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Lemieux expected to play on Tuesday
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Pittsburgh Penguins star Mario Lemieux participated in the team's practice on Monday at Mellon Arena and pronounced himself ready to return to action Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
"I felt great today on the ice," Lemieux said after practice. "I was able to do all the drills at top speed. I'm feeling great and ready to go tomorrow...looking forward to it.
"It's been a long time for me. Finally I'm feeling up to par and ready to go."
Lemieux hasn't played a full game since January 4, a 3-2 overtime win over the New York Islanders. He left in the second period of a rematch against the Islanders three days later due to a pulled groin and attempted to play January 13 in Boston. However, he left that contest after logging just 3:53 of ice time. Lemieux also sat out Sunday's All-Star Game.
In 41 games this season, he has tallied 20 goals and 48 assists for a league- leading 68 points.
Meanwhile, goaltender Johan Hedberg also returned to practice on Monday. Hedberg said he felt good after his first full workout with the team in more than a month, but wouldn't put a timetable on his return to the lineup. He has been sidelined with a fractured clavicle.
Blues' Weight sidelined with ankle injury
St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - St. Louis Blues center Doug Weight underwent an MRI on his left ankle Monday and the results were negative. Weight was diagnosed with a deep bone bruise in the ankle and will be sidelined seven to 10 days.
He suffered the injury when he was hit by a shot from Vancouver's Ed Jovanovski during the third period of Sunday's NHL All-Star Game.
In 53 games this season, Weight has tallied 11 goals and a team-high 44 assists.
Meanwhile, the club recalled defenseman Christian Backman and forward Eric Nickulas from the Worcester IceCats of the American Hockey League.
02/03 15
Hamister suspends bid to buy Sabres
Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Buffalo businessman Mark Hamister has suspended his bid to buy the financially troubled Sabres. Hamister also said partner Todd Berman has withdrawn from the attempt to purchase the Sabres.
Hamister had been given a few extensions by the NHL in his attempt to buy the bankrupt team, but the league set a deadline of 5 p.m. Monday for him to sign an asset purchase agreement for the Sabres.
"As of today, the period of negotiating exclusivity granted to the Mark Hamister group for the purchase of the Buffalo Sabres has expired," said Bill Daly, executive vice president and chief legal officer of the NHL. "As a result, the club now is free to entertain other expressions of interest and offers to purchase the franchise. Mr. Hamister remains welcome to pursue the purchase.
"Our objective remains to find a purchaser who will maintain the franchise in Buffalo. We appreciate all the cooperation and support Adelphia has provided throughout this process."
The sale of the team became necessary when owner John Rigas and two sons were indicted on fraud charges following the collapse of Adelphia Communications. The league has been supervising operations of the Sabres.
Rochester billionaire and failed gubernatorial candidate B. Thomas Golisano has expressed interest in buying the Sabres.
Hamister and Berman had been seeking close to $40 million in public aid and obligations. The request includes a state refinancing of a $23 million loan on the arena and a $7 million county-funded parking deck. However, in a press release on Monday from Berman's company, New York City-based Chartwell Investments, it was noted government assistance was not in the plans to help the Hamister-Berman push to buy the team.
Truth, Lies and NHL e-mails
February 3, 2003
Last Thursday, at approximately 10:42 a.m. eastern standard time, I received what appeared to be the best hockey-related e-mail ever. In simple, sweet, and (seemingly) no uncertain terms, the subject line read: "NHL AND NHLPA SIGN MULTI-YEAR"
As a hockey fan, it was the most uplifting and joyous press release that one could have received from the NHL Public Relations department. And, not to mention, it was about 20 months ahead of schedule (maybe 30 or 40).
As a hockey journalist, I saw more red lights than at an NHL All-Star Game.
Is it possible, I asked myself, that labor armageddon has been avoided? I stared again at the subject line of the e-mail, just to make sure. Have NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players' Association boss Bob Goodenow - the two guys who can't even agree whether or not there has even been a proposal - secretly pounded out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, one that will keep the game going with no stoppage at all?
