September 7, 2007

Ducks' Niedermayer should listen to his heart
Niedermayer's heart, Serrano's flip, Donaghy's fallout, other notes

MARK WHICKER
Register columnist

For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction, even in sports:

Action:Scott Niedermayer still considers retirement as the Ducks begin training camp Tuesday.

Reaction: I'm not inclined to tell people what to do, especially people who are making large career decisions, especially people who are toying with leaving $13.4 million on the Ducks' desk. But after Niedermayer said he got a lot of "unsolicited opinions" when home in British Columbia, he also said Thursday that he almost wishes someone would give him a deadline or make the call for him. So, here goes: If his heart isn't in this, and it's obviously not, he shouldn't play. Hockey seasons are too demanding. Particularly this one.

A:Niedermayer said one of his many options would be to sit out this season and play next season.

R:It worked for Michael Jordan, Mario Lemieux, and untold numbers of boxers and NFL coaches.

A:Bill Daly, deputy commissioner of the NHL, told the Canadian Press that the Ducks cannot make an in-season agreement with Niedermayer because it would be a "circumvention of the salary cap."

R:Not even Asst. DA Jack McCoy could prove that one.

A:The Ducks probably will suspend Niedermayer when camp opens so that his salary doesn't count against the cap, then lift the suspension if and when he decides to play.

R:Getting suspended didn't have a nice connotation for Niedermayer. "I've been suspended before," he said, "but not as often as Prongs (Chris Pronger)."

A:The Ducks and Kings open the NHL season with two games in London.

R:Give them six periods, and those people will drop soccer like a bad habit.

A: Dave Serrano jumps from UC Irvine to take George Horton's old job at Cal State Fullerton.

R:This is after UC Irvine released a statement last Friday saying Serrano wasn't interested in the CSF job — before Oregon announced it had hired Horton. And this is how rivalries get nasty. The Anteaters, who still haven't hired a permanent athletic director, should call Rich Hill at the U. of San Diego and see just how ironclad his contract extension really is.

A:Phil Jackson appears to side with Kobe Bryant against Lakers' management, as Jackson discusses retirement next summer.

R:Am I the only one who wants to see the Lakers blow the whole thing up and start over and, instead of patterning themselves after "The View," perhaps try to become the University of San Antonio at El Segundo?

A: The Dodgers crawl back into the NL West race.

R:The significance is that Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, James Loney and Chad Billingsley are carrying the old guys. But the Dodgers should have kept two other kids: Franklin Gutierrez, whom they dealt to the Indians for Milton Bradley, and Edwin Jackson, who went to Tampa Bay for Lance Carter and Danys Baez. Surely everybody wasn't wrong about Jackson, who strung together six good starts for Tampa Bay in midsummer and beat the Red Sox.

A: The St. Louis Cardinals, 8 1/2 games out of the NL Central lead on June 21, move to a half-game behind the Cubs.

R:Troy Percival: 2.48 ERA, 29 innings, 22 hits, seven walks, 28 strikeouts.

A:The U.S. Open tennis championship gets rave reviews for its system of challenges and replays.

R:Such a system would have forced John McEnroe to behave (somewhat) and would have eventually deprived him of millions in book sales and commercial endorsements. But replays have benefited all sports. Can you imagine an NHL game without replay? Can you envision, someday, a series of cameras that will give us a uniform and generous strike zone, like the one they have in the rule book, once and for all?

A: The NBA announces expansion of its replay system.

R:After Tim Donaghy, it's necessary. It also needs to listen to Jackson and waive the foul-out rule, with a penalty of two foul shots and possession after the seventh foul and all subsequent ones. It needs to give coaches the right to challenge at least two calls per half, with all games monitored in the NBA offices, the way the NHL does it. And it needs to increase its surveillance on its officials to Patriot Act levels, maybe even sending three officials to each game and then, just before tipoff, choosing only two. It's that serious. You would think such a scandal would beg for sunshine and scrutiny, not cheap shots from commissioner David Stern toward ex-refs Mike Mathis and Hue Hollins.

A:Harrah's announces a plan to build a 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas.

R:That deafening laughter from the north came from Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, when he heard about the Donaghy scandal. After all, you can't have pro teams in Las Vegas. Game-fixing, you know.