Green Bay Press-Gazette from Green Bay, Wisconsin • Page 19

www.greenbaypressgazette.com Green Bay Press-Gazette Wednesday, March 23, 2005 C-3 Sports Let's talk Packers: Excerpts from Chris Havel's online chat 71 Suns at home on the road, winning again 5 NBA This architectural drawing shows a proposed sports and convention center, right foreground, planned for the west side of Manhattan. The proposed stadium would be the home of the New York Jets and a site for the 2012 Summer Olympics, should New York win its bid for the games. The Associated Press Jets get key endorsement as 2010 Super Bowl host The Associated Press Amare Stoudemire had 40 points and 13 rebounds to help the Phoenix Suns beat the Atlanta Hawks 105-94 on Tuesday night and become the ninth NBA team to win 50 games following a 50-loss season. With Stoudemire controlling the lane and Steve Nash handing out 11 assists, the Suns improved the league's best road record to 27-7 with an eighth straight road victory They have won three of four overall. Shawn Marion had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns, which tonight in Charlotte can tie the team record for consecutive road wins, set in 1997-98 and matched the next season.

The Suns are 5-0 when getting 40 points from Stoudemire, who stole a pass on the Atlanta end and fed Quentin Richardson for a dunk that ended the scoring. The Hawks, who were led by Al Harrington's 16 points, fell to an NBA-worst 8-25 at home. They have lost six in a row and 19 of 20. Noteworthy: LeBron James scored 29 points and got some help from the Cavaliers' bench to give interim coach Brendan Malone a win in his first game, 91-76 over the Detroit Pistons in Cleveland. Anderson Varejao scored 11 points off the bench and played tough defense with a couple of blocks.

Malone took over after Paul Bucks must go The Associated Press SEATTLE Milwaukee Bucks point guard Maurice Williams missed Tuesday night's game against the Seattle SuperSonics with a bruised left knee and guard Ray Allen was out of the Seattle lineup with a sprained right ankle. Anthony Goldwire started in place of Williams, who was hurt Sunday night at Denver. Allen, a five-time All-Star injured Sunday night against the Lakers, was replaced at shoot- to Press-Gazette wire services New York moved a step closer to getting the 2010 Super Bowl on Tuesday when an NFL committee approved the Jets' bid to get the game contingent on the construction of a $1.7 billion, stadium on the west side of Manhattan. The approval by the league's Super Bowl advisory commit tee, meeting in Kapalua, Hawaii, came a day after the Jets increased their bid for the rights to build on the land to $720 million, surpassing the $700 million from an energy company and the $600 million from Cablevision, which owns Madison Square Garden. The Dolan family, which owns Cablevision, has been in a bitter fight to block construction of the stadium.

The Jets initiated the move to get the 2010 game at this meeting, hoping it would help their chances of building the stadium. But whether it will be built is still a major question the city and state support it, but numerous political groups in New York oppose it. Commissioner Paul Tagli-abue backed the bid. League owners are expected to approve it today, contingent on the stadium being built by 2009. The 2009 Super Bowl has not yet been awarded.

Atlanta, Miami, Houston and Tampa are bidding for the game, which is expected to be awarded at meetings this spring. The Jets, who play at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, have committed $800 million for the stadium project, with the city and state required to raise the rest of what is expected to be a $1.7 billion total. The city also hopes the stadium will help it land the 2012 Summer Olympics. New York is bidding against Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow. The Inter- Here are excerpts from a recent Packers online chat with the Press-Gazette's Chris Havel.

To read a complete transcript, sign Havel up for Packers Premium service at www.packersnews.com Will the Packers be able to replace the players they lost and rebuild the defense enough to still take the NFC North? There is so much parity in the NFL everyone talks about it all the time that I do think the Packers can reload quickly enough on defense to be a contender. They won't be worse than a year ago (25th), and I bet they'll be better. I like Mike Sherman. Do you think he was so uptight after the season because he didn't know how the fans were feeling after that final loss at Lambeau and so after Fan Fest, that helped him relax? You have to remember that here's a guy who received a demotion publicly, and I don't care who you are, that's not easy. It will take some time, but I think it's important for Sherman to know that fans do appreciate his efforts, and that he's gotten them division titles and playoff appearances on a regular basis.

