Vegas visit Sampras’ first in 16 years

Pete Sampras concedes it has been a while since he was last in town. But he'll never forget his Davis Cup experience at Caesars Palace in September 1995, when he and Andre Agassi helped the United States defeat Sweden in the semifinals and eventually go on to win the title by beating Russia that December.

"I remember it being a fun week," said the 40-year-old Sampras, who returns to Las Vegas on Saturday to join Agassi, John McEnroe and Michael Chang in the ATP Champions Series at the Thomas & Mack Center. "I think I won some money playing blackjack, and Andre was a gracious host. We had dinner at his house, and we went out in the desert in his Hummer. It was a lot of fun."

But for Sampras, the highlight of his week at Caesars might have been seeing Tim Gullikson, who had suffered a stroke and had a brain tumor diagnosed earlier that year. He was permitted to sit on the USA bench where Gullikson's twin brother, Tom, was the team's captain.

Tim Gullikson was Sampras' coach, and Sampras always has given Gullikson most of the credit for his success. When a gaunt Gullikson arrived at Caesars, it gave the entire USA team an emotional lift.

Gullikson eventually lost his battle and died in May 1996. He was 44.

"It was so good to see him," Sampras said. "He was going through his treatment, and yet he was so upbeat. It inspired all of us."

■ NBA OWNERS PAY UP -- The NBA's decision Monday to cancel the first two weeks of the 2011-12 season was not good news for basketball fans. And with no talks scheduled, more canceled games surely will follow.

While the owners figure the players will cave in once they miss a few paychecks, don't expect the players to panic right away. The owners already have helped the players stay financially solvent for the moment thanks to a $162 million payout that recently was made after the players had 8 percent of their salaries from last season held in escrow.

In addition, because the owners did not reach the 57 percent threshold on player salaries last year, an additional $26 million is on its way to the league's 400-plus players.

Whether that's enough to tide over LaLa Anthony and some of the other TV "Basketball Wives" remains to be seen. But it should help cover next month's child support payments.

■ A LITTLE SQUIRRELLY? -- The Los Angeles Angels have the Rally Monkey. Now, the St. Louis Cardinals have a Rally Squirrel.

Thanks to the squirrel that ran across the field during the Cardinals' win over Philadelphia in Game 4 of their National League division series, the furry creature is seen as a good luck charm. The team distributed 40,000 rally towels with a squirrel motif for Game 3 of the NL Championship Series against Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

"I think it's good. The fans are having fun," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "And I really believe that. This is not old-school, and I know I am in many ways, but I think there's so much attention and pressure on the players that sometimes they don't show their happiness."

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL