Scoreboard

Charlotte to New Orleans?

The chants and cheers echoed for the first two games between the New Jersey Nets and the Charlotte Hornets in East Rutherford, N.J. But last night, Game 3 was played in Charlotte, N.C., a city the Hornets might not call home much longer.

The crowds at Charlotte Coliseum have been small this season. With NBA team owners today expected to approve Charlotte's move to New Orleans, few think that will change. But Hornets coach Paul Silas says it doesn't matter. He thinks the usual 10,000 fans who show will be enough. "Whoever is out there is really going to root for us and cheer for us. They are the die-hard fans," he says.

It's amazing what 275 saves in eight games can do. The Montreal Canadiens, in the playoffs for the first time in four years, are the talk of this hockey town just the way they used to be, and goalie Jose Theodore is the main reason.

Montreal has been outplayed in four straight games in the playoffs but has won three of them because of Theodore. He gave up only five goals on 163 shots and leads all playoff goalies with the 275 saves.

"He worked his tail off this year before and after practices," said Montreal defenseman Sheldon Souray. "He's really dedicated to getting better...."

The Colorado Rockies are trying to help their pitchers keep home runs from flying out of Coors Field. The new tactic: a soggy baseball.

In an effort to combat the thin air at hitter-friendly Coors Field, the Rockies have built a temperature-controlled environmental chamber to store baseballs. The chamber, similar to a cigar humidor, is designed to keep balls from drying out and shrinking in Denver's low humidity. The idea is to make the balls easier to grip for pitchers and harder for batters to hit out of the ballpark. "Because of where we play, there are so many things that we can't control ...," says Rockies president Keli McGregor. "This is something that we can control."