The fourth-richest man in Russia counts among his many baubles a little English Premier League soccer team by the name of Chelsea.

But that is far from being the most interesting of Roman Abramovich's many and varied assets.

According to documents released in Moscow, the billionaire includes among his blessings 10 homes in Russia, England, France, the Caribbean and the U.S. Presumably, his ski chalets in Colorado are not worth as much as his $322-million French chateau, but who knows?

Abramovich is said to be worth $11 billion, although he had much more than that to his name before the economic downtturn. Details of his finances were released because the 44-year-old is running for a seat in the Russian parliament from the far Eastern province of Chukotka, where he once served as governor.

We have not mentioned his cars, his yachts or his 22 Russian bank accounts, but the point is made. The $80 million he paid to Liverpool this month to bring Spanish striker Fernando Torres to Chelsea wasn't very much at all.

Unless, of course, you live in Chukotka, where England's Guardian newspaper, which detailed Abramovich's wealth Wednesday, figures the average income to be about $17,720 a year.

To have or have not. Oil truly can make all the difference. Not that Torres has made any yet.

--Grahame L. Jones

The Kings have become road warriors, turning a potentially deflating 10-game stretch of games away from Staples Center into a joy ride that continued Wednesday with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Jarret Stoll scored the only goal in the tiebreaking procedure with a hard wrist shot.

Drew Doughty had given the Kings a 3-2 lead at 6:08 of the third period, set up nicely by Anze Kopitar and Michal Handzus. But the Blue Jackets, playing before a small but noisy crowd of 12,442 at Nationwide Arena, tied it with 1:23 to play and goaltender Mathieu Garon just reaching the bench to be replaced by an extra skater. Kris Russell was unchecked when he swept the rebound of a shot by Jakub Voracek past a helpless Jonathan Quick.

The Kings extended their point streak on this odyssey to 5-0-2 and extended their overall surge to 8-0-2. The club record for points in consecutive games is 11, set in 1974.

Quick stopped 21 shots, including a high-chest save on Anton Stralman early in the third period, to extend his personal success streak to 7-0-1. It was the 16th straight game in which the Kings held an opponent to three goals or fewer.

But it didn’t come easily.

Someday the Kings will completely end their absurd habit of allowing a goal within five minutes of scoring one. Wednesday wasn’t that day, as they took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 only to allow Columbus to pull even within three minutes each time.

After back-to-back 1-1 ties with the Portland Timbers and the San Jose Earthquakes in preseason play, the Galaxy was beaten, 4-2, Wednesday by the defending Major League Soccer champion Colorado Rapids in an exhibition played at Arizona State.

Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena sought to find some positives from the game, which saw Landon Donovan score on a penalty kick and forward Adam Cristman score off a pass from fellow newcomer Frankie Hejduk.

"I think a number of players actually did well today," Arena said. "We made a few mistakes, I think, on marking in front of the goal, but I think in the preseason it's still a little bit difficult not only for the players but for the referees, [who] struggled on a couple of plays today. But that's all part of it. Overall, it wasn't a bad effort by our group."

Colorado got two goals in a six-minute spell in the first half by U.S. international Conor Casey and, after the Galaxy had tied the game, two more in a six-minute stretch in the second half as Caleb Folan and Stephen Emory found the back of the net.

The Galaxy closes out its training camp in Arizona with exhibition games against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday and Tuesday before returning to Los Angeles and continuing preparation in Carson for its MLS season-opener at Seattle on March 15.

"Overall, it was a good evaluation of players and we continue to move forward," Arena said. "Hopefully it continues to get sharper over the next couple of weeks as we try to get a little bit more serious in preparing our team for the first game."

--Grahame L. Jones

The day's biggest baseball story originated in Jupiter, Fla., where the St. Louis Cardinals announced they had been unable to reach agreement on a contract extension with Albert Pujols. Since Pujols had told the Cardinals he would cease negotiations once he reported to spring training, he is likely to file for free agency this fall.

