Look ahead
Fast forward to highlights in the NBA, college basketball and NHL this week.
Weekly poll
Did the Blues make the right move?
Last week: Fans hurt most by free agency
Quote of the week
"I follow the Rams wherever they go"
--Wayne Gretzky on going to St. Louis.
In your words
"Does (Albert Belle's) yelling and screaming at reporters deserve the stiffest fine in baseball history? ... Maybe he can forgive them for robbing him of the MVP, and they can call it even."
--Mike Goodell, Oxford, Ohio
"Neil O'Donnell ... Who cares! I am sick of tired of
these players changing teams left and right. Free agency has ruined
not only baseball but now football."
--Jeff Stagno, Pittsburgh
|
 | Gretzky, who played nearly 30 minutes Thursday, was noticably fatigued. He averaged less than 20 minutes per game with L.A.
|
A Kings' ransom?
The St. Louis Blues finally landed Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, on Tuesday night and immediately made the Blues a feared Stanley Cup contender. In return, the Los Angeles Kings got three players and two draft picks. Gretzky said the next day the Blues were his first choice all along. The Great One scored a goal in his
first game with the Blues on Thursday, then sustained a mild concussion from an elbow on Sunday.
What goes through the mind of a general manager when a superstar is traded for prospects and draft picks? Portland Trail Blazers GM Bob Whitsitt gives an inside look at the psychology of a blockbuster trade as our guest columnist.
 Kreidler: Laid-back L.A. won't miss Gretzky
Zone columnist Mark Kreidler says that in many weird little ways Gretzky wasn't really L.A.
Spander: Scales rarely balance when stars are dealt
Zone columnist Art Spander finds that teams which get marquee names in trades usually fare better than those who pile up prospects.
Look back
Weekly news wrap
- Lenny Wilkens, already the winningest coach in NBA history, reached the 1,000-win mark Friday as his Atlanta Hawks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 74-68.
 |
O'Donnell
|
- Quarterback Neil O'Donnell, who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the AFC championship last season, on Thursday signed a five-year contract with the last-place New York Jets.
- A jury in Lumberton, N.C. on Thursday convicted Daniel Green of killing Michael Jordan's father.
- The first invitations to the NCAA Tournament were issued Saturday.
- The San Diego Chargers signed Miami Dolphins defensive end Marco Coleman to a free-agent offer sheet, and released former Pro Bowl running back Natrone Means.
- Major League Baseball on Thursday fined Cleveland Indians outfielder Albert Belle $50,000 for his tirade against NBC sportscaster Hannah Storm before Game 3 of the World Series last October. It is the largest monetary penalty ever imposed on a player.
|
|
Phillips
|
- Tony Phillips retired
because of family matters, then unretired.
- Ronnie Fields, a high-school basketball star in Chicago, on Tuesday was seriously injured in a car accident but is expected to fully recover.
- Dayton center Chris Daniels, who collapsed and died suddenly on Feb. 8, died of natural causes, a coroner's report said.
Winners
Losers
- See Albert Belle above.
- Rutgers-Camden: Dropped its basketball program after a record 108-game losing streak.
- New York Knicks forward J.R. Reid: Fined $10,000 Monday for
flagrantly elbowing A.C. Green of the Phoenix Suns during Sunday's game. Green lost two teeth.
Drag.Net
- Pittsburgh Penguins center Petr Nedved was expected to face a hearing on a sexual assault when the Penguins play in Vancouver. The charge is based on allegations by a woman who said Nedved sexually assaulted her in her home in early December 1994.
- New Orleans Saints linebacker Rufus Porter and his wife, Anita, were arrested in Destrehan, La. after a domestic disturbance at their home.
Passages
- Vic Janowicz, 66, a triple-threat football star at Ohio State who won the Heisman Trophy then played pro baseball and football, Feb. 28, cancer.
- Pat Smythe, 67, who in 1956 became the first woman show jumper to compete in the Olympic Games, Feb. 27, heart
disease.
Best columns
From the polls
In our weekly menu of polls, here's how Zone users weighed in on:
The most underrated NBA player: Dennis Rodman.
Who is hurt most by free agency?: Fans
Multimedia highlights
|
Lenny Wilkens says the 1,000-win mark speaks more for his success than longevity. (109k wav)
Deon Jackson gives Bradley a 64-62 win over Southwest Missouri State with a desperation 3-pointer. (684k avi)