Sports Desk
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

HOCKEY
ISLANDERS SQUEAK PAST RANGERS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT NIGHT
Mark Parrish scored twice and Arron Asham had a short-handed goal and an assist as the Islanders overcame Jaromir Jagr’s first hat trick with the Rangers and beat New York 5-4 last night to sweep a home-and-home series.
Miroslav Satan and Jason Blake also scored for the Islanders, who beat the Rangers 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Rick DiPietro stopped 26 shots in the rematch to give the Islanders their first winning streak of the season. Jagr had his first three-goal game since February 4, 2003, when he was with Washington. He leads the NHL with 10 goals and has a six-game point streak (8 goals, 2 assists).
The Islanders were 387 tickets short of a sellout, the first time a game between the local rivals wasn’t filled to capacity at Nassau Coliseum since April 4, 1998.
BASEBALL
YANKEES TALK TO BOWA
Former Philadelphia Phillies manager Larry Bowa is talking to the Yankees about the possibility of joining the team as a coach. Bowa was fired by the Phillies on the final weekend of the 2004 season after leading the team to a 337-308 record. Known for a fiery personality, he was 81-127 in 1 1/2 seasons with San Diego from 1987-88. New York has two coaching openings following the departures of bench coach Joe Girardi and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre.
FORMER METS GM DUQUETTE HIRED BY ORIOLES
Jim Duquette has been hired as vice president for baseball operations for the Baltimore Orioles, a job that carries the responsibility of helping turn around a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 1997. Duquette leaves the Mets, where he served as general manager for 15 1 /2 months before assuming the post of senior vice president of baseball operations under GM Omar Minaya. Duquette worked for the Mets for 14 of his 15 seasons in professional baseball.
BREWERS PICK UP OPTION ON LEE
All-Star slugger Carlos Lee’s $8.5 million option for 2006 was exercised yesterday by the Milwaukee Brewers. Lee hit .265 last season with career highs of 32 home runs and 114 RBI.
FOOTBALL
DOLPHINS GAME MOVED UP ON ACCOUNT OF HURRICANE
The game between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs was rescheduled to tonight to beat Hurricane Wilma’s arrival in Florida. The game will begin at 7 p.m. tonight instead of Sunday afternoon, which is about when Wilma is expected to hit Florida’s southwestern coast. It’ll be televised by CBS affiliates in South Florida and Kansas City, but there will be no national telecast.
SUPERDOME SHOULD BE READY FOR SAINTS BY 2006
Superdome officials say the stadium should be largely cleaned up from Hurricane Katrina and ready for the New Orleans Saints to play at least some of their games there in 2006.
The announcement yesterday came as San Antonio officials said they were working with Saints owner Tom Benson to keep the team in Texas. The state must also respond to the team’s assertions that its state-owned practice facility has been rendered unusable by damages caused by federal agencies in the weeks following the August 29 storm. The Superdome, severely damaged by high winds, should have a temporary roof in place within 10 days, said Doug Thornton, regional vice president for SMG, which manages the stadium.
BASKETBALL
MAN TAKES 33-YEAR SENTENCE TO HONOR BIRD
A man got a prison term longer than prosecutors and defense attorneys had agreed to – all because of Larry Bird. The lawyers reached a plea agreement Tuesday for a 30-year term for a man accused of shooting with an intent to kill and robbery. But Eric James Torpy wanted his prison term to match Bird’s jersey number 33.
“He said if he was going to go down, he was going to go down in Larry Bird’s jersey,” Oklahoma County District Judge Ray Elliott said Wednesday. “We accommodated his request and he was just as happy as he could be. I’ve never seen anything like this in 26 years in the courthouse. But, I know the DA is happy about it.”
– Associated Press