Have we become so spoiled so fast? When I first arrived in Green Bay, the mere thought of printing playoff tickets was enough to send people into a coma. Now it's not good enough to win the division three straight years and have a shot to go all the way? I think it's good for Sherman to be reminded that even though he isn't the GM anymore, he's still the head coach, and the last time I checked, that title still carries the most weight at 1265. I am 100 percent im pressed so far with Ted Thompson's fiscal restraint and decision-making. He seems like a pretty reserved guy, though, which perhaps is a real asset. He doesn't seem to have the intimidating qualities of a Ron Wolf.

In looking at Thompson style, remember that the goal isn't to intimidate. It's to be ef fective in building the best NFL team possible. Thompson is reserved by nature, a great quality for an NFL GM for tactical purposes. He isn't as intimidating as Wolf, but his quiet self-assurance and forcefulness when he decides he's going to say only so much are formidable. The bottom ine: Can Thompson look at a college player and accurately project his prospects in the NFL? If he can, he'll be wildly successful.

If he can't, nobody will care about his persona. It seems to me the Packers have lost three of their top 10 players to free agency. A pretty big hit, I think we'd all have to agree. Is this an indictment of Sherman's role as GM that we were always so tight under the cap and had to lose qual ity players? Salary caps all have cycles, and I think it would be unfair to say that Thompson is cleaning up Sherman's mistakes. These cost-cutting measures come due every so often with every team, no matter how carefully they manage the cap.

Thompson is wise not to spend his energy trying to plug holes he didn't create. No sense being the dog chasing its tail. THE BATTER'S BOX 1633 WESTERN AVE. 496-8660 SPRING BREAK HOURS March 25 to April 3 Weekdays 1 1:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Sat. Sun. 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Open Easter Sunday Noon to 8:00 p.m.

Sfop in on Easter Sunday and receive 1st tohen FREE. March Madness Bat Sale! Cleveland 91, Detroit 76 Phoenix 105, Atlanta 94 New Jersey 98, Indiana 91 Utah 115, L.A. Lakers 107 Denver 127, Washington 98 Miami at Houston, late Milwaukee at Seattle, late Portland at Sacramento, late Silas was fired Monday. Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem sat out Tuesday night's game against the Houston Rockets because of a slightly separated left shoulder. He was hurt during Friday's game against the New York Knicks.

Miami placed forward Christian Laettner on the injured list with a right foot injury and activated center Wang Zhi-Zhi earlier in the day Philadelphia guard Allen Iverson was fined $10,000 by the NBA for a heated exchange he had with referee Marc Davis after the 76ers' loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday Iverson, upset about calls, challenged Davis. Iverson had be restrained by teammates, and shortly thereafter was seen heading in the direction of the referees' dressing room before General Manager Billy King in terceded and calmed him down. Orlando Magic reserve forward Hedo Turkoglu has a bro ken left wrist and will miss the rest of the season. He was in jured in the fourth quarter of Monday loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. without Mo Bucks at Sonics Tuesday night's game ended too late for this edition.

Today's game: Milwaukee at Los Angeles Clippers, 9:30 p.m. (WDUZ, 107.5 FM and 1400 AM) ing guard by Ronald Murray. Allen, who missed his third game, is the SuperSonics' lead ing scorer, averaging 23.7 points per game. Both players are day-to-day. game (last in the league) and allows 3.7 per game (10th).

Its power play (9.6 percent) and penalty ki (76.4 percent) both rank last in the USHL. Forward Blake Wheeler leads the team with 18 goals, 24 as sists and 42 points. Indiana update: The Ice's 3-1 win over Sioux Falls on Saturday broke a string of 12 straight games (0-10-2) in which it didn earn a win. Indi ana is 14-11-4 at home. CoachGeneral Manager Denni "Red" Gendron resigned last week after two months in the dual role, He'd added the GM duties when Josh Mervis left in mid-January.

