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
YASHIN LEADS ISLANDERS PAST THRASHERS
Alexei Yashin had two goals and an assist to extend his points streak to seven games in the Islanders’ 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers last night.
Miroslav Satan and Jason Blake also scored to help the Islanders win for the third time in their last four games. Rick DiPietro made 34 saves for his fourth victory of the season.
Ilya Kovalchuk had two power-play goals and Bobby Holik also scored with the man advantage for Atlanta, which has lost five of its last six. Adam Berkhoel stopped 22 shots for the Thrashers.
The Islanders scored on their second shot of the game, with Satan flipping a wrist shot over Berkhoel’s glove. Satan has seven goals this season, five in his last four games.
BASKETBALL
GRANIK RESIGNS AS NBA’S NO. 2
Russ Granik will leave his job as NBA deputy commissioner after this year to become a senior adviser to David Stern. Granik will remain the league’s main representative to USA Basketball and board chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame as well as an aide to the commissioner. Granik is in his 30th year with the NBA, and was second in command for the last 22. The 57-year-old Granik was the NBA’s chief negotiator for the last four collective bargaining agreements. He was involved in network television contracts, helped oversee expansion from 22 to 30 teams, and was instrumental in NBA players competing in the Olympics.
BASEBALL
BASEBALL PLANNING FOR OLYMPIC REINSTATEMENT
Baseball executives are working on a plan they hope will return the sport to the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee voted 54-50 in July against keeping baseball in the Olympics, with 53 votes in favor needed for the sport to remain.
The move takes effect for the 2012 London Olympics. International Baseball Federation president Aldo Notari said it would take two or three days to develop strategies to push for a new vote at the IOC’s next general assembly in February, on the eve of the Turin Games.
At least one-third of the 115 IOC members would need to submit a motion to consider a new vote. Then, half the membership would need to favor the motion. If that passed, the sport would require a majority in favor to win reinstatement.
Baseball has been in the Olympics since 1992 and was the first sport, along with softball, to be removed from the program since polo in 1936. IOC members cited Major League Baseball’s unwillingness to let its players take part in the Olympics and the sport’s doping problems as major reasons for the decision to remove it from the games.
TENNIS
ROSSET ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Marc Rosset retired yesterday, saying the Swiss Indoors would be his final pro tennis tournament. The 35-year-old Swiss player, whose biggest success was winning the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona, turned pro in 1988. His highest ranking in 17 years on the ATP Tour was ninth in 1995, but he has since dropped to 674th. Rosset has a 433-351 career singles record, with 15 singles and eight doubles titles. He has won $6,811,693 in prize money.
– Associated Press