December 2007 Archives

By Fred Lief
Associated Press

They came off the lake and out of the night. Swarms of flying critters descended with a fury on the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees like a day of reckoning.

The midges — or Chironomus plumosus (Linnaeus) for those keeping score at home — all but exterminated the Yankees' hopes of reaching the World Series.

The bugs feasted on the ample jowls of Yankee reliever Joba Chamberlain as if they had lucked into a seven-course banquet of human flesh. Derek Jeter flailed his arms at shortstop, swatting away at the pests. Catcher Jorge Posada visited the mound with insect repellant. After the playoff game, a 2-1 win in 11 innings by Cleveland, entomologists weighed in with commentary.

Yes, strange things were in the air in 2007, unpredictable gusts and shifting currents blowing across sports.

Maybe this whirlwind by Lake Erie, like some Biblical plague of locusts, was foreshadowed a month earlier in Cincinnati.

Gabe Gross of the Milwaukee Brewers inexplicably broke for third base on a steal. Brewers manager Ned Yost, it turned out, had a mosquito bite and started scratching. Third-base coach Nick Leyva misread the gesticulations for the steal sign.

"I looked up," Yost said, "and saw Gabe coming and thought, 'What the heck is going on.'"

A lot of people wondered that very thing when they heard about Ryan Boatwright. He's a basketball star from Aurora, Ill., and USC coach Tim Floyd offered him a scholarship. Nothing unusual there. But Boatwright had yet to decide where he's going to high school. He's 14.

"Hmmm," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "I'm not good enough to evaluate that far ahead. Someday I might."

Youth — and we're talking really young — was also served on the Nebraska-Kearney women's basketball team. Coach Carol Russell was a few minutes late for a game, but please forgive her: She gave birth five hours earlier.

"I usually stand up for the whole game," she said after the 108-75 loss to North Dakota. "But I didn't have the energy."

She was not the only pregnant woman with grit. Colleen Pavelka induced early labor because her husband, a rabid Chicago Bears fan, had tickets to the NFC title game. Dad did his part, though. He was there for delivery in his "Monsters of the Midway" shirt.

Bears fans clearly are a hearty breed. Scott Wiese, an office-supply store worker, made a bar bet in Decatur, Ill. If his team lost the Super Bowl, he'd change his name to whoever led Indianapolis to victory. Well, the Colts won and Wiese began legal proceedings to become Peyton Manning. He should be thankful the Bears didn't play the Chargers, and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna was the MVP.

"I think I represent all Bears fans," he said. "Not that I'm saying they're all idiots like me."

No idiot, Matt White. He's a journeyman pitcher trying to make it in the Dodger organization. A few years ago, he bought 50 acres of land in Massachusetts from his aunt for $50,000. While poking around the property he found stone ledges in the ground. Now he's sitting not on a gold mine but a quarry that could yield more than $2 billion worth of rocks.

"I'm just a small-town guy trying to get to the big leagues," the left-hander said. "It's beyond comprehension."

Food and drink were assuredly on the menu in sports this year.

The English soccer power Chelsea warned that fans could be barred from games if they persist in throwing celery on the field. The fans have been singing obscene songs about celery for years, but club officials had enough once the veggies went airborne.

For Jonathan Papelbon's bulldog, the cuisine of choice was rawhide. The Red Sox closer had the ball from the last out of the World Series in his Mississippi home. Then Boss got hold of it.

"He tore that thing to pieces," Papelbon told the Hattiesburg American. "Nobody knows that. I'll keep what's left of it."

As for the drink, a Nebraska veterinarian was accused of injecting horses with vodka before races at Fonner Park. The charges were dropped and left unclear was whether the horses preferred the vodka with tonic and lime.

Elsewhere in the judicial system, Mike Tyson served a one-day sentence in Arizona for DUI. The former heavyweight champion ate sloppy joes and read the book "American Gangster" during his stay. Like other inmates in the open-air jail, he was obligated to wear pink underwear beneath his black-and-white stripes.

And maybe in 2007 there was a lesson to be learned about perseverance in the face of grinding, utter defeat.

At the Asian Winter Games, Kazakhstan beat Thailand in ice hockey 52-1. Until the Thais scored in the third period their highlight came when defenseman Terani Harnarujchai checked a linesman into the boards. Thailand coach Michael Rolanti, a former American college player, assessed the wreckage and took heart.

"I think it was a good game for us," he said, "because we did not give up."

By Fred Lief
Associated Press

This was one crazy year. Where to begin?
Whatever the game just no way to win.

Each turn in the road brought trouble again
Like some wreck on the course at Watkins Glen.

Sports found itself at one sorry junction:
Look left, there's doping; look right, dysfunction.

Then look straight ahead and what is in sight?
Some drunken linemen in a strip club fight.

Baseball? That's steroids, and what have you got?
George Mitchell batting in the cleanup spot.

His report said baseball failed to get it.
He then named names like Clemens and Pettitte.

As we started in today's Daily News "Writing On (and off) The Wall" column -- revisiting stories about knuckleball pitcher Jon Secrist, beach volleyball player Jeff Nygaard and the women of the L.A. Amazons pro football team -- there is more unfinished business before we head into the '08 season.

The story: In August, we found former Lakers and Loyola Marymount basketball coach Paul Westhead on the verge of making some history with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, who were about to head into the playoffs having mastered his fast-paced "Paul Ball" style of creating turnovers into instant offense.

“These women have rejuvenated me, really reminded me about how fun basketball can be when the players work hard,” he said as the team entered the playoffs.

The followup: The Mercury, which set a league record by averaging 89 points a game in the regular season and more than 95 in the post season, ran off with the WNBA title in early September, knocking off the Detroit Shock in the five-game series. It made Westhead the only coach to have won both an NBA and WNBA title.
It was enough of an achievement that Wheaties put the Mercury team on its box of cereal, which is still available in most supermarkets.
("What kid doesn't dream of being on the Wheaties box?" Mercury star Dianna Taurasi wrote on her blog. "I admit, the picture isn't the most exciting I've ever seen, but hey. its Wheaties! The only upgrade I can think of is maybe Fruity Pebbles).
Later that month, Westhead decided he wanted to go back to the NBA as an assistant to longtime friend P.J. Carlesimo with the Seattle SuperSonics.
"P.J. and I have worked together and known each other for many years, and I'm thankful for the opportunity," said the 68-year-old Westhead, who took the Lakers to the 1980 NBA title and also was the head coach in Chicago and Denver.
"We are unendingly grateful for the commitment and leadership Paul provided from the day he joined the Mercury organization and the role he played in bringing our franchise and city their first professional basketball championship," Mercury general manager Ann Meyers said. "We wish him the best in his new venture."
The Mercury ended up hiring Corey Gaines, the former LMU standout guard under Westhead and his assistant the last two years, as its new head coach.
Earlier this month, there were rumors that Westhead could get back coaching or as a GM in the WNBA when Seattle Storm coach Anne Donovan said she was stepping down.
"It's a clear conflict of interest," Westhead told the Seattle Times. "I would only have an interest if I didn't have this job. But I have a job that I'm very happy with."
Westhead, who has a three-year contract with the Sonics, said it's impossible for him to coach the Sonics and Storm simultaneously.
"This is a full-time job," he said. "No possibility. Can't happen."
Westhead didn't rule out a return to the WNBA.
"Well, I never say never to anything. I coached in college and went back to the NBA. And when I was in the NBA, went back to college."

The story: In January, we found former NFL running back Christian Okoye (pictured) about to help launch the California Sports Hall of Fame with 19 members in the augural class, including Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Eric Dickerson, Chick Hearn, Bob Mathias, Jackie Robinson, John Wooden and Bill Walsh. “Let's call it a start and see where we go,” he said when asked why these 19 but many others weren’t inducted in the first class. The criteria put forth by the group for entry: The person has had to made an impact in sports in California while playing, coaching, writing or announcing sports for any school, team or sports media company in California. Okoye's non-profit organization benefits from the attention and fund raising done by the Hall, help through promoting youth sports and helping struggling athletes.

