The Cincinnati Enquirer

ESPN2 morning show Cold Pizza today will profile Cincinnati as the 13th city in its weekly "15 Most Tortured Sports Cities" feature.

Cincinnati-native Nick Lachey (Jessica Simpson's husband) will appear live to discuss his heartbreaks. Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty will also appear.

The show airs at 8 a.m.

Perry is Enquirer's new sports editor

Michael Perry has been named sports editor of the Enquirer. He replaces Julie Engebrecht, who is the new local news editor after heading the sports department for eight years. Perry, 42, a native of Cleveland, has been at the Enquirer since 1992, working as a copy editor (1992-96), the Xavier athletics beat reporter (1996-2000), the University of Cincinnati basketball beat reporter (1996-2002) and deputy sports editor.

If it's light out, you've missed it

Unless you are a very early riser or a reaaaallly big baseball fan, you've most likely missed the Baseball's opener. The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays were to meet at 5 a.m. today in Tokyo. If you did miss it, don't worry. The real Opening Day is Monday, when the Cubs face the Reds at Great American Ball Park at 2:10 p.m.

CORRECTION

The Hamilton boys' basketball team won its fourth state basketball title Saturday. An item in Monday's Top of the First incorrectly stated the number of titles in some editions.

Avs' Moore just happy to be alive after punch

Wearing a brace from his chin to his chest, Steve Moore walked into a news conference Monday and said he doesn't remember the hit that knocked him out for the season - and might have ended his NHL career.

The Colorado Avalanche forward still has a welt under his right eye, but smiled while speaking to the Denver media for the first time since Vancouver's Todd Bertuzzi sucker-punched him during a game March 8.

"I feel very fortunate to be able to be here today, to be able to walk in here," Moore, 25, said before Colorado played Los Angeles. "I don't know whether I'll be able to play again, but I remain optimistic. I'm more fortunate just to be alive and to take one day at a time."

• Avs 2, Kings 1: Teemu Selanne scored his first goal in 20 games with 5:09 left, helping Colorado end a six-game winless streak.

• Senators 5, Lightning 4, OT: Chris Phillips scored from just inside the blue line four minutes into overtime, giving Ottawa a season sweep of the Eastern Conference leaders.

Ottawa moved within one point of Toronto and Boston, the co-leaders in the Northeast Division. Tampa Bay fell one point behind Detroit for the overall NHL points lead.

• Red Wings 5, Wild 3: Brendan Shanahan had a goal and an assist for Detroit (105 points), which reduced its magic number to one point over San Jose to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

• Leafs 4, Thrashers 2: Gary Roberts and Nik Antropov scored third-period goals, and Toronto moved into a tie for first place with the Boston Bruins in the Northeast Division

• Sabres 6, Jackets 0: Dmitri Kalinin scored twice, and Martin Biron recorded his second shutout of the season and 17th of his career in his 100th career victory.

• Panthers 3, 'Canes 1: Kristian Huselius and former Cincinnati Mighty Duck Matt Cullen scored.

Horse racing

KEENELAND: Hollywood Futurity winner Lion Heart will bypass Saturday's Santa Anita Derby and instead start in the Blue Grass Stakes on April 10, trainer Patrick Biancone said. Lion Heart is coming off a second-place finish in the March 6 San Rafael Stakes.

Tennis

NASDAQ-100 OPEN: Serena Williams made her latest fashion statement and offered some eye-popping tennis as well, beating 16-year-old Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals at Key Biscayne, Fla.

Gone was the much-discussed corset dress of the earlier rounds, replaced by a revealing two-piece outfit with a fitted tank top, bare midriff, hot pants, navel jewelry and chandelier earrings.

"This is my Wonder Woman outfit," Williams said. "I feel real powerful in this suit, like a superhero."

Williams' quarterfinal opponent will be fellow American Jill Craybas, who upset No. 9 Paola Suarez 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2). No. 2 Venus Williams beat No. 15 Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-3 andn ext faces No. 5 Elena Dementieva.

On the men's side, Andy Roddick and six-time champion Andre Agassi remained on course for a semifinal showdown by advancing to the fourth round.

DAVIS CUP: U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe selected Mardy Fish to team with Andy Roddick in singles against Mats Wilander's older Swedish team in the Davis Cup quarterfinals April 9-11.

Olympics

SHOOTING: Cincinnati native Theresa DeWitt came up short in her bid to make the 2004 Games, finishing fourth in trap at the trials in Fort Benning, Ga. DeWitt, 41, was a 1996 Olympian, in which she finished fourth in double trap. She lives in Fort Benning, where she is a Sergeant First Class with the Army Marksmanship Unit.