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Even Her Matches Last Longer Than This

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Detroit Red Wing center Sergei Fedorov says he and tennis player Anna Kournikova were married but are now divorced and no longer talk.

Fedorov, 33, spoke of his relationship with his 21-year-old fellow Russian in the March 14 edition of the Hockey News and his agent confirmed it Monday, telling Associated Press, “I honestly don’t know when he got married to her -- all I know is that he was married.”

Pat Brisson, the agent, added: “He’s kind of surprised that everyone’s asking him the same question.”

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Approached after practice Monday in Columbus, Ohio, where the Red Wings were to play the Blue Jackets, Fedorov waved off further inquiries about Kournikova, saying, “Ask her.”

Kournikova’s agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Trivia time: Who was the first L.A. Laker to lead the NBA in scoring?

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Tigerhearted: Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune on Tiger Woods: “[He] is raising the bar so high that his rivals may conclude they are competing in the pole vault.

“At 27, golf’s Mozart has already won 36 professional tournaments, including seven of the 14 World Golf Championship events he has entered.

“He has made the Grand Slam seem attainable. He may soon make it seem inevitable. For all the fuss made over Ernie Els’ fast start, Woods has emphatically reclaimed his throne, like Richard the Lionhearted back from the Crusades.”

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Scary, not funny: Jeff Gordon in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “You want to rattle Seattle Mariner Manager Bob Melvin? Then dress up like a clown and score some seats near his dugout.

“ ‘I’ve always had problems with clowns,’ ” Melvin admitted. “ ‘They always gave me the creeps. I never was much of a circus guy.’ ”

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Not his Boss: Tampa Bay Manager Lou Piniella wasn’t thrilled to discover New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner has purchased season tickets to Devil Ray games.

“I hope he doesn’t get confused and call me after games,” Piniella said.

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Phony forty: Brooks Johnson, the 1984 Olympic track coach, has trained several prospects for the NFL combine. But Johnson said the 40-yard dash reveals little in football.

“It’s an irrelevant distance,” Johnson said. “In football everything basically happens in the first three to five yards. If every play went for 40 yards, every 2 1/2 plays you’d have a touchdown. The 40 is just one of those dinosaurs that’s left over.”

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New goal: Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle: “There’s still hope for Pete Rose. If he can prove he took drugs and trashed hotel rooms, he’ll be eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”

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Trivia answer: Jerry West averaged 31.2 points in 1969-70.

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And finally: Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun-Times: “Could this be a trend? The Brewers are offering free admission to their exhibition game against the Twins on March 28 at Miller Park.

“ ‘We wanted to find a meaningful and unprecedented way to thank our fans,’ Ulice Payne Jr., the team’s president told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.”

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