But that's exactly what it said, in black-and-white and all capital letters, with no ellipsis at the end (the ... that indicates there are more words in the subject line). "NHL AND NHLPA SIGN MULTI-YEAR"
Hockey Hallelujah! Great Gretzky and long live Gordie Howe! The NHL and its players saw how Major League Baseball nearly ate itself with its strike a few years back, and hockey has responded by getting a deal done, for the good of the game, its players, teams and millions of fans.
At least, that was the ice-affirming implication, that the NHL and NHLPA had signed a multi-year deal that would avert a work stoppage in 2004, or any time in the "multi-year" future.
Of course, that was not the case. Ever so far from it, in fact.
When I giddily opened the e-mail, I discovered, sadly, a second line, one that was as disappointing as the first line was exhilarating. It read: "PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS."
Put it together and you get: "NHL AND NHLPA SIGN MULTI-YEAR
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS."
Talk about a letdown. I felt like the St. Louis Blues after Wayne Gretzky decided three months was enough and signed with the Rangers.
At least the poor players and poorer owners will have a cheap place to hide out in in 2004. (And 2005? 2006?)
Perhaps I'm making too big of a deal about the subject line of an e-mail. I believe whomever sent that out, on behalf of the NHL, knew perfectly well the 2004 implication. But after all, isn't it just a little spin doctoring, something the NHL PR people – and pretty much all PR groups – do on a daily basis? Put themselves and their business in the best possible light? If you've ever seen Bettman "answer" a direct question, you know what I'm talking about.
So, I decided to check out other recent e-mails from the NHL PR folks. I liked/detested this one, too:
"NHL LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR ITS 7TH MAN" This e-mail, dated Feb. 1, 2003, has another headline, when you open the e-mail, that reads: "Fan of the Year to Become NHL Commissioner for a Day; Participate in Ceremonial Opening Face-off at Game 1 of Stanley Cup Finals."
The e-mail continues: "The National Hockey League has declared the 2002-03 season the 'Year of the Fan,' and today (Feb. 1), in celebration of its fans' dedication, passion and loyalty, the League and its 30 Member Clubs announced the introduction of the NHL '7th Man Award' that will honor its fan of the year. "The grand-prize winner of the '7th Man Award' will receive a trip to New York to become 'Commissioner for a Day' and will participate in a ceremonial opening face-off at Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals."
Good, fan-friendly idea, right? Sure, except isn't it a little late, at the 50-game mark, to declare 2002-03 as 'Year of the Fan'? Especially when, a couple paragraphs later, the NHL says the "search for the fan of the year begins tomorrow and runs through March 1."
Sounds like 'Month of the Fan' to me, and it smacks of a last-minute desperation attempt at cozying up to fans with the knowledge that there's going to be a lot of angry hockey watchers who won't be able to watch NHL hockey in 2004-05 (or at least for a good chunk of that season, and perhaps longer).
Unless, of course, the best thing happens and the 'Commissioner for a Day' makes use of that day by signing whatever piece of paper the NHLPA's Goodenow puts in from of him or her.
Well that explains a few things. ha ha ha.
Dial, ha ha ha.
Reminds me of the time I fell in love with that dyslexic girl, what was her name, Lana! Yup, thats it, Lana.
Now that's good. ha ha ha
If in fact we are fully outstanding with the authorized shares, the time has come for Javeed to get his a$$ in gear and produce some real, measurable, verifiable, undeniable value to this company.
All the Javeed bashing by those who dislike him is rather useless as even those of us who have resigned ourselves to his leadership, hold a very low opinion of his abilities and public performance so far. At this time, he can only get better. I like to rant and am more unhappy than most, but I am optimistic that the few items which I/we have been able to verify are in place and adding real value are but the tip of the iceberg of this stock, and that audited financial statements and getting off the pinksheets to any other exchange are in the near future.
Yes, I agree. I'd like to see it up to 5 pearls a day.
