Totally Random

Basketball star Lisa Leslie may not be retiring just yet, not until after this upcoming Sparks season, but her announcement was time for those around her to reflect and make historical comparisons.

"I get a chance to see three of the best retire," Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said. "And be alongside of them, to play with them, and to coach: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and now Lisa Leslie."

His nickname for her was "Smooth."

"I've always said this young lady is like three people," he said. "She's like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, all rolled up in one. That's how good she is."

Cooper went on to break it down and finished up that line of thought, adding: "And her ball-handling skills were better than all three of those players."

Trivia time

What was the former name of the America's Cup yachting race?

More Lakers vs. Celtics

From TNT's Lakers-Celtics game on Thursday, the most-watched regular-season game on TNT since 1996 (when Johnson had just come out of retirement and was facing Michael Jordan's Bulls):

Karl Malone, at halftime in the studio: "How much talent can God bless one guy with? Lamar Odom is one of the most talented guys, 6-10, he can do a lot of things. Last I checked he wanted a new contract. Hey, step up, big fella."

Announcer Doug Collins: Kobe Bryant "can miss 10 straight and think he's hot, that's the beauty of great players, it's 'next play, next play.' "

Heidi, British style

There seems to be a run of TV snafus of late, on both sides of the pond.

On Super Bowl Sunday, there was a programming mishap and some folks in Arizona had their football viewing interrupted by an offering from an "adult cable channel."

Though there was less explaining to do to the children, there was no shortage of anger in Great Britain when the network ITV inexplicably missed Everton's game-winning goal against Liverpool in a crucial FA Cup encounter.

Instead, fans were shown a commercial. Talk about, as they say over there, losing the plot.

The Brits, take two

Manchester City's new acquisition, striker Craig Bellamy, was one step ahead of his checkered reputation, speaking of transgressions of years past.

"If I ever do a book, which I won't, the title will be: 'Don't Google me,' " the Welshman told reporters.

And the sequel?

How about "MySpace is My Space"?

Trivia answer

It was called the Hundred-Guinea Cup in 1851, when the U.S. schooner America won the race.

And finally

Bo Jackson told Leighton Ginn of the Desert Sun about life at Auburn with Charles Barkley.

"Any time the pizza truck came and was going to the basketball players' room, the football players would go up and not ask for pizza, but demand pizza. They were living in our dorm," Jackson said.

"Barkley was smart. Barkley would call up and he would order three pizzas, two for him and one for the football players coming in."

-- Lisa Dillman

Photo: Lisa Leslie pauses a moment to compose herself as she announces her retirement, effective at the end of the upcoming WNBA basketball season. She appeared at the Sparks' headquarters in El Segundo on Wednesday. Credit: Reed Saxon / Associated Press

Chan, Lysacek, Kozuka are 1-2-3 at Four Continents figure skating

Vancouver, Canada -- Canada's Patrick Chan wasn't as mesmerizing in his free skate Saturday as he had been in his short program, but his trademark triple axel and superb skating skills carried him to victory at the Four Continents figure skating championships, the test event for the Vancouver Olympics.

Chan, adored by the hometown crowd at the Pacific Coliseum, touched his hand to the ice once and wasn't quite as dazzling as he had been on Thursday but still won with 249.19 points. Evan Lysacek (pictured at right), determined to obliterate the memory of his flat performance at the U.S. championships, landed his first quadruple jump of the season -- a quadruple toe loop -- to finish a strong second with a season-best 237.15 points.

Takahiko Kozuka of Japan, who spent the summer of 2006 training in El Segundo with Lysacek's coach, Frank Carroll, placed third despite falling on a quadruple toe loop attempt.

All three skaters will compete again at the world championships next month in Los Angeles.

The two other U.S. skaters had error-filled programs. U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott, fourth after the short program, slipped to fifth. Brandon Mroz, who trains with Abbott in Colorado Springs, dropped from fifth to eighth.

Chan got strong marks Saturday for his program components, which include skating skills, transitions, choreography and performance. That balanced out his disappointment over a performance that was less than perfect technically.

"I want to be amazing both with my jumps and good skating skills," he said. "I can't imagine how good this would be points-wise if I did everything."

Lysacek, third at the U.S. championships, acknowledged that he wanted to avenge that loss to Abbott and Mroz.

