Coaches

Long drives home and sleepless nights have become a part of Mark McGwire's life now that the former home run champion is the Dodgers' hitting coach. But McGwire said his job is everything he hoped it would be when he left the St. Louis Cardinals to accept it. His off-season home in Irvine has become his year-round home, which allowed him to catch his two sons' recent Little League game. The Dodgers' training facilities might be the best in baseball. As for the Dodgers' low-scoring offense, McGwire believes it's only a matter of time before it is "devastating.

ST. LOUIS - From being overwhelmed by the Blues' frenzied forechecking at the start to losing on a stunning misplay by Jonathan Quick at the end, the Kings know they must improve in several areas to leave Scottrade Center on Thursday with a split of the first two games of their opening-round playoff series. Speaking after an optional practice Wednesday, the morning after the team's 2-1 overtime loss at St. Louis, Coach Darryl Sutter was clear about who must step up. Asked how the Kings can counter the Blues' energetic fourth line of Chris Porter, Ryan Reaves and Adam Cracknell, Sutter was blunt: "Some of the boys that play on our fourth line have to play like big boys.

UCLA basketball Coach Steve Alford is still trying to disentangle himself from the University of New Mexico. New Mexico says Alford owes the university $1 million, which was the buyout amount in a contract extension that was to take effect April 1, two days after UCLA hired him. Alford, in a letter to the school, has offered $200,000 under the terms of his previous contract. Alford was required to give 30 days' notice, so New Mexico officials believe he is therefore bound by the terms of what would have been his new contract.

Now that the Lakers are out of the playoffs, Coach Mike D'Antoni can turn his attention to moving into the house he and his wife, Laurel, just bought in Manhattan Beach for $6.9 million. Set on a walk street, the ocean-view home features a three-stop cherry-paneled elevator, which should come in handy for carting beverages from the 2,000-bottle basement wine cellar to the 400-glass wine bar on the top floor. The open-plan house, built in 2003, includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms and 5,000 square feet of living space.

Ducks defenseman Sheldon Souray was exploring the beauty of the unknown, the pristine hockey slate on the eve of opening night in the Stanley Cup playoffs. At this stage, no one can be wrong in the timeless playoff prediction game. "I think I've played in four playoffs," Souray said Monday. "I've been the first seed a couple of times and lost out in the first round and been the eighth seed and went to the second round and lost to the eventual Cup champion both times.

Former UCLA basketball Coach Ben Howland has listed his home in a gated Bel-Air neighborhood for $1,899,950. Built in 1999, the stone-clad home features an elevator, a home theater, five bedrooms, four bathrooms and close to 4,700 square feet of living space. The nearly half-acre lot includes a swimming pool with spa, a covered patio and a barbecue center. During Howland's 10 years at UCLA, he won four conference titles and coached the team to three Final Fours. Jordan Cohen of Re/Max Olson & Associates is the listing agent.

It is the chant that has defined the season, yet somehow has not defined the man. The most amazing thing about the derisive jeer that has rained upon Mike D'Antoni's slumped shoulders for the last six months is that not once has he jeered back. "We want Phil," scream the fans. "I understand," says the coach who is not Phil. Before the Lakers take the Staples Center court Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs in probably the last game of the most disappointing season in franchise history, perhaps it is time to consider the fortitude of the man who has borne the wrath of that shame.

Reggie Theus played in the NBA for more than a decade, covered the league as a broadcaster and coached the Sacramento Kings. So postseason drama at Staples Center draws his attention. "I've been a Lakers fan since I was a kid," said Theus, who starred at Inglewood High in the mid-1970s, "and I know a lot of guys on the Clippers. " But Theus has no time to be immersed in the playoffs. For the last three weeks, Cal State Northridge's new coach has been busy on campus or on the road recruiting, laying the groundwork to turn around a program.

Introspection and navel-gazing are not Darryl Sutter's favorite activities. The Kings' coach is blunt, more likely to look ahead than to over-analyze the past in search of great cosmic meaning. So, when asked about the peaks and valleys his team experienced during this lockout-shortened season, Sutter was typically direct. “There's no highs and lows,” he said. “Highs and lows right now are for them guys that are 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. They have highs, they have lows.” BOX SCORE: Kings 3, San Jose 2 The Kings earned the No. 5 playoff seeding by beating the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, Saturday at Staples Center on second-period goals by Kyle Clifford and Slava Voynov and a third-period goal by Justin Williams, earning a standing ovation from the announced sellout crowd.

With one regular-season game left, the Kings' playoff possibilities outnumber even Coach Darryl Sutter 's new line combinations. This much is sure: The Kings can finish fourth in the West and have home-ice advantage in the first round if the St. Louis Blues lose in any fashion to the Chicago Blackhawks and the Kings beat the San Jose Sharks in any fashion Saturday. A win by the Blues would leave the Kings and Sharks fighting for fifth place. The winner would face St. Louis and the loser would play No. 3 Vancouver.