If the trend continues, the Philadelphia 76ers will make the NBA Finals again, the Washington Capitals will be in the Stanley Cup finals and the Rochester Americans will reach the Calder Cup finals.

If the favored Rams have a comfortable lead on the scoreboard entering the fourth quarter, the hefty spot to the Patriots could keep the betting public sucked in.

"I never thought they'd do it. Bravo for them," says Liccione. "It was long overdue for boxing authorities to hit Tyson with a KO punch.

"I liked the young Mike Tyson, but now he is a disgrace and bad for our great sport. He is corrupt, crude and rude.

"He is a horrible role model and I'm alarmed by the number of young people who seem to look up to him and sympathize with him.

"He'll probably wind up fighting Lewis somewhere overseas.

"I just wish he'd go away permanently."

Each would make at least $17.5 million.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission and New York State Athletic Commission already have done themselves proud by rejecting Tyson and California should follow their lead.

So should the other 47 states.

No one in the boxing world who is not on Tyson's payroll has provided a single logical explanation as to why he shouldn't have been permanently banned from the sport when he bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear in their title fight in June 1997.

What has Tyson done since that disgraceful night to "earn" a title shot against Lewis? He has logged a total of 19 rounds in six fights, most of which were marred by his unsportsmanlike behavior.

Preston Shumpert with a hurting shooting eye. Too little rebounding.

Short bench.

If I were a Syracuse Orangemen basketball fan, I'd be worrying about an NCAA Tournament bid slipping away and wondering if this team will have a chance to make dubious history by winning both the Preseason NIT and the Postseason NIT.

The losingest maiden in North American thoroughbred racing returned to action Thursday night and finished last in the ninth race at Penn National in Grantville, Pa.

The Zipster was 20-to-1 in the program for his first start since last September but faithful fans bet him down to 14-to-1 despite the fact that the 11-year-old gelding was facing much younger and better horses in the $10,190 maiden special weight race.

According to the Daily Racing Form chart of the race, Zippy Chippy "dropped back early and saved ground throughout and was outrun." He finished 33 lengths behind the winner and 20 lengths behind the sixth-place finisher.

Zippy Chippy is 0-for-92 for his racing career. He made his fame losing races at Finger Lakes Race Track, going 1-1 vs. Red Wings at Frontier Field and by beating a harness horse in a handicap march at Freehold Raceway in New Jersey.

Shesastonecoldfox last raced October 27, when she set the pace before tiring badly to finish last in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Belmont Park.

She is owned by Dennis and Debbie Petrisak of Honeoye Falls, trained by A. Michael Ferraro and will be ridden by regular jockey John Grabowski.

Cleveland Rockers starting point guard Helen Darling has a pretty good excuse if she misses the entire upcoming WNBA season.

She'll have triplets in April. The season starts May 25.

The Colorado Rockies will be his ninth Major League Baseball team in the last eight years.