TOP OF THE LINEUP : BASEBALL.

EDMONDS OUT: Angels center fielder Jim Edmonds, 28, will undergo surgery Thursday to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder and will be sidelined for about four months, the team said.

He was supposed to travel with the Angels to Toronto for their three-game series against the Blue Jays but decided to have the surgery after being unable to take batting practice. Page 6.

DREAM COMES TRUE: Sparky Anderson easily was the most popular, most recognizable and most productive manager in the history of the Cincinnati Reds. And now the Thousand Oaks resident has been elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame by the Cincinnati chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

STRANGER TO DL: Cal Ripken, baseball's Iron Man, was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his 19-year career because of a bad back. The Baltimore Orioles third baseman missed his fourth game this season Sunday because of nerve irritation in his lower back. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Sunday.

NHL

STAMPED WITH GREATNESS: Wayne Gretzky, whose glittering 20-year pro career ended Sunday in New York, was nominated Monday for membership in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Its selection committee plans to meet April 29 to vote on waiving for Gretzky the customary three-year waiting period for induction. And in Ottawa, the House of Commons unanimously approved a motion to create a Wayne Gretzky stamp.

NFL

POTENTIAL RAM: Mike Ogas, Cal State Northridge's third-leading receiver last year, signed a free-agent contract with the St. Louis Rams. Ogas, 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, had 83 catches for 1,116 yards and five touchdowns in his two-year CSUN career.

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Photo

PHOTO Jim Edmonds