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Show a DAILY HERALD Wednesday, February 8 2006 TODAY TODAY caper 7pm, KZ ae WSC 12pm. PAGE| _. ait LeBreton 1160 AM,102.7 FM an ONTHEAIR players cited in gambling ring Television Gretzky's wife, Coyotes assistant, NHL GLENDALE,Ariz. — Wayne Gretzky's wife and about a half-dozen NHLplayersplaced bets — but not on hockey — with a nationwide sports gambling ring financed by Phoenix Coyotesassistant coach Rick Tocchet, authorities said Tuesday. At the request of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman,Tocchet did not attend the Goyotes’ game against the Chicago Blackhawkson Tuesdaynight. Ina statement, the Coyotes said Tocchet “was flying back East this evening to address the allegations in a meeting with Bettman.” Gretzky, hockey’s greatest player,is in his first season coaching the Coyotes andis a part-ownerof the team. Actress-wife Janet Jones was among those implicated, twolaw enforcementofficials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity becauseno bettors have been publicly identified. Asked aboutherinvolvement, Gretzky laughed and said, “Oh really? 1 don't know. You'd haveto ask herthat.” State police Col. Rick Fuentes said an investigation into the New Jersey-based ring discovered the processing of more than 1,000 wagers, exceeding $1.7 million, on professionaland college sports, mostly football and basketball. Authorities said Tocchet and state police Trooper James Harney werepartnersin the operation, with the ex-NHL forwardproviding the financing. Fuentes did not disclose the bettors’ names and said charges against moreindividuals werepossible. He described oneof them as a “moviecelebrity.” The gamblingring had a’connection with organized crimein Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, Fuentessaid » Forsberg suffers setback in practice: At Vorhees, N.J., Peter Forsberg’s returnto the Philadelphia Flyers’ lineup is on hold andthe star center's status for the Olympics remains uncertain. Forsberg, the Flyers’leading scorer,left practice early on Tuesday becauseoftigl.:.2ss in his injured left groin. The form: *'HL MVP was hopingto play against the NewYi landers on Wednesday after missing thelastfiv. ues and sevenof the previous nine. “It's a little step back,” Forsberg said.“I didn't wantto stayoutthere and re-injureit. It was getting worse during practice and | didn’t want to take any chances. It’s veryfrustrating. It's bad timing.” SUPER BOWL NFL defends officiating in big game Twodaysafter the Steelers beat the Seahawks 2110in the Super Bowl, the NFL said Tuesday thatthe gamewas “properly officiated.” “Including, as in most NFL games, sometight plays that produced disagreementabout thecalls madebythe officials,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement. The officiating has been a the major topic of discussion since Sundaynight. Right after the game, Se- moraivecgegcmantcnoces ee «cinedeenongyotebw Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer, was angered by the decision. “Today'svoteis a serious setback toall those in the Washii ion ommunity who sought the return of a team to the nation’scapital: I regret very much that D.C. officials have failed to honor the agreement they made when they successfully bid for the Expos to move to weston DuPuy said in his statement. “Baseball has no choice but to pursue arbitration so the terms ofour original agreement can be honored andto begin to explore whateveroptions are avail- College Basketball Indiana at Wisconsin 5 p.m. ESPN Rutgers at Notre Dame ___5:30 p.m. _ESPNC Bo. College at W. Forest__5:30 p.m. ESPN2 BYUat Utah 7 p.m. KIZZ S seat UConn 7:30 pm. ESPN rpm. Syracuse Chicago at Denver 7:30 p.m. ESPN2 | Women's College Basketball | Utah at BYU Tomimmakev: 5 Radio Coll RN ee, teat the cay | eu ae he Goante loeoe Was not approved. Basketball BENE | dpm == : 180 AM | Davis reluctantly reports to Raptors ahawkscoach Mike Holmgren suggested that a firstquarteroffensiveinterference call on the Seahawks’ Darrell Jackson, negating what would have been the game'sfirst touchdown, probably should have been “ano call.” Holmgren, a former chairman of the NFL's rule-making competition committee, fueled the debate Monday during rally for the Seahawks at Qwest Field when he said, “We knew it was going to be tough going up against the PittsburghSteelers.I didn't know wewere going to haveto play the guys in the striped shirts as well.” » Bradwaysteps down as Jets GM; Tannenbaum takes over: At Hempstead, N.Y., Jets owner Woody Johnson decided a coaching change wasn't enough. A monthafter Herman Edwards left for Kansas City, general managerTerry Bradway stepped down as general manager Tuesday. Assistant GM Mike Tannenbaum takes over for Bradway, who will stay with the team as a consultant. Bradwaysaid the decision to leave was mutual. BASEBALL D.C. Council rejects lease forbalipark WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia Council rejected a lease for the Washington Nationals’ new ballpark on Tuesday, leaving the Washington government and Major League Baseball headed to arbitration. The council voted 8-5 against approving the lease, but then returned to session an hour later in an attemptto