The followup: This April 6-7, the second class will be inducted during a ceremony in Industry Hills that includes a charity golf event.
The inductees: Pete Sampras, Cheryl Miller, Vin Scully, Dave Winfield, Greg Lemond, Willie Mays, Dan Fouts, Don Quarrie, the De La Salle High School football program, the Los Angeles Lakers franchise and UCLA's basketball program in the John Wooden era.

The story: In August, we found the National Golf League ready to launch its 2007 season, with 18 teams and more than 300 players who were members of the Nationwide Tour, Canadian Tour, PGA Q-School and other mini-tours and collegiates. The Los Angeles Stars, who call Chevy Chase Country Club in Glendale their home course, just got on board. What separated the NGL from any other of its kind -- it encouraged having fun on the course, like a Ryder Cup atmosphere where fans were allowed to cheer, players could help each other out with strategy, and men and women competed together.

The followup: Two top teams from the three divisions went to the finals -- the Sonoma Marin Breakers and the East Bay Power (Northern California), the OC Wedge and the Inland Empire Styx (Southern California) and Phoenix Fireballs and the Scottsdale Screech (Arizona Division). Phoenix won the $36,000 purse in a two-day, 45-hole event that led to a playoff against Sonoma.
During the season, former UCLA standout Charlotte Mayorkas, (pictured) a top rookie on the LPGA Tour, came out to play during a match with the Styx at Cross Creek in Temecula.
“It is just a matter of time that a major sponsor, television network or producer will want to partner with us and show the televised audience how exciting and appealing this new kind of golf can be," said NGL founder Bob Aube, hoping to expand into Texas by 2008 and into Florida in the coming years, as well as tweek some rules.

The story: In June, we dug into the Beach Tennis USA Tour racket going on near the Santa Monica pier -- a cross between badminton, volleyball and tennis that stopped people riding their strand cruisers to watch this unusual hybrid. It's been marketed as the "X Games of Tennis." "Everyone who transitions to this enjoys it," said Mike Owens of Tarzana, a 49-year-old tennis instructor at Braemar Country Club.

The followup: Nadia Johnston and Arpi Kojian, who won in Santa Monica and Long Beach, ended up as the national champions and were named outstanding women's team of the year. Ken Kuperstein and Mike Fedderly, who have plenty of ATP Tour experience, won in Santa Monica, won the SoCal Point Series (Santa Monica, Long Beach and Santa Barbara) and were named outstanding men's rookie team.
The 2008 schedule has yet to be released, but it's expected to start again in April and run through the finals in September.

Following up on today's Daily News media column on more about the passing of Stu Nahan (pictured above, as "Skipper Stu" when he did a kids TV show in Sacramento in the late '40s) with more odds and ends that should be stirred, not shaken, in your New Year's Eve cocktail:

==A New York Times business section story this week on the growing value of sportswriters these days -- those especially going from the print mode to the Internet -- makes for interesting scenarios, especially at ESPN.com and Yahoo.com. For example, Rick Reilly's new contract with ESPN -- $3 million a year, to leave Sports Illustrated -- caused player agent Leigh Steinberg to say: “It’s the exact same model as what happened to athletes. We’re seeing free agency for sports journalists."

==A residual effect to the NFL giving CBS and NBC access to its NFL Network coverage of Saturday's Patriots-Giants game is that the local channels in Boston, New Hampshire and New York that had already planned for and sold ads to carry the game locally are now told to scram. The NFL says it'll work it all out so they'll be financially compenstated as well for their troubles.
Media guys around the country are trying to come up with winners and losers in this new scenario. The New York Times points out that the cirmstances that came out of this mess isn't a justification of the NFL Network's importance in the grand scheme. One ESPN writer says the NFL simply punted after its miscalculations.
More handwringing to follow...

Stu Nahan, a former minor-league hockey goalie and children's show host who became one of most-recognized sportscasters and a pop culture figure in Los Angeles, died Wednesday morning in his Studio City home.

He was 81 and had been battling lymphoma.

Nahan, who last worked as a Dodgers radio reporter and commentator at KFWB-AM (980) in 2004, had long stints on TV at KABC-Channel 7 (1968-'77), KNBC-Channel 4 ('77-'87) and KTLA-Channel 5 ('88-'99).

Bob Miller, who had known Nahan since starting as the Kings' play-by-play voice in 1973, said he last saw Nahan at a Kings game about a month ago. Nahan's wife, Sandy, contacted him on Christmas Eve to say her husband was not in good health. Miller left him a message on Christmas Day and had hoped to visit him soon.

"I don't know if I've known any other announcer who knew so many other people in all different sports," said Miller prior to Wednesday's Kings' telecast. "He was a great friend of the Kings, and of hockey. He always loved it when he could kid you about something on the air, and he was always great when you could kid him back."

Nahan parlayed his sportscasting fame into several TV and movie roles, starting with "Brian's Song" and continuing in the "Rocky" films, as well as playing himself in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

That 1982 movie had Nahan in a cameo interviewing surfer Jeff Spicolo (Sean Penn) in a dream sequence, with Spicoli asking him where he got his jacket. Nahan said every time he saw Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, the San Diego Padres star would repeat the line: "Hey dude, nice jacket."

Actually, the line didn't quite go that way:

Nahan was known as "Skipper Stu" while doing a children's TV show in Sacramento in the 1950s, and then as "Captain Philadelphia" when he did a show in Philadelphia, where he was also the play-by-play man for the Philadelphia Flyers at WTAF-TV.

His minor-league hockey career with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization in the late '40s led to him playing for the Los Angeles Monarchs in the early '50s. Bob Kelley, the long-time voice of the Los Angeles Rams, helped Nahan get work in the sportscasting business.

On May 25, Nahan was given the 2,339th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One of Nahan's last appearances on TV came shortly thereafter when KTLA had him appear on its Sunday night sportscast:

Nahan is survived by his wife, children Kathy, Mark and Kevin from a previous marriage; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Services are pending.

The New England Patriots' pursuit of a perfect record within the imperfect guidelines established by the NFL Network has somehow been rectified.
CBS and NBC were granted permission by the league Wednesday to simulcast the NFL Network's otherwise exclusive telecast of the Patriots-N.Y. Giants game from the Meadowlands on Saturday night, allowing those who've feared they'd be shutout in watching New England's quest for a 16-0 record now view it on their over-the-air network of choice. Even on their cable systems.
Why Fox and ESPN weren't included in this deal was unexplained. With New England as the road team, AFC rights holder CBS would have normal first dibs on it. NBC comes into play somehow because it has the national prime-time package.
In a statement, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the league has "taken this extraordinary step because it is in the best interest of our fans. What we have seen for the past year is a very strong consumer demand for NFL Network. We appreciate CBS and NBC delivering the NFL Network telecast on Saturday night to the broad audience that deserves to see this potentially historic game. Our commitment to the NFL Network is stronger than ever.”
NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol: "We're happy to accommodate the NFL's request for a joint national simulcast of this potentially historic game to make it available to the widest possible audience."
The NFL Network has been trying to turn the screws on cable systems to carry its channel as a basic tier offering,, but the companies have been resisting passing the costs onto its subscribers. DirecTV and the Dish Network both have added the NFL Network. Comcast carries NFL Network on a special sports tier.
In recent weeks, politicians such as Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry have tried to intercede in the negotiations -- Kerry, because his constituents would have been most directly affected by having Patriots games unavailable outside the Boston area (where it is being offered free on over-the-air TV anyway).
For those who care about such historial matters, this will be the first time three networks are simulcasting an NFL game. At the first Super Bowl in 1967 from the Coliseum, CBS and NBC both had their own network employees and productions of the game.

This shouldn't be keeping me up at night, but for some reason, it has.
ESPN and ABC have been running this feature all season long, a countdown from 25 to 1 to determine the greatest players in college football history.