I-W, I think you and Jim Lur and Matt Brown should take your dispute to the arbitrators at Ihub. I am sure that the claims and investigations department has at least 3 or 4 investigators ready to take a look at this particular incident and put it on this weeks docket of cases being investigated. Make sure to record you file number and case number so that they can't screw you around and lose your paperwork, and also demand that they apppoint you your own personal ihub counsellor. If you cannot afford one, one must be provided to you at their expense I believe.
Best of luck
This guy is great! I don't miss the monkey anymore. Could we up his post limit so he can contribute more?
all those stock profit ones are unpaid touts, but the market dd is a paid pumper.
02-03 ELC MarketDD $1.38
02-03 TDW Stock Profit Picks $29.10
02-03 NBL Stock Profit Picks $35.70
02-03 OEI Stock Profit Picks $18.73
02-03 OO Stock Profit Picks $10.08
02-03 RYAAY Stock Profit Picks $39.54
02-03 STE Stock Profit Picks $23.45
02-03 WOR Stock Profit Picks $15.17
02-03 DRE Stock Profit Picks $25.05
02-02 ENDD Penny Stock Profits $0.51
oooops, that happy little guy in your signature just cost the smily company a nickel.
Agreed. I would rather get an email reply confirming they at least got and read my question, than nothing at all.
The IR might as well be an unanswered telephone number if they are not going to answer anyhow.
This is not the only reason the stock is stuck at 3 cents, but it certianly isn't helping to instill any confidience or encourage any new inquiries to become investors.
So a few of the posters here borrowing a picture that gets viewed by say 50 others results in a cost of $1000+ for the guy who owns the website?? No wonder that guy was mad, ha ha.
i'm in. How about 'grub hunter'?
It has become much quieter on most boards.
I agree that would be better, I just think it is less probable based upon virtra's low key effort at promoting their stock.
the corner bar must be a nsasty violator. It takes a full minute for the ibox to load, ha ha ha.
Just on a curious note, how much of an expense to a website would that much bandwidth have cost them? Is it like pennies or a few bucks, or what?
Boxing Report: Loss Forces Forrest Into King's Lair
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - February 2, 2003
Atlanta's premier fighters, Vernon Forrest and Evander Holyfield, face different career hurdles, but they find themselves in the same boat. It's called getting back in line.
Forrest, who lost his WBC welterweight title last week to Ricardo Mayorga in unflattering fashion --- a bruising third-round knockout --- has an obstacle in his resurgence: Don King.
Forrest clawed his way to top the hard way, remaining independent. Now, however, he cannot avoid King.
There's a rematch clause with Mayorga, a King fighter. But the Nicaraguan has called out IBF champ Michelle Piccirillo, who is also promoted by the "His Hairness."
Piccirillo fights No. 1-ranked Corey Spinks next month in Italy. Guess who is Spinks' promoter? None other than King.
Even if Forrest gets a rematch with Mayorga, by then he may no longer be champ. One thing is for certain: Forrest cannot get around having to deal with King. Again.
Forrest has long been wooed by King but said no. He may not be in position to do so again. Normally when King is holding all the cards, in order to get a title shot against one of his fighters, the challenger --- if he wins --- must give the promoter options to stage his next several bouts. Looking to return
Holyfield, who underwent surgery for the rotator cuff injured during his loss to Chris Byrd, expects to return this summer.
"Absolutely, if everything continues to go well," adviser Jim Thomas said. "We're trying to arrange a rematch with Byrd."
But Holyfield has fallen in the rankings: No. 5 WBA and No. 12 IBF. Thomas has protested to both bodies. Heavyweight watch
Atlanta's Cedric Boswell (21-0, 19 KOs) is set to fight on ESPN on Feb. 28 in Las Vegas. Finding a willing foe is a different matter.
"We thought we had a deal with Larry Donald, but he pulled out," Boswell said. "Ray Mercer said he needed a couple of tune-ups first. But I'm willing to go it the hard way --- fight my way to a mandatory. As long as I stay busy, I'm happy."
