Madison Square Garden

Don't you just hate show-biz goodbyes? This week in New York, Barbra Streisand will say goodbye to live performance with two shows at Madison Square Garden. Even though tickets were priced as high as $2,500 a seat, all 25,000 were sold within two hours. Besides the New York shows (which take place Wednesday and Thursday), there were two shows at the Staples Center in Los Angeles last week. And that's it. As her manager, Martin Erlichman, said in July, "Ms. Streisand has chosen to conclude her public performance career in the two cities most associated with her work."

NEW YORK -- The defending champion in tonight's heavyweight title bout at Madison Square Garden sips tea, plays chess and has been called "a nice, quiet kid" by his trainer. The challenger plays a mean piano, sings in his church choir and promises to deliver "the truth" tonight. World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation king Lennox Lewis, who stands 6 feet 5 and weighs 247 pounds, and Michael Grant, at 6-7, 250, are two of the cleaner images in a sport marred by much ugliness lately.

RYE, N.Y. -- There were more smiles and laughter than usual yesterday for a team out of the running for the playoffs and going through the motions of a final practice -- at least until the end, when New York Rangers coach John Muckler gathered the team and demanded that Wayne Gretzky skate a couple of more laps up and down the ice.His teammates clattered their sticks on the ice in encouragement, but Gretzky, for once, chose to exercise his clout."

NBA games lost yesterday: 10.Total games missed: 297.Earliest estimated date season can start: Jan. 22.Projected player salary losses (through Jan. 22): $480 million.Negotiations: Nothing scheduled.Today's best canceled game: Chicago at New York. The last time Michael Jordan and the Bulls played at Madison Square Garden, Jordan turned it into a 48-minute sneaker commercial by wearing original Air Jordans.Pub Date: 12/16/98

NEW YORK -- In the end, the ugly brand of basketball displayed by the New York Knicks last night proved difficult for the usually die-hard Madison Square Garden fans to watch.Given the opportunity to assume control of their first-round Eastern Conference series against a Miami Heat team they had dominated on their home court, the Knicks literally handed last night's game away in a 91-85 loss.They handed it away by committing 22 turnovers that led to 23 points for Miami, a sloppy performance that was booed by the few in the crowd that remained for an ugly affair that lasted 2 hours, 37 minutes.

NEW YORK -- It was a night that had failure written all over it. Not only did the Washington Wizards need a win to stay in the playoff hunt, but they had to do it at Madison Square Garden against a New York Knicks team that had won every season series against the visitors since the 1986-87 season.So all the Wizards do is play their most complete offensive game since Rod Strickland's injury, taking a 104-102 win over New York last night that extends Washington's playoff hopes at least until tonight's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the MCI Center.

NEW YORK -- As the final minutes ticked away, both Chris Webber and Juwan Howard sat at the end of the bench wearing blank expressions. Rod Strickland was seated also, his blank stare aimed at the Madison Square Garden ceiling.Their expressions told the entire story. For the 13th time since 1991, the Washington Bullets set foot in Madison Square Garden, seeking a win against the New York Knicks. And for the 13th time the Bullets left the arena losers, this time a 85-73 defeat.For the Bullets (7-11)

NEW YORK -- As the final minutes ticked away, both Chris Webber and Juwan Howard sat at the end of the bench wearing blank expressions. Rod Strickland, seated nearby, also had a blank stare, gazing down at the Madison Square Garden floor.For the 13th time since 1991, the Washington Bullets played at Madison Square Garden, seeking a win against the New York Knicks. And for the 13th time the Bullets came away losers, this time suffering an 85-73 loss before a sellout crowd of 19,763.But this time had to be more disappointing, as the Bullets lost for the fifth straight time overall.

NEW YORK -- One of the ugliest, most violent riots in boxing history erupted at Madison Square Garden last night after former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe won by disqualification at 2: 33 of the seventh round over previously unbeaten Andrew Golota.The Polish native had points deducted for low blows in the fourth and sixth rounds and another in the seventh before the fight was stopped after a fourth low blow.A 10-1 underdog, Golota had out-fought Bowe in every round before the shocking ending ignited a series of fights in and out of the ring.