The list so far:

25. Ernie Nevers
24. Reggie Bush
23. Johnny Rodgers
22. George Gipp
21. Archie Griffin
20. Charley Trippi
19. Dick Butkus
18. Jim Brown
17. Bronco Nagurski
16. Tom Harmon
15. John Elway
14. Hugh Green
13. Glenn Davis
12. Earl Campbell
11. Charles Woodson
10. Vince Young
9. Roger Staubach
8. Bo Jackson
7. Tony Dorsett
6. Jim Thorpe
5. Sammy Baugh
4. Doak Walker
3. Herschel Walker
2.
1.

Those last two? They haven't named 'em yet. They're supposed to do so during ABC's coverage of the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
So who could it be?
We have no inside knowledge. But if we'd put a wager down, it'd go:
2. O.J. Simpson (pictured in artwork above)
1. Red Grange (pictured here)

So what about Doc Blanchard?
Paul Hornung?
Bobby Layne?
Barry Sanders?
Alan Page?
Jerry Rice?
Lee Roy Selmon?
Byron "Whizzer" White?
Elmer Layden?
Not Doug Freakin' Flutie?
Even Matt Leinart?
Give us your two best guesses and see who's right.

By Pat Graham
Associated Press

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam can handle pressure-packed field goals without even a hint of nerves. Composing himself to read the review of his first novel was a different story. Elam was jittery and tense.
“I put on a thick skin thinking people would rip it apart,” Elam said with a laugh.

But the 37-year-old's foray into the world of literary fiction has drawn positive reviews. Elam and Denver pastor Steve Yohn’s first novel, “Monday Night Jihad,” hit bookstores last week. The suspense thriller combines football, religion and a spy adventure in which the hero tries to thwart a terrorist plot.

So far, the reviews have been:

--“A chilling ride through a nightmare scenario,” said Joel C. Rosenberg, author of the best-selling “The Last Jihad.”

-- “Rich details about life as an NFL player invigorate the story,” Publishers Weekly wrote.

-- “I found ‘Monday Night Jihad’ to be not only interesting, but very thought-provoking,” Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said.

The book was put out by Tyndale House Publishers, which has issued religious or inspirational titles like “Quiet Strength” by Dungy (a reflective memoir) and “Don’t Bet against Me!” by Deanna Favre (her tale of battling breast cancer).

The main character in Elam’s novel is Riley Covington, a bruising linebacker and Air Force lieutenant loosely based on former Broncos reserve Steve Russ, now an assistant coach at Syracuse University. Covington is an Air Force Academy graduate — just like Russ — who plays for the fictional Colorado Mustangs, a team in the Pro Football League.

Following a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Covington, a third-round pick of the Mustangs, is living out his dream of playing professional football when he gets dragged back into his former life as a member of a special operations squad. Covington is sent back overseas to help stop escalating terrorist attacks.

As the book advertises on its jacket cover, “time is running out, and it soon becomes apparent that the terrorists are on the verge of achieving their goal — to strike at the very heart of America.”

“Writing this book has been so much fun,” said Elam, who’s already working on a sequel. “We’ve had a blast.”

As expected, NBC has tossed aside its regularly-scheduled coverage of the Chiefs at N.Y. Jets and today decided to trade out Tennessee at Indianapolis for the game at 5:15 on Dec. 30, since the 9-6 Titans can claim the AFC wildcard spot with a win.

If the Titans lose, Cleveland can sneak in with a win over San Francisco earlier in the day.

And you know the Colts are just coasting at this point.

NBC is taking advantage here of the flexible scheduling for Weeks 11-to-17. NBC points out that as indication of the success of the first year of the flex sked, three of the final four games on NBC did a rating more than 20 percent higher than the comparable games in 2005.

Fox Sports anchor/reporter Jeanne Zelasko learned this week she has a form of thyroid cancer and will have surgery after her assignments covering the Cotton and Orange bowls for the network next week.

Zelasko, the host of Fox's Major League Baseball studio show since 2001 as well as serving as a reporter on NASCAR and college football, said she found out Tuesday about a bump found during her yearly physical and was told by her doctors that it was in the very early stages. He has told several bosses at Fox about her condition.

"I'm fine, I'm in great spirits," Zelasko, who lives in Valencia, said Friday. She says she still has not explained what's going on to her 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter.

"I have had knowledge of my thyroid disorder for three years. Thyroid disorders are not uncommon. I get my blood levels checked twice a year. Ironically, I just had my blood checked and it looks great. I guess they have to look for a tumor marker in the blood. And who knew to look for that on a routine test."

Zelasko hoped that by revealing her condition it would help others take a more aggressive approach when they receive their annual checkups.

"I have chatted with so many people these past few days, telling them not to rely on just the blood work. And routinely checking your thyroid is something you can do in traffic ... unlike a breast exam that might get you a few odd looks."

Zelasko said post-operative treament will consist of radiation but could chance course if the tissue or glands removed looked bad.

Zelasko noted the irony in the fact that ESPN's Stuart Scott found out this week that he had cancerous abdominal cells after an emergency appendectomy and will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks as a precautionary measure.

Zelasko and Scott share the same agent, Jackie Harris of William Morris Agency.

"I told her we have to add her to the list of things that cause cancer," said Zelasko. "Just kidding, of course! One has to keep her sense of humor, right?"

Fox Sports spokesman Dan Bell said: "Of course, our thoughts and prayers are with her and we consider her part of our family. We expect her to be right back there in April for the start of baseball season."

Zelasko is married to Curt Sandoval, the longtime sportscaster at KABC-Channel 7.

Snap-on parts to today's Daily News media column to make the yuletide a bit more gay:

==For those who need to hear it straight-up from Stuart Scott about what he's been going through lately with that appendix thing and all the stuff afterward, here's a voice clip that ESPN provided at this link, complete with a punctuated "boo-yah" at the end.

==More backlash from the networks hooking microphones and adding locker room cameras to NBA coverage, as we tried to get into last week:
ESPN had to apologize to Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan for allowing a four letter word to get on the air, on tape, as he was addressing his team at halftime of their game against Phoenix last week. "We apologize for the inadvertent expletive during a taped halftime segment. ... It was said quietly, and we missed it," said ABC/ESPN spokesman Mark Mandel, to the Rocky Mountain news. Sloan told the Deseret News in Utah of his expletive making it on-air: "They told me there wouldn't be any mistakes. I was guaranteed that there would be nothing that would go over the air, when (the NBA) first came out and talked about (putting a camera and microphone in the locker room) -- a guarantee that there will be nothing that will be harmful to you. Now I end up the bad guy right off the bat. They misrepresented the whole situation to me."

==Among the "Media Circus" awards for 2007 by Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch:
+Person of the Year: Fox Sports' Jay Glazer
+Best announcing team: Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson, CBS college football (Lundquist, by the way, is matched with Billy Packer on Saturday's UCLA-Michigan game on the network at 11 a.m.)
+Best newcomer: Charles Davis, Fox Sports college football

Along with Deitsch's 10 more memorable media moments from the past year was something that happened just last week: WNBC TV's erroneous story just prior to the Mitchell Report that named, among others, the Dodgers' Normar Garciaparra, the Yankees' Johnny Damon, St. Louis' Albert Pujols and Boston's Jason Varitek as those who were about to be named as performance enhancing users. Guess again, stupid TV people.
WNBC's Jonathan Dienst said he posted the list because he received it from two separate credible sources. Both, apparently, non-credible. “We checked it and rechecked it. … I am very sorry for the mistake," Dienst told the New York Post. Now he sounds like Brian Roberts.
The list was taken off the WNBC website after some MLB officials saw the mistakes, but by then, CNBC.com and The Drudge Report had picked up that false story. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that KTVI, the local Fox affiliate, also reported the faux list while KMOV, the CBS' affiliate, was more cautious and didn't. Deitsch points out that WNBC eventually had some explaining to do. If you think Roger Clemens is about to lay a lawsuit on the L.A. Times, there may be more legit litigation coming from this boner as well.

==Read on, if you must ...