revive the deal. As part of the deal to lure the Montreal Expos following the 2004 season, Washington agreed to spend money on construction andland acquisition for the stadium, to be built along the Anacostia River waterfront. The council voted thento authorize up to $535 million in bonds, but the price of construction is thought to have escalated. “The majority of the council took a see view in denying this lease,” Mayor A. Williams said. “We're not saving moneyforthe district, BLOOM SHOOTS! DOWN SLOPES: ASNELAWAITS FORT WORTH STARTELEGRAM eremy Bloom's blessing is that j2es of chilly knees. His mistake was in trying to outrun the NCAA with them. Most weekend skiers will tell: you that moguls are bad things . — lumps in the snow to steer | away from at all costs. But Bloom, in his daytime job, jackhammers overand off the sides of mogulsas ~ if his legs werepistons. Hefinished a TORONTO — Antonio Davis reluctantly reported to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, saying he needed four daysto clear his head. Davis was acquired Friday in a deal that sent Jalen Rose,a first-round draft pick and cash to the New York Knicks, There had beenspeculation that Davis, who was traded by the Raptors in 2003, wouldn't play in Toronto,insteadretiring or asking the Raptors to trade nyton playoff contender ox bury li ot ofts contract “It's not that bad,” Davis said after practice. “I’m still doing something I love to do.” Davis said he never brought up the possibility of a buyout. ieate 9 telbon: tte final 2 eames of what might be his final For Bloom, theDinner HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS skiing pays Jonny Mose- Football has a moveto a lot Lone Peak looking for soccer coach The administration at Lone Peak Highschool is looking for a boys head soccer coach tostart immediately. Interested candidates should call 763-7050 andleave their name and contact number(s) with the schoolreceptionist. They should also fax a coaching resume to the attention of Kurt Roberts at 763-7064. the'bills” ic nobetter than such an * sport,” Bloom i » Springville: Kolby Bradley (112-pounds), Logan WIlson (119), Jason Chamberlain (125), Dusty Radcliffe (140). Both region champions, » Provo: MichaelHolt (130), Pleasant Grove in Region 4 and «Nathaniel Holt(145), Travis Springville in Region 7, have Ayoso (152). high hopes for team success » Orem: Mario Tolayo (103), this week. But the competition Matt McCoy (140), Ryan Freewill be stiff as the Vikingswill man (275). square off against powerful D Lehi: Matt Spencer(112), teams from Weberand ViewCam Phillips (119), Jeremy mont, and the Red Devils will James (160), Logan Roseman have to overcomethe depth of 89). Mountain Crest and Box Elder. » Payson: Ryan Gonzalez “It just depends on who 135). gets rolling,” Lone Peak head “I think the best matches coach Lyle Mangumsaid. “In will comein the 160-pound Continued from C1 thefirst round last year, we started 10-1. If someonegets hot, they could surprise people and win it. There are so many good teamsthatthefinals will be key. Thosewill be big points.” Mangum said that teams that had larger numbers of wrestlers to have a big advantage, because early wins could pack inpoints quickly. Even though teamtitles may be difficult to come by, a number of area wrestlers expect to challenge for the top spot in their individual. weight classes. Some 4A wrestlers to keep an eye on include (by team): class,” Preecesaid. “It only has one superstar anda lot of the competitors havea lot of experience. 130 shouldalso be exciting because sevenstate placers from last year are returning.” Preece also expects 119 and 135 to boast a numberofexciting matches, In the 5A ranks,the five Pleasant Grovewrestlers lead the title hopefuls » Pleasant Grove: Keola Goodman (103), Jacob Woodhouse (145), Gerhart Vuksinik (160), Mitch Sanderson (171), Jonny Warner(189), » Spanish Fork: Brad Clark (152). Lone Peak: Blake Mangum (125), Thomas Lamb (130), Sterling Coons (275). “I think the 160 and the heavyweight (275) weights will be exciting,” Mangum said. “Then you have 125 with six placers back and 135 with seven placers competing.” But even those the athletes named may havebeenslightly better during the regular sea- son, all bets are off when state competition begins. “Everyone can beat everybody,” Clark said. “The wrestlers just need to focus on one matchat a time. The first round might be the hardest, getting prepared and ready to wrestle.” The tournament begins today at the McKay Events Center on the campus of Utah Valley State College at 12 p.m.and continues until “It's three hard days,” Mangumsaid.