tied him hit a poor tee shot on the 14th and made a bogey to fall Back by  he recovered by making a Birdie on the 423-Yard 16th to reclaim a tie for the Lead. Up ahead on la Costa s feared 569-Yard, Par-5 17th Hole Wadkins committed the mistake that would Cost him the tournament. After hitting a Sand wedge from 100 Yards to about 18 feet Wadkins aggressively charged the Birdie putt running it 4 feet past. But then he missed the comeback to fall a shot behind