Trade

The Eagles discussed trading defensive tackle Corey Simon to the Baltimore Ravens because the team could not come to an agreement with its franchise player on a long-term contract. Since the Eagles and Simon were "very far apart," according to a league source, the team talked to the Ravens, who were interested but did not want to part with two first-round picks, which is the price for signing a franchise player. The Ravens spoke with Simon's agent, Roosevelt Barnes, to discuss a long-term contract but also found themselves too far apart with the 28-year-old defensive tackle.

By Keith Pompey The Samuel Dalembert era with the 76ers is over. The Sixers traded the 6-foot-11 center to the Sacramento Kings for Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes. The deal, which was announced Thursday, is pending physicals. Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski and coach Doug Collins will hold a press conference Friday. "We are excited to add two players in Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni who will help us immediately and provide us with additional front-court depth," Stefanski said in a statement.

Dale Murphy looked at the pack of writers who surrounded him. The writers looked back at Dale Murphy. "What's the latest?" Murphy asked. "I heard there was something new on the Mets deal. " "Nothing new," he was told. "That's not what one of the players told me," he said. He has been going on this way for months now. Once, he was simply the best player in baseball. Now, he has turned into the best trade rumor in baseball. And it has reduced his life to one giant quiz show.

Hersey Hawkins acknowledges that, even as he has scrimmaged regularly with the 76ers in recent days, he has been "a little distracted. " "Everyone is already saying goodbye to me, as if they sense that something is happening," Hawkins said last night. What's happening is wildfire speculation that the Sixers will send the five-year veteran guard to Charlotte in a deal that would come on the heels of a Charlotte-Seattle trade. The Hornets are believed to be poised to send shooting guard Kendall Gill to the SuperSonics in return for shooting forward Eddie Johnson, guard Dana Barros and the 1994 first-round draft choice that once belonged to the Sixers.

Our long national nightmare is over. Oops, sorry, that was Vietnam, wasn't it? Easy to see how one might confuse that adventure with the Alexandre Daigle trade saga, which only seems to have dragged on pointlessly for nearly 20 years. As was predicted in yesterday's Daily News, Daigle apparently will play tonight, when the Flyers host the Tampa Bay Lightning. And, to Bob Clarke's delight, he'll be playing for the Lightning. The trade finally happened yesterday, Daigle to Tampa, Alexander Selivanov to Edmonton, Andrei Kovalenko to the Flyers.

The day after signing free-agent second baseman Joey Cora, Seattle Mariners general manager Woody Woodward said he is going to have to make at least one budget-induced trade. Terms were not disclosed in the deal for Cora, 29, who batted .276 and started 74 games for the Chicago White Sox last season. "Whatever trade we make has to reduce the dollars," Woodward said. Seattle made a one-year offer to first baseman Tino Martinez, who will be let go today if he doesn't accept it. Martinez, who averaged 17 home runs during the past three seasons, is eligible for salary arbitration.

If the San Diego Chargers hope to pull off the ultimate Super Bowl upset and beat the 19-point favorite San Francisco 49ers Sunday, they are going to need a big game from running back Natrone Means. Ironically, the Chargers have the 49ers to thank for having Means in the first place. The two teams collaborated on a draft day trade two years ago that allowed the Chargers to move up and grab Means with the 41st overall pick in the 1993 draft. In exchange, the 49ers received a 1994 No. 1 pick from San Diego that they ultimately packaged in a deal to get defensive tackle Bryant Young.

Star pitcher Roger Clemens, angry because he says Toronto won't spend enough money to field a contender next season, yesterday told the team he wants to be traded, and the Blue Jays said they would honor his request. The five-time Cy Young Award winner, who won the honor for the second consecutive year, wants to be dealt to a contender or closer to his home in Katy, Texas. The World Series champion New York Yankees, the Houston Astros, and the Texas Rangers are considered the top contenders to land the 36-year-old righthander.

Trade speculation surrounding hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky heated up yesterday. Reports in the New York Times and the New York Post suggested Gretzky might soon become a New York Ranger. The Rangers and the St. Louis Blues are both known to be interested in the "Great One. " And Gretzky, just like everybody else, believes a trade is likely before the March 20 deadline. He doesn't know where, and he doesn't know when. A decision either way couldn't come soon enough. "I'm just a player.

The Chicago Cubs are close to agreement on a trade that will send Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles, the Associated Press reported last night. Medical tests and approval from commissioner Bud Selig and the players' association remained unresolved, the news service said. The AP said its information came from several high-ranking baseball officials who requested anonymity. The Cubs would pay a substantial part of Sosa's $17 million salary this season. Sosa would agree to void his salary in 2006.