That would not preclude him from re-signing with the Cardinals. The free agency dynamic could be interesting, however, since the game's biggest spenders appear set at first base for years to come -- the New York Yankees with Mark Teixeira, the Boston Red Sox with Adrian Gonzalez and the Philadelphia Phillies with Ryan Howard.

Could Pujols sign with the Dodgers? Even before Frank McCourt entered divorce court, he never had signed any player to a $100-million contract. Dan Lozano, the agent for Pujols, issued a statement Wednesday in which he called Pujols "not only the best player in baseball ... but an iconic figure in sports."

That translates into Pujols wanting to be the best-paid player in baseball, and one chart shows that even $100 million would not get the Dodgers anywhere close to signing him. Alex Rodriguez, currently the game's highest-paid player, is making $275 million over 10 years.

Would the Angels enter the fray for Pujols? That's doubtful, given the recent comments of owner Arte Moreno.

Moreno, like McCourt, never has signed a player to a $100-million contract. The Angels were willing to top $100 million for Carl Crawford last winter, but they were not willing to match the winning bid -- $142 million, from the Boston Red Sox.

"It's crazy," Moreno told The Times in December. "I paid ($183 million) for the team."

Moreno also said, "Seven years on a player is a huge risk financially." He reiterated that sentiment last month: "For me, six- and seven-year contracts are tough."

Greetings from Minneapolis on a rare warm February day.

The Clippers offered something of a surprise Wednesday, in what will be their last game before the All-Star break:

Injured center Chris Kaman, who has been out since Dec. 5 because of an injured left ankle, was scheduled to play against the Timberwolves. Kaman has been dealing with the lingering effects of a sprained ankle and bone bruise.

"I think he's going to play some -- 10 to 15 minutes," Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said before the Clippers-Timberwolves game at Target Center. "...His minutes will be limited tonight. We'll see how he does and then we'll have a few days off with the break."

Said Kaman: "I feel pretty good after doing some stuff with Craig (Smith). I did a lot of stuff yesterday. Just trying to get the feel back for the game a little bit. I haven't really had a practice yet so it might be difficult."

Kaman's game offers a different look for the Clippers, and there will be an adjustment period. Not only for him but for his teammates.

"When Chris is in, you can't really double off him a lot because he's such a threat, catching the ball and scoring," Blake Griffin said. "Shooting a 15-foot jumper, he's deadly. So you've got to know where he's at all times, so it will take pressure off me."

-Lisa Dillman, reporting from Minneapolis

A week after USC hosted a "summit" regarding issues related to agents, the school's office of athletic compliance sent an e-mail to all students and university staff outlining its policies.

USC is still awaiting word from the NCAA regarding its appeal of some of the sanctions that resulted, in part, from former tailback Reggie Bush's alleged dealings with agents and would-be agents while he was playing for the Trojans.

Agents Tom Condon, Jimmy Sexton and Rick Smith participated in a one-day conference at USC's Galen Center on Feb. 8. Representatives from the NCAA, the Pacific 10 and Southeastern conferences as well as the NFL and NFL Players Assn. attended the event.

--Gary Klein

The World Boxing Council on Wednesday sanctioned the March 5 bout at Anaheim's Honda Center between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Matthew Hatton as a championship fight for the organization's 154-pound title.

The popular Alvarez (35-0-1, 26 knockouts) is poised to inherit the belt left vacated by Manny Pacquiao, who claimed his record eighth weight-class belt in November with a unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium.

Pacquiao's manager, Michael Koncz, explained last week that the Filipino superstar didn't feel comfortable at 154 and got "too beat up" by Margarito, opting to return to welterweight (147 pounds) for his May 7 bout against Shane Mosley in Las Vegas.

England's Hatton (41-4-2, 16 KOs) is the brother of former junior-welterweight world champion Ricky Hatton.

The March 5 main event will be televised by HBO.

-- Lance Pugmire

There are several ways to look at right wing Dustin Brown’s scoring slump, which had reached one for 15 and two for 21 before the Kings faced the Columbus Blue Jackets Wednesday at Nationwide Arena.