"I was really prepared for nationals and it didn’t go well and I definitely didn’t want to leave it at that," he said. "So that’s why I thought it was important to come here.

"And not to be rude but I wanted to beat those other guys that were ahead of me at nationals because I kind of wanted to prove that the old guys aren’t going out."

More later at latimes.com/sports

-- Helene Elliott

Photo credit: Paul Chiasson / Canadian Press / Associated Press

Run, Meb, Run!

Congratulations are due to Meb Keflezighi, who won the U.S. men's cross-country title today in Derwood, Md.

Keflezighi, the Athens Olympic silver medalist in the marathon, finished the 12-kilometer course in 36 minutes 6 seconds, barely holding off Tim Nelson down the stretch.

For Keflezighi, a UCLA alum, this was his third national cross-country championship and 18th USA Track and Field title. He's planning on running the London Marathon in April.

You can find more info about his training, plans and his previous win at the Houston half-marathon at his website.

-- Helene Elliott

Giants accelerate talks with Manny Ramirez

The Dodgers might not have been talking with Manny Ramirez, but the Giants have.

While Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti said Friday that he had not spoken with agent Scott Boras in the previous 48 hours, Giants President Larry Baer said today his club had spoken with Boras several times in the past few days, including on Friday.

"We have been talking," Baer said.

Baer would not say whether the Giants have extended an offer to Ramirez.

The Giants are not believed to be enthused about topping the Dodgers' offers of one year at $25 million or two years at $45 million, but a source familiar with their thinking recently told The Times they had not ruled out a three-year contract.

"I'm not going to get into dollars and cents," Baer said. "We've said all along it has to be the right fit for the Giants."

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Manny Ramirez is greeted by Andre Ethier after hitting a sixth-inning home run in Game 1 of the National League Divisional Series at Wrigley Field. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

UCLA routing Notre Dame at halftime, 46-30

Blame it on the rain ... or the early start time. The 10 a.m. tipoff at Pauley Pavilion may have resulted in a bigger television audience for UCLA and Notre Dame on the East Coast, but it also resulted in a lot of empty seats and some sloppy play in the opening minutes. Both sides missed open shots, and sure-fire point guard Darren Collison looked, well, unsure.

Then UCLA forward Nikola Dragovic hammered down a devastating block that energized the student section ... as well as the Bruins on the court. A couple plays later senior forward Josh Shipp threw down a one-handed alley-oop dunk that brought the entire arena to its feet. Rout on.

With the Bruins ahead 14-2, it was obvious why fans in an EA Sports poll voted Pauley one of the most difficult arenas in the nation to visit. It doesn't matter that the stands are back at least 20 feet from the end line. That doesn't keep UCLA's players off the court, which would have been the only way to stop them in the first half on Saturday. The Bruins walked into the locker room with 46-30 lead.

You want intimidation factor? Win. That's just what UCLA basketball has done. The last thing the Fighting Irish heard before tipoff was the announcer reminding them that Bruins have won 30 conference championships and 11 NCAA titles.

That's intimidating.

The last time Notre Dame won it all was in 1936, a prehistoric era of college basketball when John Wooden was still a decade from coaching his first game at Indiana State. More than 70 years later, he was sitting in the stands and just enjoying the Bruins' success.

-- Adam Rose

Photo: UCLA forward Josh Shipp elevates for a one-handed dunk during the first half against Notre Dame on Saturday. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez / US Presswire

SI: Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids

Sports Illustrated reports this morning that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003, the year in which baseball players were tested anonymously and without penalty to assess the level of steroid use in the game.

Of 1,198 players tested that year, SI reports that 104 tested positive. Barry Bonds has not been reported to be one of them, but the federal government re-submitted his 2003 test, which turned up positive for the designer steroid THG.

Under the agreement for the 2003 survey testing, no results or player names would be released. If at least 5% of the tests were positive, however, baseball would institute random testing, with players testing positive publicly identified and suspended.

The anonymity of the 2003 tests has been in question -- and still is being debated in the courts -- ever since the federal government seized those test results as part of the BALCO investigation.

In 2007, after Jose Canseco said he could not believe that Sen. George Mitchell had not included Rodriguez among the players in his report on baseball's steroid era, Rodriguez denied ever using steroids or other performance-enhancing substances.

