Fast Break
NFL
Cutler traded to Chicago
Jay Cutler got his wish Thursday: a ticket out of Denver.
In exchange, the Chicago Bears have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades.
The Broncos announced that they had agreed to trade their disgruntled Pro Bowl passer to the Bears, who’ve gone through a bevy of quarterbacks without much success since Jim McMahon was calling plays in the 1980s.
The Broncos will get quarterback Kyle Orton in return, along with two first-round draft picks and a third-rounder.
The Broncos get the Bears’ top pick in this year’s draft, which is No. 18 overall, and Chicago’s first-round draft pick in 2010 along with a third-round selection this year (No. 84 overall). Denver also gave up a fifth-rounder this year.
Cutler asked for a trade last month after his relationship with Josh McDaniels soured when the new 32-year-old coach talked to other teams about trading him.
Baseball
Fatigue keeps Ichiro on bench
Ichiro Suzuki missed his third straight day with the Seattle Mariners because of illness, and the concern is starting to grow with the regular season beginning Monday.
The Mariners’ star right fielder and leadoff hitter saw doctors Thursday afternoon, including team physician Dr. Mitch Storey. The Mariners expected to have an update on Ichiro today.
“He said he’s tired. He’s got some fatigue,” manager Don Wakamatsu said before Thursday’s 18-3 Mariners victory over the San Diego Padres. “We’re going to make sure that nothing’s wrong and have him checked out by the doctor.”
Ichiro played four games with the Mariners after returning from the World Baseball Classic, which Japan won on March 23. He went 5 for 12 in those exhibitions but came out of Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers after two innings and two at-bats because he was feeling light-headed.
Wakamatsu said he expected Ichiro to make the trip to Las Vegas, where the Mariners will play their final two exhibitions tonight and Saturday.
Men’s basketball
Zags put Spokane on basketball list
Spokane was chosen as one of five “basketball towns filled with great fans, rich traditions and history that make these places worth a visit.”
Gonzaga basketball grabbed the attention of CNN and a group of “experts” at the NCAA to make the list of top college basketball towns. The other schools on the list are Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Indiana and Marquette.
“The Gonzaga Bulldogs men’s basketball team is an obscure team that seems to emerge from thin air each March,” wrote Stephanie Chen of CNN in the story headlined “Great college basketball towns to visit.”