By MARK PRATT
Associated Press Writer

BOSTON -- The World Series ball is gone, and Jonathan Papelbon has an excuse: My dog ate it.
Farfetched or not, that’s what the Red Sox closer insists happened to the souvenir from the final out of Boston’s sweep over the Rockies in October.
Really, Papelbon blamed it on his bulldog, Boss.
“He plays with baseballs like they are his toys,” Papelbon told the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American. “He jumped up one day on the counter and snatched it. He likes rawhide. He tore that thing to pieces. Nobody knows that. I’ll keep what’s left of it.”
While the Red Sox have swept two of the past four World Series, they’ve had less luck when it comes to
preserving the ball that was caught for the final out. It took a prolonged negotiation before first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz agreed to donate the 2004 ball to the Hall of Fame.
Papelbon, who has a home in Hattiesburg, struck out Colorado pinch-hitter Seth Smith to finish off Game 4 on Oct. 28. Papelbon threw his glove high in the air while catcher Jason Varitek tucked the ball in his back pocket. After the game, Varitek said he planned to give the prize to the team. A few days later, he said he’d given it to Papelbon.
Instead, the relief pitcher said, Boss got hold of that ball.
Papelbon told a similar tale to the New England Sports Network for a story that aired Nov. 30 — but with a slightly different ending. He told NESN he threw what was left of the ball in the trash.
“It’s in the garbage in Florida somewhere,” he said.

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker has sued a celebrity gossip Web site that published stories claiming he had an affair with a French model, which would constitute cheating on his new wife, actress Eva Longoria and likely draw more attention to the otherwise slumbering Spurs' 2007-08 season.

Parker sued X17online.com on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging it posted a series of "false and defamatory" stories. His damage demands: At least $40 million.

"This is false. It never happened. And X17 had to know that the story was false, or, at the very least, it had to have entertained serious doubts about the credibility of its supposed source," the lawsuit said, according to the Associated Press.

The lawsuit also alleged that X17 never contacted Parker, Longoria or their representatives before running the stories, and refused to retract them after being told the claims were false.

Last week, the Web site posted a story that said the model Alexandra Paressant (pictured), a former girlfriend to soccer star Ronaldino, told X17 that she had a two-month affair with Parker. The story said Paressant told X17 she attended Parker's wedding last summer, where the French soccer star Thierry Henry introduced her to him.

"No one from X17 attempted to contact Mr. Henry, who ... would have told them in no uncertain terms that this woman was not at the wedding," the lawsuit said, adding that Parker has never met anyone named Alexandra Paressant.

"If this woman exists, he has no way of knowing whether she is one of the many fans who have, from time to time, managed to obtain his cell phone number and called or left messages or who may have engaged him in conversation."

We're finally watching the TiVo'd version of "Sports Unfiltered" with Dennis Miller on Versus -- the one where Pete Rose made his appearance and said all those crazy things about how he'd get to 5,000 hits if he was allowed to use steroids back in the day, which we blogged about earlier.

We didn't realize the laughs and giggles that would come from the stories of gambling -- which is what got Rose in trouble in the first place and to this day keeps him from the Hall of Fame.

Rose told Miller a story about how he had been talking to former teammate Tony Perez recently ("and I still can't understand him," he said) when he segued into a yarn about how players tried to make extra cash back in the '70s.

Rose talked about how the Reds moved from Crosley Field to Riverfront Stadium in mid-season that year, which was kind of crazy. But Rose had an idea.

"I bet Tony Perez $150 that I'd be the first player to sh-t at Riverfront," Rose said, getting a surprised laugh from the audience -- not so much about the nature of the bet, but that he was admitting to making a bet long before he was denying that he made bets.

Miller now has his head on the desk laughing.

"We had a 7:30 (p.m.) game. I got to the ballpark at 11 a.m. I beat him by 10 minutes," says Rose, holding up both hands to expose 10 fingers, in case the audience needed a visual aid. "I got the money!"
(Maybe Rose thought he was on HBO ... Versus bleeped the key element of that bet, not because of ethical standards, but for some fear of the FCC, which they don't need to do since they already said the show was rated TV-14 at the start of the program).

Later, comedian Norm MacDonald came on -- one of Miller's former "Saturday Night Live" buddies -- and suddenly brought his own gambling problem.
"It was a huge problem," he said, causing the audience to vary between a laugh and a cry.
MacDonald said his worst bet ever came in the 1999 National League championship series when Atlanta was facing the New York Mets. Normy Mac said he bet on the over -- 7 1/2 runs.
"Who was on the hill?" Miller asked.
MacDonald went silent.
"I don't usually follow that," he said.
"That might play into the result," Miller said.
At the end of 9 innings, it was 2-2. MacDonald knew he was in trouble.
In the 15th, it's now 3-3. And Robin Ventura is up for the Mets with the bases loaded.
"And I'm in deep trouble," MacDonald says. "If he hits a single, one runs scores, and I lose."
Ventura, for those who remember, hit a grand slam. So MacDonald wins, right?
Remember how that game ended? Mets catcher Todd Pratt met Ventura rounding first, began a celebration, and Bob Costas told the audience that only one run would count, so it was a 4-3 decision. Seven runs. Not 10.
"That was my birthday, I remember, October 17, 1999, my 36th birthday," MacDonald lamented.
"So that was it, time to quit, right," said Miller, hoping for a stoic ending.
"Naw, I didn't quit then," said MacDonald. "But I did go to Gamblers Anonymous once. What a bunch of losers."

It reminds me back as a kid watching that episode of "The Flintstones," where Fred had a gambling problem. And whenever someone made a bet with him, Fred's eyes would glaze over and he'd start sounding like a cackling bird, saying, "Bet, bet, bet ... betbetbetbetbetBETBETBET!" And he'd go on a gambling binge.
Kind of like back in the early Flintstone days, when he and Barney would -- seriously -- do ads for Winston cigarettes.
Oh, so funny. Teaching kids the hilarity associated with gambling and smoking with the aid of revered cartoon characters.
Yabba-dabba-don't.

On a very special "Sports Unfiltered With Dennis Miller" (Wednesday, 7 p.m., Versus, with several replays), guest Pete Rose manages to make himself look pretty good.

Especially when stacking himself up against a bunch of guys who've injected needles into their rear end to try to get an edge.

The Man Who Won't Be Hall of Fame Material Until Hell Freezes Over was in Santa Barbara taping the show with Miller, who remarked: "Your juices were always flowing, thank God they didn’t have steroids back then."
"I would have got 5,000 hits," said Rose, taking the bait.

Rose went on to make himself look stupid say:

"The Mitchell report’s come out and I never thought anybody would make me look like an altar boy."

As well as:

"If you’re gonna put these guys that supposedly did steroids into the Hall of Fame, I mean I gotta get a shot somewhere."

And then there was:

"I’ve been suspended 18 years for betting on my own team to win… I was wrong....but these guys today, if the allegations are true, they’re making a mockery of the game."

That's our Pete. Always good for a delusional quote even without popping a few greenies.

Pete's repeat performances are Wednesday at 10 p.m.. Saturday at 7 and 10 p.m., Sunday at 4 and 11 p.m. and Christmas Eve at 2 and 8 p.m.

Steve Mason said he came across what he called a "stunning statistic" last week -- one in four homeless in America is a veteran.

"We need to do a better job of taking care of our heroes when they come home from war, whether it's past wars like Vietnam or current conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan," Mason said.

As a result, Mason's 1-to-4 p.m. show on KSPN-AM (710) will go live from the VA Hospital in Westwood on Wednesday to celebrate the holiday season with the veterans who are still receiving treatment.

“I hope that we can bring some holiday spirit to the heroes at the VA hospital and do some small part in raising awareness for the cause of Veteran's Affairs," he said.

Part of the show will inform and educate the public about the issues facing veterans and to help bring some holiday cheer to the VA Hospital patients, doctors and staff.

Scheduled to join Mason are John Ondrasik from the group Five For Fighting, "CSI: New York" actress Emmanuelle Vaugier, former Rams great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deacon Jones and former NFL great Bubba Smith.

