The Prince George Citizen ­ Wednesday, November 5, 2003 ­ 9 SPORTS High school player setting the record straight SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Nate Haasis dropped back for one more pass as the clock wound down on his high school football career. But this one was different: As he threw a 37-yard completion, his opponents just stood around and watched. With that, Haasis became the new all-time passing champion of the Central State Eight Conference, with a record 5,006 yards. But it turns out the two opposing coaches in the Oct. 25 game orchestrated the play to ensure Haasis' place in history. And now the 17-year-old senior wants to nullify the pass and give back the record in a dispute that has roiled this football-crazed city and led to a debate over honesty and fair play. "It's for past and present football players. I felt disrespectful when I had the record the way I got it," the Springfield Southeast quarterback said. Over the past week and a half, radio talk-show phone lines have lit up with praise and condemnation for Haasis' coach, Neal Taylor. Taylor has wept during radio interviews. And the (Springfield) State Journal-Register editorialized that he was teaching players "that it is OK to cheat." "Taylor has saddled his protege with a dubious, actually deceitful, accomplishment," the newspaper said. "High school sports fans will not remember Haasis' 5,000 passing yards so much as they will remember the asterisk." In post-game interviews, Taylor and coach Antwyne Golliday of Cahokia High acknowledged they got together during a timeout with less than a minute to play and struck a deal: Cahokia, which had a big lead, would be allowed to score again, uncontested, and then Haasis would meet no resistance on the record-breaking pass. Exactly as planned, Haasis broke the record set by Griff Jurgens, who threw for 4,998 yards for Chatham Glenwood High from 1996 to 1998. Cahokia won 42-20. Haasis (pronounced HAY-sis) has said he did not know about the agreement beforehand but realized what was going on when he saw the play unfold. It was obvious to the crowd of fewer than 100 spectators, too: The opposing players simply lined up and watched the snap -- not even getting down in a crouch at the line of scrimmage. They made no effort to tackle the receiver. On the Tuesday after the Saturday afternoon game, Haasis wrote a letter to the football conference disowning the record. Haasis said the record "would have been great ... something to share with my teammates." But in his letter, he said the final pass should be dropped "to preserve the integrity and sportsmanship of a great conference for future athletes." 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It will come in one ear, go out the other," said Payton, who signed with Los Angeles because he wanted to play for an NBA contender. "I really don't care. I'm here to take pressure off of him, bring the ball up." Bryant scored 31 points, including two key threepointers in the closing minutes, Shaquille O'Neal had 23 and Payton 19 as the Lakers (4-0) stayed unbeaten by overcoming a 10-point second-half deficit. The Bucks got a career-high 36 points from Michael Redd, but Milwaukee was outscored 24-10 over the final seven minutes. Bryant expects jabs in every NBA arena outside the Staples Center after being charged with sexual assault in Colorado last summer. "It isn't any different than any other road trip," Bryant said. Actually, this one was, thanks to Payton, who played the second half of last season in Milwaukee after the blockbuster trade with Seattle. That was enough for the Bradley Center crowd of 18,717 to feel spurned, and they razzed Payton and Bryant with equal vigour, especially when Payton took a pass from Bryant underneath and drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers a 5754 halftime lead. Bryant, who played 40 minutes just one week after missing the opener because his surgically reAP photo paired knee was still sore and weak, said he appreciated Payton's help along with that of another new- Kobe Bryant's 31 points led the Los Angeles Lakers to a win Tuesday over the Milwaukee Bucks. comer, Karl Malone. 22281189 FROM RRSP TO INCOME Dollars & sense Jerry Ross If you have an RRSP account and you're turning 69 during this year, then this is the year your RRSP "matures". This means the account cannot continue as a savings plan. You must decide how you want to draw it out as income. Choose one or more of these three options: One: The value of the account could be withdrawn in cash, and added to your income for the year. Tax would be paid on the entire amount taken. Two: You could purchase an annuity. Annuities pay a set amount of income over a specific time frame. The income amount is based on current interest rates. Income is taxable as it is received, and there is no "principal" amount left. Three: You can convert the account to a Registered Retirement Income Fund (called a "RRIF"). The key difference between an RRSP and a RRIF is that the RRSP has maximum annual contribution amounts, whereas a RRIF has minimum annual withdrawal amounts. No further contributions can be made to the account once it Top NBA rookies go at it tonight CLEVELAND (AP) -- Russell vs. Chamberlain. Bird vs. Magic. Jordan vs. Everyone. Rivalries have always given the NBA some extra bounce. Tonight, another will be born. This one pits a pair of the league's most talented rookies -- good friends who have received rave reviews after playing just a few pro games. And Cleveland's LeBron James