NHL: In Toronto, Damien Cox, under the header, "NHL
Salaries Take A Turn For Owners," wrote that with the off-
season "drawing to a close, it's tempting to suggest" that
NHL owners "have fared much better this summer than in the
four preceding ones." Cox cautioned, "It ain't over yet.
... It's one thing to hold a hard line on a player in
August; quite another in November after a 2-8 homestand"
(TORONTO STAR, 8/30). In Calgary, Hartley Steward wrote
that NHL owners "seem at last to be playing hardball."
Steward added that "in the best showing of solidarity since
Lech Walesa, no other NHL team has shown an inclination to
make a deal" with Senators C Alexei Yashin or Bruins RW
Dmitri Khristich. Steward: "It's difficult to imagine one
or more of the owners breaking ranks. They understand they
must find a solution to the holdouts which does not further
the spiral of NHL salaries" (CALGARY SUN, 8/30)....Int'l Ice
Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel said that "he can
wait" until mid-November in order to give the NHL "a little
extra time to decide" if its players will participate in the
2002 Salt Lake Olympics (NATIONAL POST, 8/30).
MLB: Tulane Univ. Sports Law Program Dir Gary Roberts
called the "notion" of MLB consolidation "a legal nightmare,
a public-relations disaster and economically stupid." In
Minneapolis, Jay Weiner writes that another byproduct of
consolidation could be the "instant start-up" of a new
league (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/31)....In S.F., Ray
Ratto wrote on possible consolidation: "Anything is possible
in this grand industry, including euthanasia. ... It's the
fact that someone thought enough of the idea to float the
concept in the media that should make you think, and shake
your head in disgust" (S.F. EXAMINER, 8/30).
BASKETBALL: CBA Owner Isiah Thomas has a "dress code
and a downtown Detroit arena" as his "short - and long-range
goals." Thomas said that he wants to expand the CBA to
"under-served sports cities from a basketball standpoint."
More Thomas: "We'll shy away from major cities, but I think
Detroit is unique." CBA players "will be required to wear
shirts and ties or sport coats while traveling" (DETROIT
FREE PRESS, 8/28)....ESPN's Ric Bucher: "The NBA recently
sent a friendly reminder to its players that marijuana is
now part of the banned-substance list and that under the new
collective bargaining agreement, every player will be tested
in training camp. The letter included a warning that
marijuana can stay in a person's system for 60-90 days. How
nice of them. The message: Stop lighting up now, and you
still have a chance" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 8/30).