Voting starts today and runs through Jan. 10 for the annual "L.A.'s Greatest Moments" decision for 2007, sponsored by the L.A. Sports Council and culminating in a big production airing on FSN Prime Ticket on Jan. 20.
(Don't let the photo above of that English guy influence your decisions in any way ... you're big enough to make your own choices ... probably).
The LASC site is where the voting takes place, and it says the concept of a "moment" is loosely defined -- it can be a specific instant in time (a winning goal, hit or shot), an individual or team milestone, an upset victory, a remarkable game, a special event or a career achievement. All that's required is the moment take place in the "local area" or have a local athlete or team involved.
(Or it could be a day at the Home Depot Center when some bloke gets blasted with confetti).
From there, a "blue-ribbon" media panel will select and rank the overall top 10 moments of the year and also select the Sportsman, Sportswoman and Sports Executive of the Year.
Back in '95, the organization sponsored the 100 greatest moments in L.A. sports history and produced a book that's still out there for the getting (a little outdated? could be, but it's a great conversation starter). Although Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run would probably hold up well at No. 1.

Sometimes, the event named the top moment is ... a little confusing (see: 1996 through 2001). Here's a list, newest to oldest, of the top moments since '96:

2006: Kobe Bryant's 81-point game
2005: USC's 55-19 win over Oklahoma in the BCS title game (Orange Bowl)
2004: USC's 28-14 win over Michigan in the Rose Bowl that effectively gave the Trojans the No. 1 ranking by the AP
2003: USC's 38-17 win over Iowa in the Orange Bowl to gain a No. 4 overall national ranking.
2002: The Rose Bowl hosts college football's BCS national championship game for the first time as No. 1 Miami defeats No. 2 Nebraska, 37-14.
2001: Former UCLA quarterback and Rose Bowl MVP Rick Neuheisel returns to Pasadena as coach of Washington and leads Huskies to 34-24 win over Purdue in the Rose Bowl. (No. 5 that year on the list: Lakers beat Philadelphia in five games for a second consecutive NBA title)
2000: Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne leads Wisconsin past Stanford in the Rose Bowl, 17-9. (No. 5 that year on the list: Lakers rally from 15 points behind in fourth quarter to defeat Portland in Game 7 of Western Conference finals, sparking an NBA title run under first-year coach Phil Jackson)
1999: Future Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne scores four touchdowns as Wisconsin beats UCLA in the Rose Bowl, 38-31 (No. 6 that year: Staples Center opens).
1998: Michigan defeats Washington State in the Rose Bowl 21-16, to win a share of the national championship (No. 10 that year: Fox, Inc. overhauls historic Dodger franchise, from the trade of Mike Piazza to the hiring of manager Davey Johnson and signing of pitcher Kevin Brown to the richest contract in baseball history)
1997: Peter O'Malley announces Dodgers are for sale (No. 2: Tiger Woods of Cypress wins the Masters)
1996: The Galaxy signal a return of big-time soccer to Los Angeles; traffic stops as 69,000 attend opening game at Rose Bowl. (No. 3 that year: Lakers sign center Shaquille O'Neal to long-term, $120 million contract; No. 4 that year: Tommy Lasorda era comes to an end as Dodgers manager retires after 20 seasons; No. 10 that year: UCLA's 48-41 double-overtime comeback win over USC, the Bruins' unprecedented sixth straight against the Trojans.

In other words, take pride in the vote. Otherwise, something goofy may happen.
The ballot has three moments nominated in 18 categories: Angels, Avengers, Chivas, Clippers, Dodgers, Ducks, Galaxy, golf, horse racing, Kings, Lakers, motorsports, Olympic sports, Sparks, tennis, UCLA, USC and Division I schools.
Winners are announced on the FSN Prime Ticket special from the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Photo by Carlos Amoedo/Golf Digest

In the new Golf Digest cover story, "The Year of Living Dangerously," writer Jamie Diaz reveals that Tiger Woods has been working on someone who could eventually replace him.
Maybe not tomorrow.
Woods has been mentoring 20-year-old aspiring pro Corey Carroll out of Rollins College, impressed enough by his worth ethic that Tiger introduced himself to Carroll, who was in a practice bunker three years ago.
"What are you trying to do with this bunker shot?" Woods asked him.
Carroll: "When I showed him, he said, 'That's interesting. Some guys have had success that way. Here's how I do it.' And for the next two hours we hit bunker shots and talked.
"About a year ago Tiger suggested I begin working with (swing coach) Hank (Haney), and since then Tiger and I get into a lot of discussions about the mechanical aspects of the game. We practice together and work out together, talk about the methods of different players, just anything golf."
It's kind of how Woods took to Mark O'Meara as his confidant and mentor on the PGA Tour when he first broke in. O'Meara became part of "Team Tiger," a circle of people Woods admired and kept close to him as he build a career on the PGA Tour rarely seen before.
In lesson three of the book "Tiger Traits: 9 Success Secrets You Can Discover from Tiger Woods to be a Business Champion," author and motivation speaker Nate Booth talks about the importance of idenfitying people in your life who can help you achieve your goals, and keeping them there for advice and as a check and balance when things aren't going so well.
To follow up on our Daily News column today on Booth and his book in the Daily News, we have more Q-and-A from Booth about why these nine traits of Woods work together in the business world, not just one or two that will bring some short-term satisfaction:

Roger Clemens and Trenton, N.J., have a history.
He did a rehab assignment last May with the Double-A Thunder after signing a bazillion dollar, one-year deal to rejoin the Yankees. (Not a real snazzy performance: three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings).
He is not, however, affiliated with Clemens Construction, based in that city.
So, in light of recent news, savor this back page of the Friday Trentonian, and turn the other cheek:

Even classier are these new odds posted on Bodog.com:
Will Roger Clemens pitch in a MLB game in 2008?
Yes +300
No -500

Will Roger Clemens publicly admit to using steroids before the end of 2008?
Yes +250
No -400

Will A-Rod fail a drug test before the end of the 2008 season?
Yes +200
No -300

Will Andy Pettitte publicly admit to using steroids before the end of 2008?
Yes +250
No -400

Will Mark McGwire be named on more or less Hall of Fame ballots than last year?
Over 23.5
Under 23.5

Will Mark McGwire publicly admit to using steroids before the end of 2008?
Yes +150
No -200

Will Bud Selig resign or be relieved of his duties before the end of 2008?
Yes +150
No -200

Will Donald Fehr resign or be relieved of his duties before the end of 2008?
Yes +110
No -150

By Fred Goodall
Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. -- Pat Toomay chuckled over and over.

It’s been more than 30 years since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, clad in ghastly creamsicle uniforms and helmets bearing a winking pirate logo, stumbled and bumbled their way to an 0-14 season that set the modern standard for futility in the NFL.

The Miami Dolphins have a chance to be worse, although many of those old 1976 Bucs don’t want company in an exclusive spot as the only team since World War II to lose every game in a season.

“My guess is they’ll beat somebody. I wouldn’t really wish the experience on anybody,” said Toomay, a defensive end on the expansion team that was shut out five times and outscored 412-125 in Tampa Bay’s inaugural season.

“There is a kind of reverse immortality that comes with playing on a team like that. The (1962) Mets with Marvelous Marv Throneberry are immortal in baseball in that way. I suppose we are too in a certain way.”

