Gold

JEFF BLATNICK, who overcame cancer to win a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics and went on to a career as a sports commentator and motivational speaker, died Wednesday in New York state at age 55. Officials at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, N.Y., said he died there of heart failure. Blatnick was a high school state champion in suburban Albany in the mid-1970s and was a two-time Division II national champion and three-time Division II All-American at Springfield College in Massachusetts.

In April 2011, in our first column, we addressed whether it was still a good idea to invest in gold - trading at about $1,400 an ounce, at the time. The bullion price today is roughly $1,775 per ounce. There are many currents influencing the price of this precious metal, so it's helpful to check in with a market technician or analyst who follows trading patterns and momentum of a security's price, to find out whether gold's rally still has legs. Andrew Cardwell, a Philadelphia native, runs a technical trading outfit called Cardwell RSI Edge, and he predicts that gold's upward trend will continue well into 2013.

MARIPOSA, Calif. - California investigators searched Monday for thieves who made off with an estimated $2 million in precious gems and gold from a Northern California museum during a brazen daytime robbery. But they didn't get away with the biggest prize of all - the nearly 14-pound Fricot Nugget, a giant crystalline gold mass unearthed in the Gold Rush era. During their attempt to grab the rock, the robbers triggered an alarm that alerted authorities, who swarmed the Central Valley museum but failed to nab the thieves.

Schedule Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Grand Prix Open, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Grand Prix Freestyle, 7:30 p.m. Riders to watch (Friday and Saturday): Jaimey Irwin on Lindor's Finest; Jacqueline Brooks on D-Niro (2012 Olympics for Canada); Melissa Taylor on Schumackers Solyst (won at last CDI in N.J.); Pierre St. Jacques on Lucky Tiger (team gold medal at 2003 Pan American Games); David Marcus on Chevri's Capital (2012 Olympics for Canada). Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Grand Prix Special, 12:45 p.m. Riders to watch (Sunday)

It's always good to own Mike Wallace. This week, it's even better. The Steelers' top playmaker will not be making a visit to Revis Island, the place where wide receivers and their fantasy statistics often disappear, because Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis did not make the trip to Pittsburgh. Revis sustained a head injury against the Bills last week and on Friday was left back in New York. "We followed NFL protocol and we'll always follow NFL protocol when it comes to concussions," Jets coach Rex Ryan said.

This story was updated at 11 a.m. Monday A federal judge has upheld a 2011 jury decision that a Philadelphia family that found 10 purloined gold coins worth at least $7.59 million each cannot keep them. The coins, "double eagle" $20 gold pieces, were among 445,500 the Philadelphia Mint produced in 1933 that were never circulated because the federal government that year outlawed the possession of gold coins. "The disputed double eagles were not lawfully removed from the United States Mint and . . . remain the property of the United States," U.S. District Judge Legrome D. Davis wrote in his Aug. 29 judgment, upholding the decision of a federal court jury in July 2011.

Kenny Davis and his teammates on the 1972 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team remain steadfast about the agreement they made 40 years ago - they will never accept their silver medals. The U.S. lost a 51-50 decision in the gold medal game to the Soviet Union in a controversial finish in which the winners earned three cracks at playing the final three seconds. Doug Collins, now the 76ers coach, had hit two of the most clutch free throws in international history to give the United States a 50-49 lead.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Mike Bantom was part of the United States basketball team that lost to the Soviet Union in a controversial final at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He said his experience provided a profound message that has stayed with him. In the gold medal game, the United States led by a point with three seconds to go. The Russians had three cracks during the final three seconds and eventually scored on the third to win, 51-50. The Americans felt they were cheated and never accepted their silver medals.

Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs is such a favorite son of Winslow Township that it was not enough for neighbors to watch the 24-year-old wrestler ride by in a hometown parade Saturday. They had to walk in a line behind him. As the winner of the 74kg (163 pounds) freestyle competition waved from a black Mercedes, some joined in the procession in a seeming show of unity and a desire to share in a golden moment. "I'm excited," said Burroughs, who now lives in Nebraska. "It's great to be back home with my family and friends and all the people who supported me through the years.