Rams' coach to miss rest of season
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz will miss the remainder of the NFL season after being ruled medically unable to continue his duties.
Dr. Victoria Fraser, co-chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, recently examined Martz and came to the decision.
Martz has been suffering from an acute bacterial infection of a heart valve since the start of this season. He was first admitted to the hospital Sept. 30 for treatment and evaluation.
Assistant head coach Joe Vitt was named interim head coach Oct. 10 and will continue in that role for the balance of the season.
The Rams are off to a 3-4 start and are 1-1 under Vitt. His first game ended in a 45-28 loss last Monday to Indianapolis. The Rams gave him his first coaching victory Sunday in a 28-17 triumph over New Orleans.
Martz, in his sixth season as Rams coach, has a regular season record of 53-32 and reached the Super Bowl after the 2001 season, losing to New England 20-17.
Conroy, Legace honored as NHL's best
NEW YORK, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Los Angeles Kings forward Craig Conroy and Detroit Red Wings goaltender Manny Legace were named NHL Players of the Week.
Conroy was chosen Offensive Player of the Week after he had seven points (two goals, five assists) and notched a +5 rating in three games. Conroy, who was acquired by Los Angeles as a free agent in July 2004, ranks third in team scoring with eight points (two goals, six assists).
The winger scored the game-winning goal and added three assists in the Kings' 5-4 win at Colorado Wednesday, and had three points (one goal, two assists) in Thursday's game at Dallas.
LA is 6-3-0 this season (12 points), and leads the Pacific Division by two points over the Stars.
Legace earned Defensive Player of the Week as he guided the Red Wings to three wins compiling a 1.30 goals-against average and one shutout. For the season, Legace is 8-1-0 and has a sparkling 1.77 GAA.
Last Monday, Legace made 26 saves in a 3-2 win over San Jose, and Saturday he posted his eighth career shutout (17 saves) in a 6-0 win over Columbus.
Inter's Kily Gonzalez out for year
MILAN, Italy, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Inter Milan winger Kily Gonzalez will be out until January with a torn thigh muscle.
The Argentinean international was hurt while playing for his country earlier this month. He just recently returned to Italy on Sunday after resting at home for several weeks.
The 31-year-old Gonzalez has already begun therapy and rehabilitation. But he will still miss the rest of the Champions League group stage.
The former Valencia standout came to Milan in 2003. But injuries have limited his effectiveness with the Nerazzurri. Gonzalez has appeared in just one Serie A game this season. He was also featured just 12 times last season.
The news on star forward Adriano was more positive Monday. The Brazilian striker, who goes by one name, suffered a partial dislocation of his right collarbone in Sunday's 1-0 Serie A victory over Udinese.