and Denver's Carmelo Anthony can't wait for the opening tip. "I'm looking forward to it," said James, the Cavaliers' 18-year-old guard. More than 20,000 fans, a national TV audience and more media than have ever covered a game in Gund Arena, will witness the Cavaliers' home opener against the Nuggets. It also will be James' regular-season home debut, and the former Akron high school superstar -- and No. 1 NBA draft pick -- wants to put on a good show. "A lot of people are going to be here," said James, who has averaged 18 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists in three games. "I'm just here to show the city of Cleveland that we're a way, way, way better team than we were last year." James grew up just 50 kilometres away, and he's expecting a large contingent of family and friends to be on hand: "Half of Akron," he said. James and Anthony last faced each other in high school and have been trying to downplay any rivalry -- old or new. "A lot of people are going to portray it as a LeBron-Carmelo game, but it's a Nuggets vs. Cavaliers game, and we're trying to go out there and win," Anthony said. "It's going to be on everybody's front page. I know that already. As long as I go in there with the mind-set of just trying to win, nothing can hold me back." is converted to a RRIF, but a minimum amount of income must be drawn from it each year. The income is taxable in the year it is received. An RRSP can be converted to a RRIF at any age, but the RRSP must be converted by December 31st of the year in which the account holder turns 69. For example, if you turned age 69 in March of this year, you must convert your RRSP accounts by December 31st of this year. When you convert the RRSP to a RRIF, your income begins in the next year. The most popular maturity choice for RRSP accounts is the RRIF, because it offers a high level of flexibility and benefits. For instance: · RRIF investments can include Term Deposits, Mutual Funds, Stocks, Bonds, Mortgages, and various other investments; · You can easily transfer the money held in the RRIF between investments or between financial institutions; · The growth on your investments is not taxed while it is in the RRIF account. If you turn 69 this year and you have one or more RRSP accounts, call 563-1212 today to discuss your best course of action. Jerry Ross, CFP, CIM, FCSI, is a Branch Manager with the Investment Planning Counsel of Canada team in Prince George. Listen to "Dollars & Sense" Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons on local radio stations. For help with financial planning needs, call the IPC team today at 563-1212. 00440185 Real Madrid advances with a draw LONDON (AP) -- Nine-time winner Real Madrid became the first team to reach the second round of the Champions League following a 0-0 draw with Partizan Belgrade on Tuesday, while English clubs Manchester United and Chelsea both won easily and are almost through. Defending champion AC Milan, meanwhile, beat Club Brugge 1-0 despite playing with 10 players for most of the game. Madrid and Partizan missed good chances, and both 'keepers were sharp. Djordje Pantic stopped Brazilian star Ronaldo with a foot save late in the first half, and Luis Figo's header went wide seconds later. Madrid 'keeper Iker Casillas made a reaction foot save to deny Andrija Delibasic and then frustrated Sasa Ilic in the dying seconds. Madrid, which dropped its first points, has 10 points from four matches in Group F. FC Porto, on seven points, has a four-point lead over Marseille in second place. Dmitri Alenitchev scored in the 21st minute as Porto won 1-0 in Portugal. Marseille has three points, and Partizan two. Diego Forlan scored again and Ruud van Nistelrooy had two to break out of a slump as United beat Rangers 3-0 to complete the double in the Battle of Britain. Forlan, with four goals in four games, volleyed past Stefan Klos in the sixth minute. "It was very disappointing," said Rangers midfielder Peter Lovenkrands. "We didn't play to our best, and Man United took their chances." Surprising Stuttgart, which has the best defensive record in the Bundesliga, also has nine points after a comeback 3-1 win over Panathinaikos. Chelsea beat Lazio again. Former Lazio star Hernan Crespo, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Damien Duff and Frank Lampard had the goals in a 4-0 win. Crespo scored in the 15th minute when 'keeper Matteo Sereni -- playing because No. 1 Angelo Peruzzi was injured -- could only palm away Juan Sebastian Veron's free kick. The ball went in off his chin. MIAMI (AP) -- A new qualifying format for the 2006 World Cup was approved Tuesday by soccer's governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean. Under the new schedule, 20 Caribbean countries will play home-and-home, total-goals series. The 10 winners, joined by Belize and Nicaragua, will play home-and-home series with the 12 countries -- including Canada -- that were seeded by CONCACAF. The 12 winners advance to three semifinal groups of four, with each team playing six games. The top two teams in each group advance to the final round, with each country playing 10 games. The top three teams qualify for the 32-country tournament in Germany, and the No. 4 team advances to a playoff against another region. MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THE FLU SHOT? We offer safe, research-based options to traditional vaccinations as well as adjunctive support for those who choose to get the flu vaccine. 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