(Hans Gutneckt/Daily News Staff Photographer)

More open mike media notes after today's column in the Daily News about how Phil Jackson's worst nightmare has begun to unfold as TNT, ESPN and ABC televises four of the next eight Lakers games, beginning with Thursday's game against San Antonio:

==Highlights from Jackson's "Inside Trax" segment performances Thursday included, with about 8 minutes to play in the second quarter, a montage of him in the huddle telling his players: "We're not having any penetration, we're settling for jump shots." And then coaching from the bench: "Get penetration, get penetration. ... There you are."
Jackson got some real face time with sideline reporter Craig Sager just before the start of the fourth quarter, when Jackson had to do the obligatory live interview.
Sager: "Doug Collins said moments ago he hated to coach against other teams that were shorthanded. How frustrating is it for you tonight, particularily with your team trailing going into the fourth quarter?"
Jackson (with a smirk): "Well, they short-handed us ... they threw out Andrew Bynum so we're even now in that department .... What's with this tie, by the way? What's with this tie?"
Sager: Looking down at it, saying nothing.
Jackson: "Did this come from Costa Rica with you?"
Sager: "Uh, yes it did."
Jackson now gets in his face and is smiling even more.
Sager: "You mentioned they threw out Andrew Bynum ... were you upset he got kicked out?"
Jackson: "He lost his cool. He got upset because (Fabricio) Oberto was getting away with grabbing him ... you gotta play to that with San Antonio."
Sager: "OK, thanks."
Jackson: "Bye" and he walks away as play starts.
Later in the fourth quarter, the Lakers' Jordan Farmar, who was also wearing a mike, was shown on tape calling "Sacha, Sacha" to get a pass while he was open in the corner, making a jumper; then back on defense, saying "Talk to me, talk to me ... Sacha LEFT, LEFT!"
It caused analyst Doug Collins to say how important it is to communicate with your teammates, both on offense and defense.

For Anaheim Ducks winger George Parros, it’s off with his hair this weekend.
Known for his black moustache and shaggy hair, Parros has agreed to get a trim and donate it to Locks of Love, a nonprofit Florida-based charity that provides hairpieces to children who’ve lost their hair because of medical reasons.
Since Parros began his pro hockey career with the Kings, he has been growing his hair long each season to make a yearly donation. The charity requires donated hair to be at least 10 inches long and cannot be bleached.
Fans were invited to join Parros in donating their hair, and the Ducks said all the spots were filled for Saturday’s “Cut for the Kids” event at the Newport Sports Museum in Newport Beach.
Professional stylists will volunteer to do the cutting.

FSN Net Prime Ticket’s coverage of the three state high school football games Saturday from Home Depot Center has an additional outlet with a deal in place to simulcast them all live over Vootage.com for the first time.
“We’re excited to see how this works as a test,” said FSN vice president/general manager Steve Simpson. “The byproduct is that people will get to see these games all across the country.”
Vootage.com co-founder Jeff Proctor said his website had the live local TV feed of the Arizona state football playoffs last weekend and “it went off without a hitch. I think Fox saw a benefit of finding another way to get its coverage out there. We’ll share any DVD or digital download sales as well, so it’s a win-win situation.”
This is the second year of FSN’s coverage of the state bowl games. Chris McGee and John Jackson will do the broadcast of the St. Bonaventure-Central Catholic Div. III game at 11:30 a.m., with Jim Watson and Petros Papadakis doing the Oceanside-Novato Div. II game at 3:30 p.m. as well as the Centennial-De La Salle Div. I game at 7:30 p.m. Lindsay Soto and Brandon Hancock anchor the day’s coverage. Dain Blanton and Jackie Pickering report on the sidelines.
Soto will end up being on the air for about 12 hours, something she did a year ago as well.
"Last year turned out to be really fun and not as crazy as you'd think, despite all the moving parts," Soto said Thursday.
"I'm really looking forward to the Division I game because sinde De La Salle lost to Canyon in last year's state title game, they've made it clear they're brokenhearted and their goal was not just coming back to the state title game but winning it. Last year was the first time since 1991 since they ended the season with a loss."
Soto, meanwhile, has signed a new deal with FSN that will allow her to do more outside work – including, perhaps, report for NBC during its 2008 Summer Olympics in China.
“She’s not leaving; you’ll see the same amount of her, but it’s just under a different structured contract,” said Simpson. “Her work ethic is beyond compare and she’ll continue to do a great job for us.”

Led us to freedom, Charley. Please.
Today at 5 p.m., ESPN will present The Best of "This is SportsCenter" promos, a one-hour special hosted by Karl Ravech showing how the network has no problem again patting itself on the back for its contributions to pop culture.

Advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy started the “This is SportsCenter” campaign in 1995 combining ESPN personalities with real sports figures in strange juxtoposed situations. More than 50 promos were made with dozens of athletes making cameos, including Kobe Bryant, here with Rich Eisen and Stuart Scott:

It seemed like Dan Patrick made most of the better ones, because his subtle humor worked best with it. Keith Olbermann could provide over-the-top moments, on in particular with Gordie Howe, but it was his interview with presidental candidate and former Knicks star Bill Bradley that really worked well.

This special reairs on ESPN (Dec. 19 at 1 a.m.), ESPN2 (Dec. 12 at 2 p.m.; Dec. 31 at 5 p.m.) and ESPN Classic (Dec. 13 and 15 at 7 p.m.).

The list we started in today's Daily News column -- stuff we really don't want to buy, nor want to have sent to us -- gets longer by the mouseclick:

Item: "Tarnished Heisman," by Don Yaeger and Jim Henry (Simon and Schuster)

Price: $25

Where: Bookstore websites, including Barnes and Noble

The rundown: The book is supposed to detail the improper benefits (some $300,000) that Reggie Bush received when he was at USC, dealing with a sports marketing company that could cause him (in some people's opinion) to lose the 2005 Heisman Trophy that he was given.

What we'd tell the customer service rep upon returning it: "If we wanted an overpriced doorstop, we'd have asked for 'Game of Shadows' instead."

Item: Mark Mangioo autographed photo.

Price: $19.99 (opening bid)

Where: eBay.com (item no. 150191366330) through Monday.

The rundown: An 8x10 photo of the Kansas football coach offered by someone in Chicago.

What we'd tell the customer service rep upon returning it: "We were looking for a wallet-sized photo ... Oh, this is wallet sized?"

Item: Michael Vick autographed 2004 Topps card
Price: $120
Where: www.michaelvickcards.com
The rundown: Near mint, No. 34 of 50 cards signed personally by the Atlanta Falcons quarterback.
What we'd tell the customer service rep upon returning it: "Hmmm. You've got nothing in a 2007 card?"

Item: A UCLA shower bucket set.

Price: $27.99.

Where: www.DicksSportingGoods.com

The rundown: "Are you a first year college student adjusting to dorm life? Do you want to support your favorite team while on vacation or away for the summer? No matter the need, this team-colored shower bucket set is the solution! The officially licensed items in this shower bucket set are designed with the team graphics and include: printed flip flops, waterproof zippered case, mesh loofa sponge, molded plastic soap dish and a toothbrush holder. "

What we'd tell the customer service rep upon returning it: "Maybe Dan Guerrero needs this more than we do to clean himself off of the mess he's made with the football program."

Item: Marcus Allen autographed USC throwback football jersey.

Price: $338.46

Where: www.onlinesports.com

The rundown: Allen signs it with a “Heisman 81” inscription, which probably washes out if you take it to the cleaners.

What we’d tell the customer service rep upon returning it: “It has the name ‘Allen’ across the back. Everyone knows USC football uniforms have never had players names on them. How far back are throwing this?”

Item: Jim Craig’s 1980 U.S. Olympic Gold Medal ring.

Price: $5,500 (opening bid)

Where: eBay.com (item number 320192005074) through Friday.

The rundown: A collectables seller in Boca Raton, Fla., says it’s only the second one they’ve handled in 20-plus years. It’s a size 10.5, weighs about 30.5 grams with 10K gold inlays, in mint condition. The pitch goes on to explain that it’s “very rare salesman sample with all the proper markings inside the ring.”
So it’s not really Craig’s ring, if in fact he ever received one.

What we’d tell the customer service rep upon returning it: “So tell us: Do you believe in miracles? Didn’t think so.”

Item: Anaheim Ducks pet jersey

Price: $29.99.

Where: NHL.com store (item 2794592)

The rundown: "A pet can be a sports fan's best friend. You can watch Anaheim's next big game while wearing your favorite jersey, sitting next to the team's new biggest fan! Your pet will be wearing the Hunter Ducks pet jersey with a screen-printed team logo displayed on the back and the NHL shield embroidered on the sleeve. The officially licensed jersey is constructed of breathable micro-mesh polyester with a stylish v-neck cut for a comfortable fit."