“It's the threeday tournamentand the athletes have to makeweight and stay focused all three days.It’s tough.” » Jared Loyd can be reachedat 344-2552 or jlloyd@heraldextra.com, fourth The new hot story in is cov- er boy Bloom (ome 2. OLYMPIC ae iger a model, narra- Media tor ona te ji Summitit in Warren sii tmovieMiand, October. en you in in skiing, ski winin according toa national f azine, one o the “Sexioa “Wh you don't Sports.” have anyone Bloomwill to celebrate Wrestling judg- attraction, csucd Skiing is performance individual WASHINGTON — Major League Soccer insists Freddy Adu will play for DC. United for the “forseeable future,” denying a British Senepeens report of a deal that would send the 16-year-old prodigy this year to Premier League power Chelsea. The Times of London reported that Chelsea is in advanced stages of negotiations with MLS, which holds Adu’s rights, for a transfer fee of about $8.7 million. “Wehaven't had anydiscussions with any club about a transfer for Freddy,” MLS commissioner Ivan Gazidis said Tuesday. “Heplaysfor D.C. and will be playing for D.C. for the foreseeabie future.” Ey rodethat more personal fybe, putthe SOCCER MLS, United deny report of Adu trade gerincludes with. Win a football’ Provo boys hold on game, though, and competein the oleeceal Feb. 15, and i inediat ' imaA prepare for some even tougher at the everyone gets judges NFL Scouting JaredLloyd DAILY HERALD underthe basket, resulting in a turnover. But the advantage was short-lived as Provo fans must've felt ap-_ Provo’s inbounds pass was prehension, evenatouchof stolen by Tiger senior Tanfear, during the final 17 secner Lamb. Lambfired from onds of Tuesday’s basketball deep in the corner,but his game at Orem. shot glanced off the rim and They'd just seen Tiger Bulldog senior forward Tansenior guard Craig Cusick ner Gregory secured the big transform from the brickboard. uepersona he had been Orem fouled immediately bras Seba ofthe game and Gregory couldn't seal (2-0f-12 ing) into Reggie the win, missing the ee Miller, scoring seven straight eynotte points to turn a comfort enly tebe secant gobe Bulldog lead intoatie game. Tigers got the ball to their Twoof the most sureclutch fer. Cusick fired handed, experienced playa runner from 30 feet out ers wearing green sudwhich bounced too hard off denly grew butterfingers and the backboard, giving the turned the ball over. visitors the victory. And after junior forward “We've got to figure out Chris Collinsworth had how to get one more basket,” drilled a pair of clutch free Orem head coach Mike Conthrowsto put Provoontop, _ner said. “Weneed to figure they saw Orem get not one, out how to win close games.” not two,but three chances to After Provobuilt a sixtie things up or win the game point lead in the second quaroutright. ter, the Tigers bounced back But the Bulldog magic po ere ene te Dee in close games once again Four of those came on thunproved overwhelming. The derous dunks by Lamb that visitors dodged all three fieo the Orem crowdroaring. nal att and out momentslater, another Region 7 win, ian ed up his third foul beating the Tigers, and had tosit, opening up Thevictory means the worst the interior for the talented Provo can do is tie for the Bulldog post players. The title. green-jerseyed players went “Wefeel like we know on a 14-1 run and appeared how to win (close games),” incontrol of the game before Collinsworth said. “We me Cusick ay en defense being more aggressiveat t! closed the gap late. end. “It ft we played betAfter a Cusick shot ter overall in the second banked off the totie the half,” Provo head coach score at 44, Provo the Craig Drury said. took floor and tried to hold for the us out of our game in t! last shot. An edefirst half and we took them fensive by junior eee game in the third forward Mike Hall resulted tne ae vtI gone on Bako withath1. va 's and the clock. wheLamb “Ij i the same thing soaed Ifthe Tigers, wala do,” Collinsworth said. Both teams eyrer “I think of Adam Mortant games on Fi yy. Orem I was shoot- heads on the road to play iiagaree ace .” Lehi, while Provo hosts ena eet ille. The games will calmly drained isto —_tipof at 7 p.m. the Bulldogs up, but the Fier had plenty of time. Jared can be the next reached at 344-2552 or Orem lost control of the ball —_jlloyd@heraldextra.com. \ to sing the fight song. It's something e ‘ I've missed.” . At 23, Bloom should Lior havebeen a past football ason, Catch- ing passes and running back kicks for the University of Colorado. The first time that he touched the ball in a college football game, Bloom dashed and bolted 75 yards for a touchdown. In twoseasons at Colorado, Bloom scored five touchdowns on plays of 75 yards or longer. But he never wanted to up skiing. When the Duffels re Season ended in 2002, with head coach Gary Barnett's permission, Bloom flew to Finland to compete in a World Cup event, then jetted back in time to compete in the Alamo Bowl. For Bloom, skiing paysthe bills. Football has a more personal attraction. Skiing is individual sport,” Soe iidat the U.S. Olympic Media Summit in October. “When you win in skiing, you don't have anyone to celebrate with. “Win a football game, though, and everyone gets to sing the ght It's something I've skiing, the NCAA decided, was eeeae eae and it declared him seoplyclegeeat. The NCAA'slogic is more than a little skewed. A college football layer — say,the team’s quarter— can playthird base for the New York Yankees’ Triple-A farm cluball summer,yet he is allowed to return and quarterback. A female athlete can win tan cueeeae tl e int ault her oraunivers. Citing such Bloom to theNCAAto reinstate reinstatement staff has determined that Jeremy Bloom of the University of Colorado, Boulder, rendered himself Senate eligible foraw with mult violations of NCAA rules ments,” the ores ret in See LEBRETON, C5 |