Wayne Gretzky Blames Himself and more[Sports Week]
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Barry Bonds doesn't know where he will be in 2007, Steve Francis is moving to the New York Knicks, and more. Stephen Brandt writes.  One of the big things I‘ve learned since my move to Buffalo late last year was how important Wayne Gretzky is to Canada. So when they lost in the Olympics, it hit the country hard.”I'll take, and deservedly so, the responsibility of us not winning,” Gretzky told a news conference on Wednesday after Team Canada's quarter-final Olympic exit at the hands of Russia. I think Gretzky tends to place too much onto his plate –not everything is his fault. ”I feel tremendously responsible that we didn't win. And quite honestly, I'm going to re-assess where I fit and what I'm going to do in the future,” said Gretzky. He continued, “Hockey Canada is wonderful, my country is great, and I love it dearly. But I'm also human. It's tough and it's nerve-wracking. It's not fun when you don't win.” The Russians beat the defending champions 2-0. Gretzky, the executive director of Team Canada, looked emotionally drained. He couldn't bear to watch the game at the end, leaving his private box before the final horn. Ironically, Gretzky foreshadowed the loss at a news conference on February 14. “If we don't win a gold medal, obviously I'll get blamed, but I've been blamed for losses before and it's not going to change my life.” Bonds doesn't know about 2007 Barry Bonds is a weird, annoying jerk – I just had to get that out. He arrived at spring training Wednesday and said he might not decide until next winter whether to play in 2007. But he made it clear he wants to remain with the San Francisco Giants if he does extend his career. “San Francisco is my home. That's the love of my life right there,” Bonds said. “The fans there, the people there, everything about it is just great for me. Thinking that there could be a possibility, just hypothetically, to go somewhere else and DH or something like that, I really don't want to think about that at this time right now.” Having missed most of last season following three knee operations, Bonds needs 48 homers to break Hank Aaron's record of 755. He took part in a nearly complete workout for the first time in a year with the Giants in Scottsdale, Ariz., stretching with his teammates, throwing, shagging flies and hitting in the batting cage before taking three rounds of batting practice against Jason Schmidt and Noah Lowry. ”Last year, I saw him favoring his knees,” Giants manager Felipe Alou said. “I didn't see him favoring the knee today. When he was swinging the bat, it was okay with me.” Bonds had given contradicting interviews this week about whether he wanted to play past this year, the final season of his five-year, $90 million contract. The Knicks take Francis Steve Francis was traded Wednesday from the Orlando Magic to the last-place New York Knicks. Now the Knicks have two over paid, little performing, over hyped players to bicker over the ball. The Knicks sent Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza to Orlando in the trade. Though Marbury and Francis essentially play the same position, the Knicks are confident it will work out. Sure, I’d like to see that happen. “We just want ballplayers,” New York coach Larry Brown said. “I don't get caught up in positions. I think Steve is strong enough to guard 2s and quick enough to guard 1s.” Francis was averaging 16.2 points to lead the Magic, but the star guard has feuded with Coach Brian Hill this season. By dealing him for Hardaway's expiring contract, the Magic will get salary cap relief after this season. On top of that, they will be in a better position when Grant Hill's deal expires next year. “We'll miss Steve in a lot of ways,” Orlando assistant general manager Otis Smith said. “We'll miss the passion he brought for the game, we'll miss the energy he brought for the game, but I think we'll be better off in the future.” New York was 15–37 entering Wednesday night's game against Miami and had the second-worst record in the NBA. Orlando was 19–33, third in the Southeast Division. The bottom line is that the Knicks are the laughing stock of the NBA. Every GM knows that if they have a huge contract they need to unload, they can call the Knicks. |
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