European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 18 2007 stars and stripes Pace 41 Morton meets his match Dave and stripes Kub Sakis Charles Vinson or left and Kadenas Jeff Morton sprint to the finish in the 100 meters during fridays Okinawa activities Council track meet at Camp Foster Okinawa Vinson edged Morton 1118 seconds to 1125 Morton had not lost a race since transferring to Kadena from Colorado in summer 2005 Vinson did not run track last season his parents Charles or and Charlena wanted him to improve his grades Hes the hottest thing on the Island right now Kubasak coach Charles Burns said of Vinson Okinawa track and Field at Mike Petty stadium Kubasak is Camp Foster Okinawa fridays individual winners All distances in meters boys shot put Lawrence Mcclain Kubasak 37 feet 4 inches discus Lawrence Mcclain Kubasak 945 High jump Ray Cordero Kadena 55 Long jump Manuel Duran Kadena 200 100charles Vinson or Kubasak 1118 seconds 110 hurdles Randall Obannon Kubasak 1806 400manuel Duran Kadena 545 1600anthony Tillman 5 minutes 3 seconds Tillman Kadena 400 rela Kadena 4544 800 rela Kadena girls shot put Akesa Mcclain Kubasak 293 discus lakes Mcclain Kubasak 852 High Jum Kyera Tennyson Kubasak 410 Long jump j Townsel Kubasak 145 100lorien Mckinney Kadena 1292 100 hurdles Shannon Steele Kadena 1753 400wilson Zion Christian Academy 800julie Monti Kubasak 1600julie Monti Kubasak 3200julie Monti Kubasak 400 rela Kadena 5447 800 relay Kubasak not boys 200 800 and 1600 relay and girls 200 and 1600 relay were called off due to inclement weather South Korea boys soccer Friday Seoul american 8 Taegu american 0 at Yon san Garrison Taegu 0 00 Seoul 2 68 goal Seoul Chris Churchwell 2 Daniel Kim 1 Taehee Ahn 1 Michael Beck with 1 Matt Park 1 James Nutter 1 Preston Woolford 1 assist Seoul Daniel Kim 1 Chris Churchwell 1 David Crothers 1 Yon san int Seoul 6 Osan american 4 at Osan air base miss 4 26 Osan 4 04 goals is Daniel Jung 3 Mun Hyuk Heo 2 David Kim 1 Osan Alex Lane 2 Carlos Albaladejo l Abel Fautena l assist Osan Carlos Albaladejo 1 Seoul foreign 5 Taejon Christian into 1 at Seoul this 101 Seoul 3 25 goal Seoul Remco Rademaker 3 21 ties school record of 90 in three seasons set by up Rader in Andrew Park 1 Dereck of oking 1 this Patrick song 1 As Sist Seoul Andrew Park l Ricardo Homan 1 Hayes Creech 1 Remco Rademaker 1 fran Cis Suh 1 South Korea girls soccer Friday Seoul foreign 6 Taejon Christian into 2 at Seoul this 2 02 Seoul 4 26 goal Seoul Megan Kim 3 Stephanie Lim 1 Kathleen Varennes 1 yiota Kastritis 1 this Nina Aaltonen 2 As Sist Seoul Megan Kim 2 Leah Chung 1 Osan american 5 Yon san inf Seoul 0 at Osan air base miss 0 00 Osan 3 25 goals san Gina Bosworth 2 Christina Connolly 2 Mackenzie Thompson 1 assists san Christina Connolly 3 Gina bos Worth 1 Sasha Sluzinski 1 Japan boys soccer Friday Vej King 1 Nile c Kinnick 0 at Ike go Heights naval housing facility Vej King l 01 Kinnick 0 00 Golej King Jonson Green l note Worth first win for Vej King since 2005 sea son Japan girls soccer Friday Edgren 2 Kinnick 2 at Ike go Heights naval housing facility Edgren 0 22 Kinnick 1 12 Goa Sedgren Chelsey Melillo 2 Kin Nick Frances Zukowski 1 Amelia Simp son 1 Assis Sedgren Alyssa Rodriguez 2 Kinnick Tara Bartkowski 1 Healthiest teams have Healthiest chances at title by Brian Omahoney the associated press it got Issari Thomas an Exten Sion Terry Stotts fired and Jeff Van Gundy endorsements for coach of the year rarely has the ability to handle injuries been As important As this season when few teams have been Able to stay at full strength for very Long Ive never been part of a sea son that i can remember where so Many teams have been impacted so deeply by so Many injuries rockets coach Van Gundy said its not just us everybody not everybody but a lot have been impacted by injuries Houston 200506 season was wrecked when Yao Ming and Tracy Mcgrady were Hurt at the same time but the rockets held up Well when Yao was out this time Thomas was rewarded with a new contract when his Boss was impressed with the Way the kicks played through the absences of some key players not everyone has been so Lucky having to go Long stretches without Michael Redd Bobby Simmons and Charlie Villanueva was too much to ask of the Mil Waukee Bucks whose Good Start turned into an awful season be cause of those injuries and led to Stotts departure this week the list goes on Washington lost its Way when Antawn Jami son was out Boston lost All Hope when Paul Pierce was Miami has been surging without dwyane Wade while there were thoughts new Jersey would break up its team because it was so bad with out Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krstic so is winning the title this year simply a matter of which team stays Healthiest it seems that Way from looking