Two summers ago it was a riveting home-run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa that helped get the sport past the crippling strike of 1994. He'd been booed again without mercy or reason, and he was talking about it. Despite chronic fatigue syndrome, broken bones and dozens of operations, Michelle Akers was one of the world's top players for 15 years, leading the United States to two World Cups and an Olympic gold. A federal magistrate in Salt Lake City has issued a gag order to defense lawyers and federal prosecutors in the pending Olympic corruption trial. Prosecutors have grumbled for months about defiant statements from the defense camp for indicted Salt Lake bid leaders Tom Welch and Dave Johnson.
Prosecutors have for the most part avoided speaking with reporters.
3 winners There were three winners in the Daily News Home Run Payoff contest yesterday. Mich. QB Drew Henson, who paid his dues as an understudy for two years, will have to wait a few more weeks before he can take the reins as Michigan's starting quarterback. Chan Ho Park hit his first major league home run yesterday and added an RBI single to back his seven shutout innings, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the visiting Montreal Expos, 7-0, yesterday. After rough beginning, Pedro crowns Royals Even in his worst outing of the year, Pedro Martinez never looked better. After allowing six runs in the first two innings, Boston's reigning Cy Young winner faced the minimum over his final six frames and the visiting Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 9-7, in 10 innings last night.