Rock On

SIMPLY PRICELESS

Weird happenings last week for the Jazz.

One day everyone was focused on Carlos Boozer's return to Utah, and the next day Jerry Sloan retired after 23 years as head coach.

Reported reasons for his move ranged from battle fatigue to Deron Williams fatigue to management fatigue.

Sloan just cited plain old Jerry Sloan fatigue.

Rock On believes there's a silver lining in every story — even awkward, confusing, chaotic or slightly sad ones.

But the good news is that for once there's an NBA story that isn't about the money. So take a picture; it may be awhile before another one comes around.

If and when the next Sloan comes around.

DELIVERED

Karl Malone appeared on Friday for the Jazz-Suns game and entertained the media with observations on loyalty, coaching and dedication.

At one point he launched into a reminiscence of his own flare-ups with Sloan.

“The guy I know is the guy that challenged me to a fight,” Malone said. “He said, 'I'll fight you as long as I can see you.' I said, 'Coach, it won't be long.' That's the coach I know.”

Just wondering: Where was the Karl Malone that used to refer to himself in third person?

That's the Mailman Jazz fans used to know.

ANCIENT OF DAYS

Forty-eight-year-old Herschel Walker says he wants to try a comeback in the NFL.

Sources say he and Brett Favre plan to contact the Packers as soon as they finish their bran cereal and get their bunions scraped.

WIDE OPEN SPACES

Fans who bought tickets but couldn't get into the Super Bowl this year were offered a $2,400 refund (three times the face value), plus a ticket to next year's game.

As opposed to Ute basketball games, where it's debatable if even $2,400 would bring them back.

DOLLAR TREE

Ron Kantowski of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the average ticket price for a Major League Baseball exhibition game in Sin City will cost $43. That compares to the average regular season MLB price of $26.74.

Hard to imagine, but Vegas actually might have invented something more overpriced than $72 to see Whoopi Goldberg.

e-mail: rock@desnews.com

twitter: therockmonster