at the stand Ings Dallas has had Dirk Nowitzki for All but one game Phoenix has been dominant for months except when Steve Nash was Hurt before the Allstar break Tim Duncan has played every game for san Antonio and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobile have come close not surprisingly those three teams Are considered the top title favourites you look at the elevated records of a lot of teams Jeffer son said you look at san Anto Nio has primarily been healthy Phoenix has primarily been healthy Dallas has primarily been healthy so when youre going against these beat up teams these Hurt teams a team that already going to be Good and there healthy going against teams that Are beat up that Why you see so Many dominant teams in certain areas Jordan Speaks Michael Jor Dan is convinced hell make the Charlotte bobcats a Winner after struggling in his first role running a team with the Washington Wiz Ards Jordan part owner of the Bob cats with the final say on Basket Ball decisions thinks Hes in a bet Ter situation now the unfortunate thing in Washington i didst get a Chance to finish what i started but in very Happy with what i did Jor Dan said recently in a rare meet ing with reporters i think this provides a whole different Opportunity from scratch Young play ers that we can build a longevity a nucleus of Success if you do it right i think we Are doing it right Jordan who was widely criticized for taking underachieving Kwame Brown with the no 1 pick in the 2001 draft while with Washington was fired by the Wiz Ards in 2003 but Jordan believes he Doest get enough credit for dumping contracts and getting the wizards under the salary Cap i think in better off from a financial standpoint in this organization from what i had to do in Washington Jordan said being Able to unload some of the contracts and create some of that space gives me the knowl Edge of How to utilize it Here and to use it wisely for the right Rea sons the third year bobcats Well under the salary Cap will have the most flexibility of any team this summer during free Agency and Jordan plans to spend Money despite acknowledging the bobcats currently Are losing Money the one thing we do have is the flexibility to lure that Star ath Lete if the finances is what Hes looking for Jordan said Jordan also will make the final decision on a coach to replace Bernie Bickerstaff who Likely will move into a front office role at the end of the season but dont expect Jordan to become More visible in Charlotte when he at tends games Hes tucked away in a suite and even has instructed Arena staff not to show him on the video Board its mainly because in Proba Bly Yelling and throwing things in not hiding from the fans Jor Dan said i show emotion a lot More than most people the last thing i want is for people seeing me Down there criticizing and Yelling at Adam Morrison for not getting Back on defense or for some Guy throwing the Ball away if i can make it there most ath letes know that new York can be great if you play Well but Misera ble if you fail Isiah Thomas was worried about the latter before he decided to take the kicks offer to be come their vice president of basketball operations in december 2003 after receiving a multiyear con tract Extension earlier this week Thomas was asked if he had been worried since last summer about losing his Job his Boss Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan told Thomas the team had to show improvement this season or Thomas would be gone Way before that Thomas said taking the Job you worry about that because when i took the Job that was one of the big questions that i had to ask myself was if you cant get it done in new York then its not going to be a pretty picture the position that the kicks were in at that time was deemed hopeless Thomas had led the Indiana pacers to three straight playoff berths before he was fired he want out of work Long before new York offered him the Chance to come clean up its salary Cap woes i had just got fired but i had just left a team that had won 48 games so coaching Wise i knew i would always be Able to go Back into coaching and get a Job Tho Mas said but to put it on the line for a situation that was deemed Al most irreparable or unrepairable that was the decision i had before that not last year though the kicks still have the leagues highest payroll and no playoff victories since Thomas arrived Hes done Well enough As their coach this season to earn a new Deal and he dismissed the idea that his teams turnaround came because his players were under pressure to save his Job i dont think there playing Well because of some sense of Sav ing me he said i think my Ca reer my professional life and my financial life is probably a lot bet Ter than theirs so i dont need a lot of saving i can save myself