Eddie Jordan

Outside of Roddy Peters' commitment to Maryland on Tuesday , it was a slow week in Terps recruiting. With that in mind, here are some links to various Peters-related stories/blogs from this week: ** ESPN.com's Dave Telep told Don Markus that Peters' pledge was "significant" for Mark Turgeon . ** Former Washington Wizards coach and current Los Angeles Lakers assistant Eddie Jordan coached Peters over the summer on D.C. Assault. Jordan offered his take on Peters to Markus . ** Landing Peters was no consolation prize for missing out on the Harrison twins, Markus wrote . The Suitland guard should be better for the Terps' team chemistry in the long run. ** Testudo Times' Pete Volk wrote about Peters and the importance of momentum for the Terps . ** Testudo Times' Ben Broman gives Turgeon credit for getting "knocked off the horse" with the Harrisons but jumping "back on real quick.

The Milwaukee Bucks are poised to offer Washington Wizards reserve center Etan Thomas a six-year contract worth in excess of $35 million when the moratorium on NBA free-agent signings expires tomorrow, a source familiar with the negotiations said last night. Thomas, who finished tied for 18th in the NBA in total blocked shots last season, averaged 8.9 points and 6.7 rebounds last season for Washington in 79 games. According to the source, the Bucks are expected to offer Thomas the full mid-level exception, which should be around $5 million per season.

WASHINGTON - When Larry Hughes was ejected near the end of the first half of last Saturday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, no one was more surprised than Gilbert Arenas, his Washington Wizards backcourt mate. Hughes was thrown out for allegedly tossing a ball at an official after that referee had whistled him for a foul, and Arenas, who played with Hughes two years ago at Golden State, was dumbfounded. "You usually don't see anything from him," said Arenas, who was placed on the injured list Tuesday with a severe abdominal strain.

Moves Baseball CARDINALS: Optioned P Bud Smith to Triple-A Memphis. Signed P Darren Oliver to minor-league contract and assigned him to Memphis. DEVIL RAYS: Designated P Doug Creek and OF Dave McCarty for assignment. Optioned IF Jason Smith to Triple-A Durham. Recalled P Victor Zambrano and purchased contracts of OF Carl Crawford and IF Andy Sheets from Durham. INDIANS: Activated P Jaret Wright from 60-day DL and P Charles Nagy from 15-day DL. Recalled P Sean DePaula and IF Earl Snyder from Triple-A Buffalo.

WASHINGTON - Addressing the media for the first time since coming off a five-game suspension, Washington Wizards forward/center Christian Laettner expressed regret yesterday for violating the NBA's drug policy and declared himself "committed and devoted" to making sure it doesn't happen again. "It feels great. ... I still love the game," Laettner said after practice. "It was tough being away. Sometimes you say to yourself, `I need a vacation,' but as soon as I got back out there, I realized how much I miss the game.

BaseballBlue Jays: Agreed to one-year contracts with IF Felipe Crespo and IF Tom Evans.Padres: Agreed to one-year contracts with P Will Cunnane, P Don Wengert and IF Ed Giovanola and minor-league contract with P Ryan Bowen.Pirates: Agreed to one-year contract extensions with first base coach Joe Jones, third base coach Jack Lind, hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, bench coach Rick Renick, bullpen coach Spin Williams and pitching coach Pete Vuckovich through 1999.Reds: Agreed to one-year contract with IF-OF Roberto Petagine and minor-league contract with OF Midre Cummings.

Kwame Brown's four-year career with the Washington Wizards appears to be heading rapidly toward its conclusion. Brown, who was made the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft by then-team president Michael Jordan, was suspended yesterday for the remainder of the playoffs. Shortly before the Wizards left for Chicago to play the Bulls in tonight's Game 5 of their best-of-seven opening-round series, Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld made the announcement that Brown would no longer play with the team this season.

When Doug Collins awoke in his Scottsdale, Ariz., home yesterday morning and found there were four messages on his cell phone, he told his wife he knew he was about to be fired as coach of the Washington Wizards. His hunch turned out to be correct as the Wizards moved to purge the organization of the remnants of Michael Jordan's 3 1/2 years, dismissing the coach he hand-picked to guide his return to the court from retirement. And Collins, more or less, endorsed the move. "Sometimes, you need to make a change simply because you've got to change the environment," said Collins in a conference call last night with reporters.

Moves Auto racing NASCAR: Announced 10-year agreement with Nextel Communications as title sponsor for its top national stock car series. Baseball NL: All-Star manager Dusty Baker named Cardinals' Tony La Russa and Pirates' Lloyd McClendon All-Star coaches. CARDINALS: Placed IF Miguel Cairo on 15-day DL with fractured left hand. Purchased contract of IF Bo Hart from Triple-A Memphis. EXPOS: Recalled P Sun-Woo Kim from Triple-A Edmonton. Optioned P Anthony Ferrari to Edmonton. MARINERS: Sent P Giovanni Carrara outright to Triple-A Tacoma.

From the "if it weren't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all" file comes news from the Washington Wizards that leading scorer Larry Hughes will miss four to six weeks with a fractured left wrist. Hughes, a 6-foot-5 guard, learned yesterday that he has a fractured capitate bone in his left, non-shooting wrist. The injury was suffered, according to team officials, in the second half of a 103-101 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last Wednesday. Hughes scored 27 points that night. Oddly enough, Hughes, who is averaging 18.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists, played last Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 21 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.