What we'd tell the customer service rep upon returning it: "See, the thing is, we don't have a pet duck. Don't you sell a dog dish in the shape of the Stanley Cup?"

Item: Golf Ball Life Vest

Price: $6.99

Where: www.Stupid.com

The rundown: For those tired of seeing their Callaways sink to the briny deep of the local golf-course lake. This tiny orange flotation device will allow the ball to stay buoyant if it does go in. How you then rescue it from the water is up to you.
“We’re not sure how the rules of golf apply to this device,” says the description on the site, “but it’s OK with us if you swing at the ball while it’s floating near the shoreline.”

What we’d tell the customer service rep upon returning it: “It cost more for this lifejacket, which eventually filled with water and sunk, than it would have to buy three new balls.”

Item: A Hong Chih Kuo bobble head doll

Price: $14.99

Where: eBay.com (item number 170175719990)

The rundown: The Dodgers pitcher, who actually did play some last season but may never been seen or heard of again, is memoralized in a hand painted, very limited edition piece of bobbleheaded sculpture.

What we’d tell the customer service rep upon returning it: “It's a cool thing, but actually, this bobblehead shows him, I believe -- correct me if I'm wrong -- throwing right handed. Maybe I didn't get a good look at him this past season -- I do remember him hitting a home run into the right-field pavilion and flipping his bat in the air -- but he was also batting left-handed. And didn't he start in one of the playoff games against the Mets in '06 because ... he was left-hander?

"Think we could see the other bobblehead of him (item 17017561899) where he’s holding the ball in his actual pitching hand from the same seller?”

Joe Torre has retained Rick Honeycutt as his pitching coach and Mariano Duncan as his first base coach within the new Dodger management regime. He also promoted Ken Howell from Triple-A Las Vegas to become the team's bullpen coach.
Had Torre had a chance to see this 1986 video called the "Baseball Boogie," where members of the Dodgers -- including Honeycutt, Duncan and Howell -- perform a stiff disco strutt, perhaps he'd reconsider.
The 4:55 minute video clip found on a website called Guba.com is here.
See how many of these Dodgers you can identify: Pedro Guerrero, Bob Welch, Orel Hershiser (who seems to be way too much into it), Bill Madlock, Jerry Reuss, Bill Russell, R.J. Reynolds, Tom Niedenfuer, Len Matuszak ... and way in the background, in the green jacket, current Angels manager Mike Scioscia.

Here's a 1986 Dodger roster. See who else you can pick out. Somehow, Greg Brock, Steve Sax, Mike Marshall and Fernando Valenzuela were conviently busy and didn't make the shoot.

The video has resurfaced and made the rounds, including on this site called the Blog Show with Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post and Jamie Mottram of Yahoo! Sports.

Also: Sportspot.net

More bright, shiny objects to hang from the media window display after today's Daily News column on Fox's embracing the BCS, Lisa Salters embracing O.J. Mayo and Pete Arbogast embracing himself:

==A followup to our Q-and-A last week with ESPN commentator and former Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Stephen A. Smith hit a predictable nerve with some Internet writers and bloggers over what he said about the value of their content.
AwfulAnnouncing.com had a link to a similar posting by SportsByBrooks.com that took offense to this quote from Smith:
"Internet writers have no right to reach a large audience. And when you look at the internet business, what’s dangerous about it is that people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses. I respect the journalism industry, and the fact of the matter is ...someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can. They are not trained. Not experts."
Already, a mistake. The first sentence of that was not part of Smith's quote, but taken from Brook's website paraphrasing what Smith said.
AwfulAnnouncing's reply:
"And the fact of the matter is....blah blah blah. I'm not going to get all defensive like I normally do and go into the whole credibility issue, but I ask again...What makes you credible Stephen A. Smith? Is it the fact that you stood by Isiah Thomas' destruction of the Knicks because you are his friend, the failed television show on ESPN, or is it the acting role on General Hospital? You tell me. Sure he has access to somethings that Bloggers don't but that's changing, and quite frankly you're scared Stephen A. Smith."
Among the comments posted by those who responded to that blog item:
="A lot of newspapers, especially sports writers, are afraid. They are realizing that there are free alternatives to basically recieve the same issues. Do most bloggers have credentials? No. But what right does SAS have to say that he knows more about sports. The fact is that we live in a society that allows use to watch any sporting event and then voice our opinion on it. So what if we don't know about any lockerroom fighting? We know about performance and execution."
="I love it! You only become 'credible' at espn when you act like a total clown, see: corso, berman, dicki V., and your good friend Steven A. These guys have 'made it' by picking a character and sticking to it, not by brining us qualified news. A sign of the times: Kirk reports on ESPN that Les is gone, off to Michigan, while several blogs I read head reports the opposite...guess who was right. Truth is, we get more accurate and timely news from 14 year old kids on message boards than Steven A and the rest of his 'qualified' elitist class."
="It has been a while and I did go to a government school but I don't recall the right to free speech if qualified in the Bill of Rights. Everybody has the right to speak and no right to be heard and frankly I have chosen to not listen to that gas bag whenever he talks."
="Ok then Steve. And sportswriters have no business on my television. So go away. Checkmate, dork."

==For the record, Smith was voted "Worst Sports Announcer" in America by those who participated in the selection process on AOL Sports with an assist by AwfulAnnouncing.com. Smith had 53 percent of more than 80,000 votes to beat Tony Kornheiser. Al Michaels bested Bob Costas in the "Best" vote, gaining 66 percent of nearly 60,000 votes.

Multimedia man Petros Papadakis, rocking an Elton Brand jersey, came bursting through the TV on the FSN Prime "Clippers Live" show Tuesday -- already littered with Michael Eaves, Don MacLean, Jim Watson, Lindsay Soto, Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith -- harkening back to his days as a USC tailback, to announce he'd been added to the show for a "What's Poppin'" segement that will be "innovative, and creative, and some of the greatest cable television to ever hit the airwaves."

As for Milwaukee rookie Yi Jianlian: "I hope Kaman chops him in the Adam's Apple right before the game starts."

And now, for no real good reason, two minutes of bellydancing from the Papadakis Taverna from someone with an unsteady hand and a camcorder:

Papadakis will be part of FSN West's coverage of the "Super Selection Sunday” edition of “High School Spotlight," when the six teams will be picked to play in the California Div. I, II and III title games at Home Depot Center on Dec. 15.
The selection show, on FSN West at 3 p.m., brings CIF executive director Marie M. Ishida, event director Ken Gunn and FSN broadcasters Soto, play-by-play men Jim Watson and McGee, analysts Papadakis and John Jackson, plus reporters Dain Blanton and Jackie Pickering to the party.

Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic didn't even have a driver's license until he came from Slovania here in 2004.

Now, the Fall '07 issue of the duPont Registry Celebrity Car magazine shows how fast he's caught onto the car culture of L.A.

What a country.

That's a Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 to the left, a bright orange Lamborghini LP640 in the middle and an Audi S8 on the right, in this 23-year-old man's Rancho Palos Verdes driveway. Maybe it had an effect on him not driving the late in route to scoring a career best 22 points in Thursday's win over Denver.

“When we arrived at Vujacic’s house, we noticed he ran the triangle offense off the court as well with those cars in his driveway," said publisher Tom duPont. "The Italian exotic is all power, performance and style, perfect for long drives up the coast or making a big entrance at a post-game party. The CLS and the Audi are both extremely powerful full-size sedans – exactly the type of car you'd expect a tall athlete to drive on a daily basis.”

Vujacic says in the story he likes his cars “to look pretty much the way the come from the factory, even down to the wheels.” The rest of us hope to get the same kind of quality from our Hot Wheels when we go shopping at Toys R Us.

Vujacic says his love for racing cars came from living in Europe following Michael Shumacher's F1 career.

"I think every car has its own heart, something unique that's the Audi and no tthe Mercedes, and that makes the Mercedes different from a Ferrari. It's amazing, only I have to slow down. I have too many (speeding) tickets. I want to be a good citizen and respect all the laws."

