1. SPIKED.....The Chargers said goodbye to veteran LB Takeo Spikes on Thursday, releasing him after two years with the team.....Spikes started all 32 games while he was with the Bolts, and was named team captain both years.....A two-time Pro Bowler, Spikes said he plans to play somewhere next season, which would be his 16th in the NFL.....By releasing Spikes, the Bolts saved $3-million on the salary cap and now have more than $10-million in cap space.....
2. TOURNEY PREVIEW??.....Most likely it will be when the SDSU's men's basketball team travels to Boise, Ida., tomorrow to finish up its regular-season schedule against Boise State.....The Aztecs (21-8, 9-6) have the No. 4-seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament locked up, and could only move up to the No. 3 slot if Colorado State is upset in its finale at home against last-place Nevada.....At No. 4, SDSU likley will be facing Boise State in the first round of the conference tournament, a game that will be played next Wednesday night in Las Vegas at 9 p.m.....Win that one, and the Red & Black will likely draw a semifinal meeting with conference champ New Mexico a week from today.....
3. PLAYOFF BOUND???.....The Lakers, coming off of their amazing come-from-behind win in New Orleans on Wednesday night, get a pair of home games this weekend with a chance to catch and pass the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the NBA's Western Conference......Currently, Utah holds a 1 1/2-game lead over LA, but the Jazz must play tonight in Chicago and tomorrow night in New York....Unless Utah wins one of those games, the Lakers can move past them by defeating Toronto at home tonight and Chicago at home on Sunday.....
4. STAYING ALIVE.....With their Coach Bill Grier's job likely in the balance, the USD men's basketball team opened play in the West Coast Conference tournament Thursday night with a 62-59 victory over Pepperdine, the third time this season that the Toreros (15-17) have knocked off the Waves....USD trailed by 10 early but Johnny Dee shot them into a halftime lead by making three consecutive three-pointers.....Next up for USD is a quarterfinal matchup with No. 3-seed BYU later on today......The Toreros split with the Cougars during the regular season.......
5. A TIGER ON TOP..... .....and a No. 1-ranked golfer in the world on the bottom.....That was the story through the first round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral on Thursday......Tiger Woods, knocking in nine birdies along the way, took the first-round lead with a 66, tied for the top spot with reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell and Fredrik Jacobson......Meanwhile, the struggles continued for World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who was one of the few golfers over par at plus-1 73.....At least this time, McIlroy made it through his round without walking off the course as he did a week ago in Palm Beach Gardens.....Woods, on the other hand, had a hot putter going after spending some time before the round working with Steve Stricker. "He's one of the best putters who ever lived," Woods said......