First, it’s remarkable that the Kings, who were riding a 7-0-2 surge, have been successful without recent contributions from their captain, who scored 24 goals each of the last two seasons and 33 goals in 2007-08. He has 18 goals and 39 points in 56 games, on pace to finish near the 24 goals and 56 points he recorded last season.

If they’re able to win without contributions from him, imagine what they might do if he rediscovers his scoring touch — and the Kings will need him to revive in order to continue piling up points and crack the top eight in the West.

Then there’s his attitude: Personal statistics don’t matter to him as long as the team is winning. To Brown it’s more important that Anze Kopitar is productive than for him to be filling the net himself.

“Every season there’s ups and downs. The month of December, I was on fire,” said Brown, who had seven goals and 19 points in 14 games in that month. “I think it’s different when Kopi’s in a goal-scoring slump. He’s relied upon heavily for offense. Not to say that I’m not, but I can find other ways to have impact on games, whether it’s being physical or just creating traffic.

"When you’re going through a slide or a tough slump, you try to get back to basics and do the things you do really well."

He played alongside Kopitar most of the season either on his natural right side or on the left, but Brown was recently switched to a new line alongside rookies Kyle Clifford and Andrei Loktionov.

"That’s a different role and an opportunity for me to help those young guys, especially at a key part of the season," said Brown, the old man of the line at 26. "They may not realize how big these games are just yet. We’re starting to get chances as a line after a couple games. For me personally I’ve just got to keep on trying to do all the little things right."

Coach Terry Murray acknowledged that moving Brown from one line to another "is never an easy task, either, for a player," but said he’s hopeful Brown will awaken soon.

"It’ll come for Brownie," Murray said. "I think his intensity and his emotional connection to every game is going to allow him to create some opportunities whether individually or through the line attacking together. So it is a frustrating time right now for him."

But not as bad as it would be if the team were less successful.

"We’re winning, so at the end of the day I could go pointless the rest of the year if we’re winning like this," Brown said. "It’s frustrating personally, but as a team when we’re winning I can put all that other stuff aside."

Check back later for details from the Kings' game against the Blue Jackets.

-- Helene Elliott, in Columbus, Ohio

Photo: Dustin Brown. Credit: Chuck Myers / MCT.

Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller experienced a recurrence of the lightheadedness that plagued him after he returned from the All-Star Game, a club spokesman said Wednesday, and as a result was placed on injured reserve.

Hiller will miss at least three games and his status is day-to-day beyond that. Timo Pielmeier, who backed up Curtis McElhinney during Hiller’s previous stint on injured reserve, was summoned to be the backup again.

Since returning from the All-Star festivities, Hiller has played only part of one game, on Feb. 2, and one full game, a 12-save shutout at Edmonton on Sunday. He was hit in the mask twice during the All-Star Game but has been through a number of tests that offered no clues that explained his problems.

He felt lightheaded again Tuesday during practice and later told trainers, who urged caution and ordered more tests. A team spokesman said the additional tests have been clear too.

The return of his symptoms is a bad omen for the Ducks, who were fourth in the West before facing the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night at the Honda Center. McElhinney has filled in well but Hiller has been having an outstanding season, ranking sixth in the NHL in wins (26), fourth in save percentage (.925), and fifth in shutouts (five).

Ray Emery, signed last week as a depth move in goal and assigned to Syracuse of the American Hockey League, was not a candidate to be recalled because he hasn't played any games yet. Emery underwent major hip surgery last spring.

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Jonas Hiller. Credit: John Ulan /Associated Press.

Lance Armstrong announcing his allegedly definitive retirement has the feeling of a "Dog Bites Man" story.

After all, Armstrong already said before finishing 65th in last month's Tour Down Under in Australia he would no longer race internationally. So it was hardly a surprise when he told the Associated Press early Tuesday that he would no longer race, period.

I guess I have to take Armstrong at his word about the retirement, no matter how hard it is for me to take his word about anything, especially his relentless denials of having used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

My long-held general skepticism about Armstrong was increased six years ago, when I was in France covering the final days of what was to have been his retirement after winning a seventh Tour de France.  He would come back and ride the Tour twice more, finishing third in 2009 and 23rd last year.