Copyright 2003 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
National Hockey League Game Capsules
(Sunday, February 2nd)
Final Score: Western Conference 6, Eastern Conference 5 (shootout)
Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - Bill Guerin, Markus Naslund and Paul Kariya scored during the first-ever NHL All-Star Game shootout, as the Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference, 6-5. Atlanta's Dany Heatley tied an NHL All-Star Game record with four goals and added an assist for the Eastern Conference. Heatley, who was named the game's MVP, also scored the only goal for the conference in the shootout, but was not credited with that goal toward his official stats.
The game was tied 5-5 after overtime, and the Western Conference then won the contest by scoring three times during the shootout phase. The 53rd edition of the mid-season classic was played at the Office Depot Center -- home of the Florida Panthers.
The 22-year-old Heatley, in his second NHL season and first All-Star Game, had the first four goals for the Eastern Conference. He became the fifth player to score four times in an All-Star Game, equaling the mark by Wayne Gretzky (1983), Mario Lemieux (1990), Vincent Damphousse (1991) and Mike Gartner (1993). He finished just one point shy of the record of six set by Lemieux in 1988.
Heatley, who leads Atlanta with 49 points this season (23 goals, 26 assists), also became the youngest player to notch a hat trick in the All-Star Game. At 22 years, 12 days he is one day younger than Gretzky was.
After experimenting five years with the format of North America versus the World, the league went back to the traditional arrangement of Eastern Conference against Western Conference.
East meets West in 53rd annual NHL All-Star Game
Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - East will meet West once again Sunday afternoon when the National Hockey League holds its 53rd annual All-Star Game at the Office Depot Center.
It will mark the first time since 1997 that the format has matched the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference, as the league went to the North America/World theme prior to the 1998 edition. The East won the last three mid-season showcases before '98, including an 11-7 triumph in San Jose in 1997.
The starter in goal for the West in that tilt was future Hall of Famer Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche, and he'll play that same role this time around as well. Roy, who recently appeared in his 1,000th NHL game, will make his 11th All-Star appearance, tying Terry Sawchuk for second place on the all-time list among netminders. Glenn Hall played in 13 games with Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis from 1955 through '69.
Roy's counterpart in net, Tampa Bay's Nikolai Khabibulin, will try to mirror his success from a year ago in Los Angeles. The Bulin Wall entered the game at the start of the third period with his World team trailing 5-3 and proceeded to stop all 20 shots fired his way in the frame. Khabibulin's showing allowed his mates to score five unanswered goals to secure an 8-5 win.
Protecting Roy on the West blueline to start the game will be a couple of mainstays in teammate Rob Blake and two-time defending Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom, who was once again the leading All-Star vote-getter. Bill Guerin and West captain Mike Modano of the NHL-leading Dallas Stars will start at left wing and center, respectively, and San Jose Sharks star Teemu Selanne will man the right side. Both Guerin (2001) and Selanne (1998) are former All- Star Game Most Valuable Players.
In front of Khabibulin for the East will be defensemen Sandis Ozolinsh, now of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Ozolinsh was supposed to represent the hometown Panthers, but was traded to Anaheim on Thursday. Up front, it will be a Penguins reunion as Jaromir Jagr of Washington and Alexei Kovalev of Pittsburgh flank the wings. Jagr was selected to start for the 11th consecutive year, while Kovalev will play in just his second All-Star Game, and first as a starter.
Mario Lemieux was voted in to the game as a starter but will not play (groin). Nor will New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch, who has been sidelined with a bruised ankle since December 3.
The Eastern/Wales Conference holds an 18-7-1 advantage over the Western/Campbell in the all-time series.
FIRST-TIMERS
Fourteen players will be making their All-Star Game debut, including Dany Heatley of the Atlanta Thrashers. Heatley won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year last season and has built upon his stellar freshman showing. The University of Wisconsin product is tied for 20th in the league in scoring with 49 points (23g, 263a).
