The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Vazquez Is Heating Up

NEW YORK - Baseball fans in the metropolitan area won't have a chance to see Javier Vazquez this week, as the first-year Diamondback won't face the Mets in a three-game series at Shea. But the former Yankee said Tuesday that fans didn't witness what he's all about last year, either.

Pistons' Coach Sticking to His Story

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Larry Brown was defensive, testy and defiant Tuesday in reacting to a report that he already had agreed to become president of the Cleveland Cavaliers, sticking with his story that he wants to keep coaching. ESPN.com, quoting two anonymous league sources, said Brown decided to accept a front-office position with Cleveland. Brown maintains he wants to address a health issue after the Detroit Pistons' season ends before deciding what his next career move will be.

Johnson Puts Spark in Suns ; His Comeback Keeps Hope Alive

PHOENIX - Nobody would've blamed Joe Johnson if he sat out the rest of the playoffs. After all, it was only a few weeks ago that four metal plates were attached to his skull, held down by 18 screws, all because of a shattered bone near his left eye that left him looking like someone who had fought a young Mike Tyson.

Hamilton, Pistons Rip Heat ; Stars at Both Ends of the Floor

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Larry Brown will return to Michigan to coach at least one more game. His defending champion Pistons made sure of it. Detroit ensured that the Eastern Conference finals will last at least six games, getting a big performance from Richard Hamilton on both ends of the court to defeat the Miami Heat, 106-96, Tuesday night in Game 4 of their best-of-seven series.

Beauty and the Beast ; Federer and Nadal a Contrast in Styles

PARIS - Imperious and nearly impervious, Roger Federer plays the beautiful game. Muscular and macho, Rafael Nadal is, like the uncle who inspired him, "The Beast."

Sports Briefs

AUTO RACING Officials at Lowe's Motor Speedway are considering ways to make the track safer after a NASCAR-record 22 cautions at Sunday's Coca- Cola 600.

Trio From Rutherford in Ncaas

Rutherford will be Bergen County's college baseball capital this weekend. The South Bergen community will be following the NCAA Division I tournament exploits of two pitchers (Frank Herrmann of Harvard and Jim Wladyka of St. John's) and a former pitcher turned head coach (Rob Walton of Oral Roberts).

When a Dan Doesn't Love a Woman

NEW YORK - Dan Wheldon stood up in his replica race car on a busy Manhattan street and lifted his index finger to photographers, almost as a reminder that he, not Danica Patrick, had won the Indianapolis 500. As Wheldon posed, a man passing by peered through the crowd to get a glimpse.

Yanks Fizzle in K.C. ; Losing Streak Reaches Three

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Here was the Yankees' big chance to take advantage of the small-market Royals, with Gary Sheffield being used as a weapon off the bench. The tying runs were on base, runners at the corners and two out, when Sheffield strolled out of the visiting dugout at Kauffman Stadium in Tuesday night's seventh inning.

1-Game Ban for Torre ; Quantrill Gets Three Games

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Some 4 1/2 hours before the first pitch was thrown at Kauffman Stadium, Joe Torre already was at work. At about 2:30 p.m., he slipped behind the batting cage to watch Hideki Matsui tinker with his swing. Afterward, Torre moved over to third base, giving his input while Alex Rodriguez worked on his defense.

Park's Standout Day Propels Wv to Crown

WAYNE - Paul Park of Wayne Valley placed an exclamation point on the best season a Passaic County golfer has produced this decade, and he still has two more seasons to play. The sophomore helped Valley repeat as Northern Hills Conference North champion Tuesday by shooting a 5-under-par 67 at Packanack Golf Club. That was 14 strokes better than the scores posted by the runners-up.

Kaczmarek Sparks Wallington ; Sophomore's Daring Sprint Home Ends the Season for Midland Park

WALLINGTON - Representing the decisive run in Tuesday's North 1, Group 1 baseball semifinal against Midland Park, Wallington sophomore Emily Kaczmarek was aggressive, almost too aggressive - especially in the bottom of the sixth inning of a scoreless game. On contact, on instinct, she broke off third base on a grounder to second before a throw from the Midland Park infield froze her halfway down the third-base line.

Moore Puts Clifton in Sectional Final

Brianne Moore did it again. And again, Clifton is headed to the North 1, Group 4 softball final.

Westwood Falls to Pequannock

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - It may not have mattered against the prolific Pequannock bats and senior southpaw Ryan Slootmaker, but Westwood sophomore Dylan Cacciola would have liked the pain in his left pectoral muscle to disappear for at least two hours Tuesday afternoon. The Cardinals' scheduled starting pitcher instead had to watch from center field as the Golden Panthers went to work on his team. The Panthers cruised to an 11-0 victory in six innings, the 100th win of coach Bill Arata's career,...

North Jersey Teams Fall Short ; Tenafly, Pascack Hills Already Thinking About Next Season

WEST WINDSOR - The State tennis tournament came to an end for Tenafly and Pascack Hills on Tuesday. But the schools should remain a force in their respective groups for years to come.

Bergen County Meet of Champions [Corrected 06/03/05]

Boys 100: 1. Michael Ray Garvin, Don Bosco, 10.61; 2. Rameik Jackson, Westwood, 11.11; 3. Leslie Bonsu, Bergen Tech, 11.26; 4. Chris DeGannes, St. Joseph, 11.29; 5. Jake Stass, Westwood, 11.57; 6. Tom Perkowski, Garfield, 11.81.

Guevara's Goal Sparks Metros

EAST RUTHERFORD - A few hours after a crowd of 50,807 came to see David Beckham and the English National team at Giants Stadium, MetroStars captain Amado Guevara rewarded the few fans who stuck around to watch the second game with a world-class goal to cap a thrilling comeback. Guevara broke a 1-1 tie in the third minute of stoppage time when he collected a ball won by Abbe Ibrahim and sent a curling, 23-yard shot into the top right corner of the net to give the Metros a 2-1 victory Tuesday.

Hall of a Day Arrives for Zito

NEW YORK - At long last, trainer Nick Zito will find out what it's like to be inducted into the racing Hall of Fame instead of attending the ceremony and wondering. "I remember just about every one of them, and I just loved it," Zito said Tuesday after being elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. "I just wanted to know how it would feel someday, like everybody else. Anybody that says they don't want to be in there, they're just not human. It's a great, great honor."

Bell Can't Make Any Promises ; New Kc Skipper has Work Cut Out

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Buddy Bell faces a daunting rebuilding project with a team that could be headed for record losses, and he's promising no quick turnaround for the Kansas City Royals. Bell took over the 13-37 Royals on Tuesday, with his first game against the Yankees. He was given a contract only through 2007, even though returning the Royals to respectability could take longer.

Mets Notes

Matsui on the bench Mets manager Willie Randolph was careful to say that Kaz Matsui is still technically his everyday second baseman. But Miguel Cairo started at second base Tuesday night, even though Matsui is healthy.