Armstrong is, of course, hardly the only athlete to change his mind about quitting: Exhibit A, Michael Jordan, another person with a Nike-magnified gloss whose competitive drive was boundless.

And, yes, I used the word "exhibit," on purpose, since that could be a key term in the next phase of Armstrong's cycling-related life, if a federal grand jury indicts him in a case that would center on whether he doped.

For now though, the issue is whether it is any easier to sum up Armstrong at 39 than it was when he was 33.

It is tempting simply to cut and paste the 1,750 words I wrote for the final Sunday of what Armstrong said was his final Tour de France in 2005, a Chicago Tribune story headlined, "Lance Armstrong; last step into history.''

Then as now, Armstrong was both the most inspirational while controversial superstar athlete the United States ever produced.

Beginning in 1999, he made the U.S. public think spinning your wheels fast and for days on end was worth paying attention to.

BASEBALL LEGEND: Vladimir Nabokov worked an actual baseball headline into his acclaimed novel Pale Fire.

STATUS: I'm Going With False.

Vladimir Nabokov was one of the most acclaimed writers of the 20th Century, both as a novelist (with his most famous work being 1955's Lolita and as a non-fiction writer (his memoir, Speak, Memory, was one of the most acclaimed autobiographies of the century). While Lolita is both his best known and most celebrated work, his 1962 novel, Pale Fire, is nearly as revered. Pale Fire is a uniquely designed novel. It is framed as a long poem by a fictional poet, John Shade, along with a commentary on the poem by the editor of the book, Charles Kinbote. As Kinbote examines the poem, he shares insights into Shade and, ultimately, Kinbote himself. A much-discussed part of the novel is in lines 97-98 of Shade's poem (emphasis added)

I was brought up by dear bizarre Aunt Maud,

A poet and a painter with taste

For realistic objects interlaced

With grotesque growths and images of doom.

She lived to hear the next babe cry. Her room

We've kept intact. Its trivia create

A still life in her style: the paperweight

Of convex glass enclosing a lagoon,

The verse book open at the Index (Moon,

Moonrise, Moor, Moral), the forlorn guitar,

The human skull; and from the local Star

A curio: Red Sox Beat Yanks 5-4

On Chapman's Homer, thumbtacked to the door

Later, Kinbote explains the line thusly:

Line 98: On Chapman's Homer A reference to the title of Keats' famous sonnet (often quoted in America) which, owing to a printer's absent-mindness, has been drolly transposed, from some other article, into the account of a sports event.

Obviously, it is a reference to John Keats' famous poem, "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer." But is it also a real headline?

Read on to find out!

Manager Mike Scioscia said Wednesday he is leaning heavily toward opening the season with a 12-man pitching staff, which is good news for a number of relievers competing for bullpen spots.

The rotation appears set, with Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, Joel Pineiro and Scott Kazmir; and four relievers are locks: Fernando Rodney, Scott Downs, Kevin Jepsen and Hisanori Takahashi.

Young right-handers Jordan Walden and Michael Kohn, who were both impressive in abbreviated big-league stints last season, are leading candidates for two spots, with Jason Bulger, Francisco Rodriguez, Rich Thompson, Matt Palmer and Trevor Bell competing for spots.

Palmer and Bell are also starting pitchers, and the Angels will probably want to stretch them out at triple-A Salt Lake in case one of their starters is injured in April.

"It looks like we'll go with 12 pitchers to start the season, but we could go to 11 at some point," Scioscia said. "Our depth is going to be real."

Pitching coach Mike Butcher, who underwent surgery to have his thyroid removed last week after a cancerous growth was found on his neck, was in uniform for the first time Wednesday, watching bullpen sessions for about an hour.

Butcher looked good but will be limited for several more days. The Angels have been taping their pitchers' bullpen workouts, and Butcher has been watching them on the Internet.

"He's feeling a little stronger," Scioscia said, "but he's not ready for the full rigors of the day."

-- Mike DiGiovanna in Tempe, Ariz.

Photo: Angels manager Mike Scioscia meets with players and coaches after the team's first spring training workout on Feb. 14. Credit: Mark Duncan / Associated Press.