Other first-time All-Stars for the East are Zdeno Chara (Ottawa), Olli Jokinen (Florida), Patrick Lalime (Ottawa), Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay), Glen Murray (Boston), Jeff O'Neill (Carolina), Tom Poti (New York Rangers) and Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning).
Highlighting the West first-timers is Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi, who combines with Markus Naslund to form the most potent scoring duo in the league. Bertuzzi, who will celebrate his 28th birthday on Sunday, is tied for third in the league with 28 goals and continues to make his case for title of "best power forward" in the NHL.
Other West selections making All-Star Game debuts are Eric Brewer (Edmonton), Marian Gaborik (Minnesota), Jocelyn Thibault (Chicago) and Marty Turco (Dallas).
KEEP AN EYE ON
-Naslund, Vancouver - The league's goal-scoring leader at the break with 35 goals, Naslund is taking his career to yet another level. Expect him to team with Bertuzzi on an All-Star line early and often, and that could spell disaster for the East. What's the All-Star record for goals, four? If there's any player in this game who can match or break that it's Naslund.
-Gaborik, Minnesota - After Naslund, he's probably the second candidate to challenge four goals. He has as much, if not more, raw talent than anyone playing on Sunday, and has posted the numbers to back that statement up. Gaborik became the youngest player in a decade to score as many as six points in a game (2g, 4a) in a 6-1 victory at Phoenix October 26. He is also just the fourth player in NHL history to record five hat tricks prior to his 21st birthday, joining Wayne Gretzky (12), Jimmy Carson and Dale Hawerchuk (six each).
-Marian Hossa, Ottawa - Only 24 years old, Hossa has leaped from the realm of star to superstar for the bankrupt, but East-leading Ottawa Senators. A well-rounded sniper who can beat you with his speed or strength, Hossa has already eclipsed his previous career high of 32 goals.
-Marty Turco, Dallas - The 27-year-old has shined as Ed Belfour's replacement in Big D, leading the NHL in both goals-against average and save percentage. A first-year starter and first-time All-Star, it will be interesting to see how Turco fares in the no-defense, wide-open environment of All-Star hockey.
MISSING IN ACTION
Lemieux's absence from Sunday's tilt is the most notable, and joining him and Leetch on the sidelines will be Ed Belfour and Mats Sundin of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Belfour will miss the game due to an ailing back, while Sundin has opted to rest a bum shoulder that sidelined him in early January. The duo's absence means that, for the first time since the NHL began holding regular All-Star Games in 1947, there will not be a Maple Leaf in the match.
Montreal's Saku Koivu will not participate because he has a previously scheduled medical exam to attend. The appointment is to monitor his continuing recovery from abdominal cancer.
NOTABLE
East captain Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils will be making his 13th career All-Star Game appearance, the most among this year's participants...When 39-year-old defenseman Al MacInnis of the St. Louis Blues was selected 15th overall in the 1981 Entry Draft, Gaborik, 20, was still some eight months from being born...Ten countries will be represented in Sunday's game -- Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States...In the event of a tie after 60 minutes of regulation time, there will be a five-minute, sudden-death overtime period, followed by a shootout with five shooters for each team. Should the score remain tied, there will be a sudden-death shootout until a decision is reached.
02/02 10:17:30 ET
ENDD Penny Stock Profits $0.51
oh oh and a spelllling violation! Your rite about that thow. ha ha ha.
Brewer Wins Unanimous Decision Over Whitaker
Reported By: Boxing Insider - 01.31.2003 11:13 PM
BoxingTrivia.com - Think You REALLY Know Boxing?!?
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - Former IBF super middleweight champion Charles Brewer landed a slew of crosses, hooks and uppercuts to earn a unanimous 10-round decision Friday night over Etianne Whitaker.
Brewer, a 33-year-old fighter from Philadelphia, improved 39-9 with an impressive performance that showed he's still among the world's best in his weight class. Whitaker, 30, from Warren, Ohio, fell to 27-9-2.
Brewer dominated the action almost from the opening bell. Whitaker's white trunks were stained with blood from a cut in his mouth in the third round, and he sustained a cut above his right eye two rounds later.