In 2007, as Bonds shattered the all-time home run record, there was no shortage of baseball executives expressing a desire for Rodriguez to break Bonds' mark so the record would not be tainted. If the SI report is correct, so much for that wish.

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Alex Rodriguez throws one of his batting gloves to the fans during a practice session with the Dominican Republic baseball team in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday. Rogriguez is joining the Dominican team to train for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Credit: Kena Betancur / Associated Press

Marshall Martinez fails to show for Anaheim weigh-in

What could've been a homecoming stop on boxer Marshall Martinez's road to redemption has turned into another disappointment. The Fontana junior-welterweight, who recently had returned to boxing after a four-year prison sentence, failed to show up in Anaheim on Friday for his weigh-in.

"Missing in action," Martinez promoter Gary Shaw said late on Friday afternoon. "Last I heard of him was two days ago. I hope nothing terrible has happened to him. Obviously, I'm concerned."

Martinez, a cousin of featherweight champion Steven Luevano of La Puente, was sentenced in 2004 to a four-year federal prison term in connection with a cocaine deal. After being released, he fought twice, beating his foes in Southern California dates. That led to him being scheduled on the undercard of Saturday night's Vic Darchinyan-Jorge Arce super-flyweight title fight at Honda Center.

Luevano, who is preparing for a May 2 title defense against Bernabe Concepcion on the undercard to the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton bout in Las Vegas, said that he last spoke to his cousin two weeks ago.

"It was a great opportunity for him," said Shaw. "Whatever his problems are, I'll support him. He just needs to show up."

-- Lance Pugmire

Photo: Marshall Martinez. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times

Randy Wolf, Dodgers come to terms on a deal

Randy Wolf will be back in a Dodgers uniform.                       Credit: Spencer Weiner / LAT

The Dodgers just announced that they have signed pitcher Randy Wolf. The one-year deal guarantees the pitcher $5 million. Wolf can earn as much as $3 million more through incentive bonuses that start at 170 innings and extend to 200 innings.

The club has scheduled a conference call for later tonight. Check latimes.com/sports later on for more details.

-- Bill Shaikin

Meryl Davis, Charlie White skate to an upset victory

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the U.S. won the ice dance title at the Four Continents figure skating championships Friday by edging their training partners, world silver medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, by .58.

In hockey parlance, you'd say Davis and White won in Virtue and Moir's barn. And since the site of this event is the Pacific Coliseum, the former home of the Vancouver Canucks, the hockey analogy is especially appropriate.

Davis and White, who won the U.S. title two weeks ago and will compete at next month's world championships at Staples Center, performed an emotional free dance to "Samson and Delilah" to earn a season-best 96.74 points. Their overall total was 192.39. Virtue and Moir, who train with Davis and White in Canton, Mich., earned 94.51 points for their dance to Pink Floyd music and 191.81 points for the three-part competition.

It's a near-miracle that Virtue and Moir were able to perform at all. Virtue underwent surgery on both shins in October to relieve chronic pain, and as soon the couple had finished, she went to the medical office to ice her legs.

Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates of the U.S. were third with 180.79 points, and they savored their experience in the rink that will serve as the Olympic figure skating venue just over a year from now.

"We definitely want to be back here in 12 months," Bates said.

More news from the rink later at latimes.com/sports.

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Meryl Davis and Charlie White perform their free dance program at the Four Continents figure skating championships on Friday in Vancouver, B.C. Credit: Paul Chiasson/ The Canadian Press / Associated Press

Randy Wolf to join Dodgers once doctor says OK

Randy Wolf took a physical examination for the Dodgers today, following his agreement on the terms of a one-year contract to return to the club.

The Dodgers are expected to announce the signing once the club gets word he has passed the physical. The contract is expected to be worth in the range of $5 million.

General Manager Ned Colletti said the deal is "not done" and declined further comment.

Wolf would fill the fourth spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation, behind Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers plan to put the fifth spot up for grabs in spring training, with Jason Schmidt, Shawn Estes, Claudio Vargas and Eric Stults among the contestants.

Wolf, 32, went 9-6 with a 4.73 ERA for the Dodgers in 2007. He split last season between San Diego and Houston, going 6-10, 4.74 in 21 starts for the Padres and 6-2, 3.57 in 12 starts for the Astros.

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Randy Wolf. Credit: Darren Hauck / Associated Press