Dean Grillo, the team's director of player personnel, will coach Indiana for the rest of the season. The Ice scores 3.4 goals per game (ninth in the league) and gives up 3.4 per game (ninth). Its power play (14.3 percent) ranks eighth and its penalty kill (80.7 percent) is just bet ter than Green Bay's. Forward Tomas Klempa leads the team with 21 goals and 47 points. Jason Lauren, jlaurengreenbaypressgazette.com USHL, but that he plays for the league's worst offense (2.3 goals per game) has to be considered.

"He's on the least-scoring team in the league, so it's not like he's on a team that is surrounded by a lot of guys that put up a lot of points," Mazzoleni said. Wheeler's puck skills and hockey sense have been solid from the start. The area that he's improved upon most under Mazzoleni's guidance is using his size more effectively Wheeler stands 6-foot-4 and is about 185 pounds. "It's kind of a night-and-day comparison to where I was at the beginning (of the season) to where I am now," Wheeler said. "I think the biggest thing I've improved on is playing the body and incorporating my big size into my game a little more.

"Not everyone is as big as I am, and I need to use my size to Gamblers hockey preview prospects now that Brad Johnson, Jay Fiedler and Kurt Warn er have signed elsewhere. Seahawks: Mike Reinfeldt returned to Seattle's front office as vice president of football administration. He was the team's senior VP from 1999 to 2004, when he left during a time of turmoil. He returned as a con sultant last month after Bob Whitsitt was fired as president of football operations. Reinfeldt, 51, a former All-Pro defensive back with the Hous ton Oilers, was the Green Bay Packers' chief financial officer from 1991 to 1993, and the Pack ers' VP of adminstration from 1994 to 1998.

Dolphins: Calling it a "work in progress," Miami coach Nick Saban said he has spoken with retired tailback Ricky Williams about returning to the team. "Basically, all we're trying to do is (say), 'Look, if you want to come back and play football, it's your decision. If you're willing to do the things you need to do to do that, you have an opportu nity to do that, Saban said. Patriots: New England re signed linebacker Don Davis 32, an unrestricted free agent Terms of the contract were not disclosed. The 10-year veteran played mostly on special teams during two seasons with the Patriots Last season, he started at safety for the final two games of the regular season.

Steelers: David Little durable linebacker who played for Pittsburgh from 1981 to 1992 and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1990, died Thursday while weightlifting at his home in Miami. He was 46. Little had heart disease, and cardiac fluttering caused him to drop on his chest 250 pounds of weights, which rolled onto his neck and suffocated him, the coroner said. place where he knew he could come in and have a chance to win immediately" Compensatory picks: The Packers did not receive any of the 32 compensatory pick awarded by the NFL on Tues day. The picks are awarded to teams that suffered a net loss of certain quality unrestricted free agents last year.

He'll also join fellow fresh men Kris Chucko, the 24th over all pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2004 draft, and Phil Kessel, who is a favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft. Wheeler is looking forward to playing with linemates that could help him produce better offensive numbers. "They have a class coming in that scary, Mazzoleni said "Blake will be surrounded by some very high-end players. I think he has the ability to be major impact freshman at Min nesota.

Wheeler said it's something he's always dreamed about. "I can't wait to get to Min nesota," Wheeler said. "I live 15 minutes away from the cam pus. It's been a dream for me to play for the University of Min nesota and be a part of that pro gram and that tradition." NFL notebook (jtfjpQ For more NFL coverage from The Associated Press, go to www.packersnews.com national Olympic Committee will select the site on July 6. Raiders: A jury in Oakland, ordered Bui Romanowski to pay former teammate Marcus Williams $340,000 in damages for smashing the tight end's face with a punch during a practice drill in 2003.

Williams had been seeking millions of dollars in damages for the Aug. 24, 2003, attack, saying it broke his left eye socket, shortened his memory, gave him double vision and depression, and ended his career after less than two seasons. "We are very pleased with the verdict because it establishes that there are limits to the violence in football," said Williams' attorney, James Bros-nahan. Williams received $40,000 in medical expenses and $300,000 for lost wages about one season's salary. Jurors reached their verdict after deliberating for two days.

