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Sporting News, The, Feb 4, 2005

[1] February 2005

All times Eastern

TUE 1

Thousands of esteemed journalists from all over the L world will converge in Jacksonville for Super Bowl Media Day. Vegas oddsmakers already have established a favorite for most-asked question: "What's up with Freddie Mitchell's hair?"

* Illinois at Michigan State (7 p.m., ESPN). The best Illini team ever? Maybe-but that doesn't mean Illinois will escape the Breslin Center with a "W."

WED 2

National signing day. Or as it's known out West, "How Much Better Can USC Get Day?"

THU 3

Cavs at Heat (8 p.m., TNT). Will LeBron posterize Shaq? Will Shaq eat him and spit out the bones if the tries?

SUN 6

A little something we like to call the Super Bowl (6:30 p.m., FOX). (Note to you gambling fiends: After today, please, take a week off. Read a book. Watch the news. Call your ex-wife and tell her you love her, if she still takes your calls.)

WED 9

North Carolina at Duke (9 p.m., ESPN). It's the cornerstone of ESPN's Rivalry Week, not that you need a heavy-handed marketing connivance to be gungho for this one.

TUE 15

The crack of ball on bat. The hiss of a 95-mph fastball. The pop-pop-pop of over-the-counter supplements. Ah, the sweet sounds of baseball, as pitchers and catchers begin to report for spring training.

THU 17

Mavs at Suns (10:30 p.m., TNT). No, they won't shoot free throws underhanded, but this is as close to old-school basketball as you're going to get-lots of passing, lots of open jump shots and, bless 'em, the two highest-scoring teams in the league.

SUN 20

Daytona 500 (1 p.m., FOX). Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart ran 1-2 there last year, a dream start for NASCAR. Meanwhile, the astute fans in the infield have their own dreams: beer, beer, whiskey and beer.

MON 21

It's the last day of salary arbitration hearings in baseball. Aw, don't cry--they'll be back next year, players asking: If Old Man Clemens can bluff his way to $18 million, what am I worth?

TUE 22

Can you believe it has been 25 years since the Miracle on Ice? That's almost as long as the NHL lockout has lasted.

SUN 27

It has an obnoxiously long name, but the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (2 p.m., ABC) is as cool as golf tournaments get outside of the majors, with a 64-man field boiled down to a 36-hole title match today. Defending champ: Tiger Woods.

SUN 13

Pro Bowl (7:30 p.m., ESPN). Could anything top last year's 55-52 affair? Peyton Manning remembering how to throw a touchdown pass would be a start. Added intrigue: the rumor that Andy Reid will don a grass skirt and coconut cups at Eagles minicamp if Terrell Owens scores for the NFC.

* You can't beat this ABC double dip with brass knuckles and a tire iron: Spurs at Heat (1 p.m.) and Lakers at Cavs (3:30).

BIG 12 CONFERENCE

* Oklahoma State at Kansas (4 p.m., CBS). It's a long time to wait for the Big 12's game of the year, but dang it all to beck, we'll take it.--Steve Greenberg

[2] WHAT PRICE IS RIGHT?

Putting a value on pitching

Roger Clemens will have a difficult time landing in the top 10 of one pitching category next season: best bargains. Especially after he agreed to a 2005 contract that will pay him $18 million, a slight bump from the $4.7 million he made last year, when he tied for eighth in the SPORTING NEWS' informal ranking of the best values among major league starting pitchers. Of the 89 pitchers who qualified for the ERA title, Clemens ranked sixth in ERA, ninth in strikeouts per nine innings, 18th in innings pitched and 61st in salary (lowest to highest), for an average ranking of 23.5 in those four categories. But the top 10 list doesn't shut out big-money guys; Clemens tied with Randy Johnson, who last season with the Diamondbacks made $16.5 million, the second-most among pitchers.--Tom Gatto

The best pitching values of 2004

1. Johan Santana, Twins ($1.6 million, average ranking: 11.5)

2. Ben Sheets, Brewers ($2.4 million, 14.0)

3. Carlos Zambrano, Cubs ($450,000, 16.3)

4. Oliver Perez, Pirates ($321,000, 16.8)

5. Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks ($335,000, 21.3)

The five worst

1. Brian Anderson, Royals ($3.25 million, 78.3)

2. Mike Hampton, Braves ($12.9 million, 74.0)

3. Derek Lowe, Red Sox ($4.5 million, 70.0)

4. Kirk Rueter, Giants ($6.1 million, 69.8)

5. Ismael Valdez, Padres/Marlins ($800,000, 69.0)

[3] THE NBA'S EBA

Franchises move to high-rent district

It's a collective bargaining year, so don't think the players union hasn't noticed one particularly important development--the ever-increasing price NBA franchises are fetching.

In the past year, the Cavaliers, who play in an area ranked near the middle of the NBA in market size, sold for $375 million. The Suns, whose market also is near the middle, fetched a whopping $401 million. The debt-ridden Nets went for $300 million. In 2002, the Celtics, who have no stake in their home arena, FleetCenter, sold for $360 million.

The Kings sold for $156 million in 1998; seven years later, the team would go for nearly twice that. Remember how Lakers owner Jerry Buss cried poor when it came to a contract extension for Shaquille O'Neal last year? With its piece of the Staples Center, the Lakers franchise easily could bring $500 million.