The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Nhl Presents Offer to Players

The clandestine meetings aimed at reaching a settlement in the NHL lockout reached a pivotal moment Thursday evening in New York while the clock on the 2004-05 season ticked louder with each passing minute. According to a source, the league presented a new proposal Thursday with the hope of meeting some of the players association's concerns while also achieving the "cost certainty" it has been seeking.

Super Dream a Reality ; Eagles Tap Te After Time Off

Take two weeks off from your regular job. Perhaps nearly double your year's salary during that period. And maybe get a Super Bowl ring to boot. No wonder Jeff Thomason told his wife, Blake, on Tuesday morning he had the greatest dream, only to have Blake remind him it wasn't a dream at all. Thomason really is going to Jacksonville for Super Bowl XXXIX, not just to watch and cheer but to play for the Philadelphia Eagles in their quest to unseat the New England Patriots as NFL champions.

Houston Says: What, Me Retire? ; Knick Guard Rejects Isiah's Notion

GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Undeterred by suggestions from Isiah Thomas to the contrary, Knicks guard Allan Houston stated emphatically Thursday that he is not considering retiring and is confident that someday his ailing left knee will be healthy enough again for him to play at the high level he once achieved. "The only retiring I'm going to do is when I go to bed tonight at 11 o'clock," Houston joked after Thursday's practice.

Nhl's Hopes Take a Big Hit

The glimmer of hope for the 2004-05 NHL season appeared to flicker out following Thursday night's meeting in New York. According to a source, the league submitted an informal proposal featuring several different salary cap-based plans. Predictably, the players, who have repeatedly said that a cap is a non-starter, were not pleased.

Second Cousins ; Randolph Rewards a Long-Ago Kindness by Alomar; a Bond That Spans Nearly 30 Years

It seems like a simple fairy tale: The aging veteran who mentored his rookie replacement winds up being the bench coach for the player, who's now a rookie manager. The story is true for Sandy Alomar Sr. and Willie Randolph, who met in 1976 as players on the Yankees and will be reunited in the 2005 Mets dugout.

Wrestling with Success ; Woods Can Earn 500th Career Dual Victory Saturday

For nearly 40 years, Stan Woods has stalked the sideline for Emerson and now Emerson/Park Ridge, one arm crossed under the other elbow and hand to his mouth, dissecting everything in front of him while letting his assistants do most of the talking. It's what he does best. Now, on the verge of becoming only the third wrestling coach in New Jersey to win 500 career dual matches, Woods shows no signs of slowing down.

Saddle Brook Earns a Fifth Straight Title

NEW YORK - There was no clear-cut favorite in either of the boys team championships at the Bergen County Indoor Relays on Wednesday night for the first time in many years. But that didn't stop Saddle Brook from stepping up to win a record fifth straight small schools title, 67-58, over Fort Lee, despite a late mistake. And Ridgewood was the only one of the four major contenders to avoid a serious mishap and earned the large schools title, 63-51, over defending champion Hackensack, with three ...

Pistons Top Pacers in Rematch

INDIANAPOLIS - Rasheed Wallace walked to the bench for the last time Thursday night and delivered a blunt statement to the Indiana Pacers and their fans. "They can't beat us," he screamed.

Nets Holding Onto Cards ; Won't Rule Out Kidd Trade As Deadline Looms

LOS ANGELES - Although Rod Thorn has no intention to trade Jason Kidd, the Nets' president won't tell team execs not to call and inquire. "I'd never say we wouldn't trade anybody, but I don't have any plans to trade him," Thorn said Thursday. "We have indicated [to teams] that we probably are not going to trade him."

Baseball Notes

Glanville comes home Outfielder Doug Glanville of Teaneck and utilityman Damian Rolls reached preliminary agreements Thursday on minor league contracts with the Yankees.

Wright, Reyes Are All Smiles ; Duo Happy to See Mientkiewicz

NEW YORK - David Wright and Jose Reyes moved easily through the crowd at the ESPN Zone in Times Square on Thursday night, happily signing autographs, taking challenges from children in video games and laughing as if they didn't have a care in the world. Was life this way for the pair of twentysomething infielders before Wednesday? It wasn't far off, but there still was an ease to the two in the wake of what would seem to be the Mets' last major move of the winter. The Mets still may be lament...

Nfl Notes

T.O. makes strides Eagles receiver Terrell Owens reportedly has made some progress in his quest to play in the Super Bowl.

Driver Learning to Live with Loss

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There are no easy days for Rick Hendrick. He can throw himself into working with his NASCAR teams or his car dealerships, but not an hour goes by that he isn't flooded with thoughts about the plane crash that killed 10 of his relatives, employees and friends. He thinks about how he was supposed to be on the plane Oct. 24, when it took off from his Charlotte hangar headed for a race in Martinsville, Va. Illness kept him home. He thinks about the fog that day. If it had been c...

Fbi Agents Raid Conte's Home

SAN FRANCISCO - FBI agents raided the home of alleged steroid dealer Victor Conte and seized e-mail and other records as part of an investigation of grand jury testimony leaks in a broad sports- doping scandal, according to newspaper reports. At least a dozen agents raided Conte's San Mateo, Calif., home before 8 a.m. Wednesday. Within four hours, they had seized a computer, cellphone and lab records belonging to the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, the San Francisco Chronicle...

Federer Takes a Fall ; Top Seed Sees Winning Streak End with Loss to Safin

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer was on his hands and knees, his racket gone after he tumbled chasing a shot. All he could do was watch as Marat Safin tapped a gentle forehand into an open court to cap a thrilling 4 1/2-hour Australian Open semifinal Thursday night and end the top-ranked Federer's 26-match winning streak.

Ogilvie Gets Hope Lead

LA QUINTA, Calif. - Joe Ogilvie figured there would be some very low scores in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. "I'm just surprised that I did it," Ogilvie said. "You look at the history of golf; I don't think I'm going to be in any encyclopedias of golf."

Serena to Face Lindsay for Title

MELBOURNE, Australia - Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport both know how it feels to be on top of the tennis world, winning Grand Slam titles and being ranked No. 1. They also know the frustrations of injuries and inconsistency; Davenport even spoke seriously about retiring last season.

Game-Fixing Ref Confesses Guilt

FRANKFURT, Germany - A year before Germany hosts the World Cup, a referee's admission that he fixed games has the country reeling from its biggest soccer scandal in more than 30 years. "The accusations made against me in the public are true," referee Robert Hoyzer said Thursday in a statement issued by his lawyer. "I regret my behavior profoundly and I [apologize] to the German soccer federation, my referee colleagues and all soccer fans."

Australian Open at a Glance

Weather: Mostly cloudy, high temperature of 78. Attendance: 15,380 (day session); 15,222 (night).

Fair Lawn, Pal Park Earn Bids

A winning jumper in the final seconds of one game, followed by clutch free throw shooting in the next, has propelled Fair Lawn into the Bergen County Jamboree. Fair Lawn defeated host Pascack Valley, 56-47, Thursday to lift its record to 8-4 and secure the .650 winning percentage needed to earn an automatic bid to the Jamboree, which opens Sunday.