"my mind is still fairly good, but names begin to escape me."

Hanging on the wall are photos of him in the annual Capitol 10K foot race, which he started running in his 70s. He still walks it.

Russell Smith said he thought his grandfather was joking when he first mentioned it on a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate his 95th birthday. So it was quite a surprise when Smith announced Jan. 4 at a Rose Bowl party that he had plunked down the $3,125 filing fee two days earlier.

Smith's home serves as campaign headquarters. He doesn't have a Web site, but he has printed bumper stickers, pins and yard signs and wears a "Sid Smith for Congress" T-shirt.The Sydney Roosters are not concerned about a drainage of playing talent despite stars Ryan Cross and Adrian Morley this week announcing they will leave the NRL club at the end of the season.

Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan said on Thursday the club's playing roster was strong and retaining youngsters was a priority over entering the player market hard after June 30.

Canavan's comments came as club captain Craig Fitzgibbon denied he had spoken with new NRL franchise Gold Coast and said he hoped the Roosters would offer him a contract that could keep him at Bondi Junction beyond 2006.

"That is just a balancing act, you've got to have seniority, you've got to have leadership and experience but you've also got to have space for young kids to gain