Romanowski showed no visible emotion as the verdict was read, but his wife gave him a hug. Neither side said it plans to appeal the verdict. Bears: The team's search for another quarterback is on hold until the April 23 draft, when Chicago will either draft another young prospect or continue to look for a veteran to back up Rex Grossman and Chad Hutchinson. It's doubtful the Bears will use their fourth pick in the first round on a quarterback. General Manager Jerry Ange-lo said he has no plans to interview any other veteran him, and that was important," Bartelstein said.

"It's really close to Chicago." The Packers brought O'Dwyer in for a visit last week and Bartelstein said it made a big impression on his client. "It's a great franchise," Bartelstein said. "It's also a great situation to come in and be able to block for Brett Favre. It was a what they have seen. "Our club is extremely happy with the strides he's made," said Laurence Gilman, the Coyotes' assistant general manager.

"He's been able to go into a league far better than he's played in, and he's been able to control games he's played in." Barnett said: "It was important that he was put in a challenging situation. He was not going to benefit in the long term if he remained (in Minnesota) for his senior year, so putting him with Green Bay was valuable and an appropriate step up in the caliber of play" Next season, Wheeler will join the University of Minnesota, a team that's expected to be strong. The Gophers graduate seven players from a team that will make its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. Who: Green Bay Gamblers (19-35-1, fifth place, East Division, United States Hockey League) at Indiana Ice (19-30-6, fourth, East). When: 7:05 p.m.

today. Where: Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis. Radio: WOWN (99.3 FM). Noteworthy: Green Bay trails Indiana by five points for the East Division's final playoff spot. Each team has five games left in the season, including today's.

If the Gamblers lose, they would have to make up seven points in just four games, making tonight's game almost a must-win situation for Green Bay. This is the Gamblers' last road game of the regular season. They finish up with home games Friday night, Saturday night and April 1-2. This season: Green Bay is 4-3 against Indiana, winning 2-1 at home in their last meeting on Feb. 18.

Gamblers update: Green Bay has lost its last five games, losing three games last week to the league's top three teams (6-1 to Cedar Rapids, 6-2 to Lincoln and 4-1 to Omaha). The Gamblers are 7-22 on the road. Green Bay averages 2.3 goals per PackersO'Dwyer lands close to home WheelerFrom here, it'll be on to Minnesota From C-1 Bartelstein said the Steelers, Lions, Buccaneers and Broncos all expressed an interest in signing O'Dwyer, but O'Dwyer wanted to return to the Midwest. He grew up in Lincolnshire, 111., and attended college at Northwestern. "It's really close to home for my advantage more and learn how to play a big man's game." Wheeler decided to join the Gamblers last August.

He chose to come to Green Bay instead of playing his senior year for his hometown high school. It's a choice Wheeler doesn't regret. "I think if I would've made a different decision, I would've regretted it, so I'm 100 percent happy that I came," Wheeler said. "It was just good to get out of Minnesota. I definitely grew up out here, living away from home.

It's been a really good experience to get out, play hockey at a higher level and experience new things." It's also a choice the Coyotes are glad he made. The Coyotes have sent scouts and representatives to watch Wheeler play. They have seen him in 25 to 30 games, Coyotes General Manager Michael Bar-nett said, and they have liked From C-1 Wheeler has been a strong player all season for the Gamblers. He made a splash by recording two goals and an assist in Green Bay's 6-4 home win over Sioux City in the third game of the season on Oct. 9.

Since, he's shown steady improvement. "Over the last third (of the season), you can see him feel very comfortable to being a difference-maker in the game," Mazzoleni said. "He's been able to do that an awful lot for us." Wheeler, a forward, leads the Gamblers with 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points. His point total is tied for 25th in the United States Hockey League and 14th among first-year players. Those numbers may not seem impressive for the highest NHL draft pick to ever play in the.