Score Board

Bonds sets walk record

Barry Bonds set a record, but not the one he wanted. Bonds broke Babe Ruth's season walks tally Wednesday instead of making home-run history. After striking out on rookie pitcher Tim Redding's 96 m.p.h. fastball in the first inning, Bonds drew three straight four-pitch walks. He walked right past Ruth's total of 170 - set in 1923 - to finish the night with 172.

In a strange twist in the ninth inning, the Houston home crowd began chanting "Barry! Barry!" when he came out on deck, hoping to see him get one last chance to match Mark McGwire's record of 70 home runs. The fans then booed when Rich Aurilia grounded out, ending the inning. Going into last night's game, Bonds had four games left to match or pass McGwire's record.

The Super Bowl is one of the world's biggest extravaganzas. Now it's running into another one - Mardi Gras - and the combination could mean that New Orleans will have its biggest party ever.

The NFL agreed to pay the National Automobile Dealers Association $7.5 million to switch dates. That means the Super Bowl will be played Feb. 3, while the car dealers will take the week before, Jan. 27, the original date for the Super Bowl.

All this stems from the NFL's decision to call off the second weekend of the regular season - Sept. 15-16 - because of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Those games will be played Jan. 5-6, and the playoffs will be pushed back a week, forcing the first February Super Bowl ever.

Familiar faces are in different places all over the National Hockey League, which opened its season Wednesday. Seven of last season's top 16 scorers are wearing new uniforms, paced by NHL scoring champion Jaromir Jagr's jump from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Washington Capitals. "It has definitely been an interesting summer," said Capitals coach Ron Wilson. "It's just like everything has been shaken up. It should make things fun."