In accordance with the prefight contract,Aboth boxers were permitted to come in over the super-middleweight limit of 168 pounds. Whitaker weighed 171 pounds to Brewer's 169 for the bout at the Tropicana Casino and Resort
In the co-feature, hard-punching Philadelphia junior welterweight Chucky Tschorniawsky (22-5-1, 12 KOs) upset West Milford's Scott DePompe (23-4) with a second-round knockout in their scheduled 10-round bout.
DePompe, 31, announced his retirement after the fight.
Boxing Report: Loss Forces Forrest Into King's Lair
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - February 2, 2003
Atlanta's premier fighters, Vernon Forrest and Evander Holyfield, face different career hurdles, but they find themselves in the same boat. It's called getting back in line.
Forrest, who lost his WBC welterweight title last week to Ricardo Mayorga in unflattering fashion --- a bruising third-round knockout --- has an obstacle in his resurgence: Don King.
Forrest clawed his way to top the hard way, remaining independent. Now, however, he cannot avoid King.
There's a rematch clause with Mayorga, a King fighter. But the Nicaraguan has called out IBF champ Michelle Piccirillo, who is also promoted by the "His Hairness."
Piccirillo fights No. 1-ranked Corey Spinks next month in Italy. Guess who is Spinks' promoter? None other than King.
Even if Forrest gets a rematch with Mayorga, by then he may no longer be champ. One thing is for certain: Forrest cannot get around having to deal with King. Again.
Forrest has long been wooed by King but said no. He may not be in position to do so again. Normally when King is holding all the cards, in order to get a title shot against one of his fighters, the challenger --- if he wins --- must give the promoter options to stage his next several bouts. Looking to return
Holyfield, who underwent surgery for the rotator cuff injured during his loss to Chris Byrd, expects to return this summer.
"Absolutely, if everything continues to go well," adviser Jim Thomas said. "We're trying to arrange a rematch with Byrd."
But Holyfield has fallen in the rankings: No. 5 WBA and No. 12 IBF. Thomas has protested to both bodies. Heavyweight watch
Atlanta's Cedric Boswell (21-0, 19 KOs) is set to fight on ESPN on Feb. 28 in Las Vegas. Finding a willing foe is a different matter.
"We thought we had a deal with Larry Donald, but he pulled out," Boswell said. "Ray Mercer said he needed a couple of tune-ups first. But I'm willing to go it the hard way --- fight my way to a mandatory. As long as I stay busy, I'm happy."
MIKE HAS NEW TRAIN-ER OF THOUGHT
NY Post - February 2, 2003
February 2, 2003 --
THE temptation came in the form of a telephone call just before Christmas. Shelly Finkel was on the other end asking Freddie Roach if he would be interested in becoming Mike Tyson's latest trainer.
A former boxer with a growing reputation as a cornerman, Roach was well aware Tyson has been through as many trainers as he has wives lately with the results equally volatile.
Roach had heard how Tyson would ignore his trainer's teachings; how he sometimes slacked off in the gym if he showed up at all; and how techniques taught during training camp were suddenly lost on fight night in a barrage of the bizarre.
Common sense should have told Roach to stay away. Instead, he yielded to compassion and the prospect of a lot of cash, joining Team Tyson for a Feb. 22 fight against Clifford Etienne in Memphis. He is Tyson's third trainer in as many fights, following Ronnie Shields and Tommy Brooks, two respected cornermen who failed to connect with the former champion.
"I told him I didn't want to waste my time," Roach said of his first conversation with Tyson. "But if he wanted me to help him I would. I guess I've always thought about working with Tyson and whether I could help him. The question was whether he was trainable."
There is much at stake for both men. If Tyson (49-4-2) can beat Etienne (24-1-1) and look impressive, it will lead to a lucrative rematch with champ Lennox Lewis this summer, a prospect that seemed unlikely last June when Lewis pounded Tyson before KOing him in the eighth round at The Pyramid.
Tyson's days as a contender seemed over since he looked so badly that night, absorbing Lewis' heavy punches until he finally collapsed from a thunderous right hand to the jaw.
"Halfway through the first round he gave up," said Roach, who was a ringside observer. "I don't think he made an effort to win the fight. He didn't look like the Mike Tyson I'd seen in the past. The only thing he proved after 30 seconds was he could take a good shot."
If boxing were fair, Vitali Klitschko deserves the next shot at Lewis, but the huge dollars generated from Lewis-Tyson I has Lewis greedy for an easy $20 million payday in Lewis-Tyson II. Roach, no dummy, knows he's in for a handsome check if he can get Mike past Etienne.
"This probably is a do-or-die situation for Mike," Roach said. "If he can't beat this caliber of fighter (Etienne), he might have to think about doing something else. He's going to have to look impressive and the way he's looking now, I think he will."
So far, Roach reports Tyson had been the model student: awake at his Las Vegas home at 5:30 a.m. ready for work., running 31/2 to 5 miles a day, sparring up to 10 rounds, and dropping his weight from 244 to 230.
"He's got to get back to the fundamentals," Roach said. "With his style, he needs good head movement. I've been pushing him pretty good, but he seems motivated. He says he wants to fight and so far his work shows me he really does."
Of course, we heard similar comments from Shields before Tyson was whipped by Lewis.
"I'm trying to make the next heavyweight champion of the world," Roach said. "If he responds the right way he might have a chance. But he still has to do it in the ring to make me happy."
It would make Lewis happy, too.
Imagine that MacInnis wins the hardest shot prize with a good old wooden stick. Technology still can't replace talent and ability.
Hockey Today
SCOREBOARD
Monday, Feb. 3
No games scheduled.
STARS
Saturday
-- Al MacInnis, Blues, won the NHL's hardest-shot competition for the seventh time with a shot clocked at 98.9 mph.
-- Brian Sutherby, Capitals, had two goals and an assist, leading the East past the West 8-3 in the YoungStars game.
-- Patrick Roy, Avalanche, won the overall goalie competition, stopping eight of nine shots in two events.
BIG SHOT
Al MacInnis won the NHL's hardest-shot competition for the seventh time Saturday night, as the Western Conference topped the East 15-9 in the All-Star skills. MacInnis' 98.9-mph blast gave him his first win since a four-year run from 1997-00.
SWIFT
Marian Gaborik, an All-Star rookie, was the fastest skater at Saturday night's All-Star skills competition. He circled the ice in 13.713 seconds. The West easily won the team event, with its three skaters beating all but one player from the East.
KID STUFF
With two goals and an assist, Washington's Brian Sutherby was chosen the most valuable player of Saturday night's YoungStars game, leading the East past the West 8-3. Philadelphia's Pavel Brendl scored two goals for the East while Columbus' Rick Nash, the top pick in the 2002 draft, had two goals and an assist for the West.
CHANGE
At the start of Saturday night's All-Star skills showcase, planned ceremonies with a space theme were significantly cut back in memory of the seven astronauts killed in the space shuttle Columbia accident earlier in the day. The shuttle, scheduled to land in Cape Canaveral, about 200 miles north of the All-Star festivities, broke apart over Texas.
NO SHOW OZO
Sandis Ozolinsh, traded from Florida to Anaheim on Thursday, didn't take part in Saturday's media availability or the All-Star skills competition because he was uncomfortable returning to South Florida so soon after being dealt. He is expected to play in Sunday's All-Star game as a member of the Eastern Conference team, despite being introduced as an Anaheim player.
ALL-TIME
Following Saturday night's 15-9 victory, the Western/Campbell Conference has won the All-Star skills competition five times. The Eastern/Wales Conference finished first three times.
SPEAKING
"So much for technology, eh?" -- Al MacInnis, who used a wooden stick to win the NHL's hardest-shot competition in Saturday night's All-Star skills competition. MacInnis was the only player in the event to not use a composite stick