Especially the laws of nature. And space.

The reason he owns the Audi: It has a trunk to hold his golf clubs.

The magazine hit the newsstands Tuesday. So now you'll know how to spot him next time you're camped out near the players' entrance outside of Staples Center.

The site launched in 2003, so there's no news hook to this, but to learn more about the career and life of former Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, who today was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee, check out the Internet home of his biographers at www.walteromalley.com.
Son Peter O'Malley , with the help of Brent Shyer and Bob Schweppe and team historian Mark Langill, is the force behind this site, which goes extensively into his father's career with photos, historical documents and other facts that only the family could provide.
Walter O'Malley may stil be one of the most hated men in Brooklyn for taking the team to Los Angeles 50 years ago -- but what a timely honor to enshrine him with all the celebration going on around the franchise this coming season.
Our favorite spot to browse on the O'Malley website is through the personal correspondence, which includes such things as signed notes from Babe Ruth, General Douglas McArthur, Jackie Robinson, Walt Disney, Ty Cobb, Herbert Hoover, Branch Rickey ... and this one from broadcaster Al Michaels, from 1968 when he was doing games for the Hawaiian Islanders Triple A team, who says: "Nothing would be a greater thrill for me than to have the opportunity to work with the Dodger organization some day. It would be the culmination of a lifelong dream."

It's not that the Dodgers would actually steal someone else's idea. After all, that SleepOver Night at Dodger Stadium was original (if you don't consider other teams, such as the Giants, already did it). And that All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion was original (if you don't consider other teams tried it ... and are now copying it ... for that matter, the Kings just launched an "All U Can Eat" deal for $43 for adults and $35 for kids that includes a wristband for all the hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, peanuts and sodas you can stuff into your face in the Upper Concorse Section ranging from section 330 to 328 seats).
So if you're heading over to Pershing Square in downtown L.A. to test run the sheet of ice they've put up there again this year -- thanks to the LA Parks and Rec, and the Kings, it's back (532 South Olive, open every day through Jan. 21 with many free clinics for kids) -- consider what it might be like to skate around near second base at Dodger Stadium ....

By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO -- Justin Foster stared toward the outfield long patrolled by Barry Bonds. It was the 10-year-old’s first look at the Giants’ ballpark from the field.
Instead of cleats on his feet, he wore ice skates.

“Seeing how far these people have to hit it to hit a home run, when you see Barry Bonds hit it over the wall, it’s impossible,” Foster said. “It’s amazing to actually be on the field.”
He isn’t the only one getting a close-up look this holiday season. The Giants have installed a 60-foot by 120-foot ice rink atop the infield and opened it up to the public. It’s believed to be the first time a Major League ballpark has doubled as a public ice rink.
The Giants, whose 8-year-old bayside ballpark has hosted a variety of non-baseball events, are charging
$20 for adults to skate, $15 for children and $5 just to watch. It’s $40 for unlimited use between now and when the rink closes Dec. 9.
The whole thing serves as a promotion for the “Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular” show that will be staged here Wednesday, starring Barry Manilow. Music blares from the sound system and pairs of skates of all sizes line the wooden bench in the visitors’ dugout. Adrienne Green was buying her tickets for the ice show when she saw a flier about skating.
“This is a very cool concept,” said Green, who brought her two sons, ages 6 and 8. It was a sunny fall day; the boys didn’t have school and were happy to be outside.
“They were wondering where the pitcher’s mound went,” Green said as U2’s “Beautiful Day” playing loudly in the background. “I thought that was a really good question to be asking.”
Giants fan Jim Priestley attends about four Giants games a year. He came with his wife and their two kids, and though Priestley opted not to skate himself, he was plenty entertained watching his family and their friends form an ice train.
“I’ve never been here and touched the grass. It’s neat,” he said, reaching down to pick a clump. “The visitors’ bathroom, it’s terrible. That’s probably good. You don’t want them feeling too welcome.”
Frank Bennett, a longtime competitive skater who lives in San Francisco and is serving as coach and greeter at the rink, taught Nicole Priestley and friend Lauren Foster how to twirl, sans skates.
“It’s so nice out here. It’s like a little paradise,” said Lauren’s mom, Shannon Foster.
As the ice became bumpy and began to melt in the afternoon sun, this reporter turned to dodge Justin — in his red turtleneck and matching khaki pompom hat with red stripes — and wound up pulling a headfirst slide that would later yield two purple knees and a bruised left hip.
It was a move the major league coaches would rarely advise.
“That’s a slide into second base right there,” the boy said with a smile.

4:25 p.m.:

==Third quarter stat highlights:
USC has it for 26:08 (vs. UCLA's 18:52)
USC: 330 total yards (173 rushing); UCLA: 163 yards (141 of it passing)
UCLA leads in turnovers, 4-2.

==Time for Stephon Johnson to make his mark in the USC offense. He won't turn it over like McKnight and has more power than Washington. But third and goal from the 2, Johnson can only get back to the line of scrimmage.
Oh, and another flag.
Against USC of course. Holding. 10 yards back and third down.
Why would Dorrell accept the penalty when USC would have it fourth and goal at the 2 instead?
USC comes back, Booty to Davis, touchdown over the middle.
And a shot of a UCLA cheerleader emotionless.
USC leads 24-7.
Norrie questions the call not to take the penalty. "You gotta take the fourth-and-2 and take your chances," says Norrie.

==Dorrell Watch 2007 kicks into full gear as Norrie speculates more on Dorrell, and then they go to a taped piece bringing in Steve Lavin, the former embattled UCLA basketball coach (and current ESPN hoops analyst) to give his take... "The difficult aspect for someone like Karl Dorrell is how painful it is for his family, for his friends, for his loved ones, they're the ones I think it's more difficult on. The coach understands this what the business is about."
Well, it takes a lame duck at UCLA to know one.

Norrie responds: "I can't tell you how terrific Karl Dorrell is as a person ... the whole situation gets magnified when Pete Carroll takes the Trojan program on an unprecidented roll ... It's safe to say Dan Guerrero will sit down with him .. Dorrell has done a lot of great things in his five years at UCLA."

==With 8:46 left in the game, Dorrell is still coaching on the UCLA sidelines. This just in...

==With 7:25 left in the game, a shot of Carroll on the sidelines sharing a laugh with backup QB Mark Sanchez.

==Another shot of LeRoy Neiman doing some sketch on the sidelines with a big purple flamboyant scarf around his neck... Jeremy Hogue, working for the FSN pregame show, is right behind him looking on, raising his eyebrows....
What's LeRoy drawing, a courtroom sketch of O.J. or something?

==6:07 left: Cowan's left knee buckles, Ben Olson is asked to come in and put out the oil fire. He throws a pass about 20 yards over any nearby receiver to bring up fourth down. Norrie begins playing soft toss in the press box in case he has any eligibility left.

=="There is a very real aspect to USC making the claim to the No. 1 spot, but you know what, we're not playing it off," says Norrie. "So it's really a moot point."
What a perfect time for Norrie to go off with his rant about why there should be a national playoff.
Earlier this week, Norrie told the San Diego Union Tribune : "In American sports, championships are decided on the field of play. What if we voted two teams into the Super Bowl? People would be saying, 'You're crazy. You lost your mind.' ” that it was "un-American" not to have an eight-team playoff. "You don't vote on the two teams that go to the Super Bowl, do you?"
Well, do you?
Since ABC is locked into the Rose Bowl coverage and still in the BCS business, he probably felt it wasn't appropriate to say it. Then why say it to a newspaper reporter?

==3:12 left in the game: A shot of the USC cheerleaders wearing leis around their necks with roses in them. To that squad, the game's over. ... And it's just really rosy. And they look very cold.

==2:17 to play: Shot of a sign held up in the stands: "Trojans only play at the Rose Bowl on January 1"

==Graphic comparing Carroll's record in November (23-0) to Dorrell's (5-9). Interesting, but this game is in December.

==1:55 to play: Shot of Carroll hugging Steve Sarkisian on the sideline. Both are probably just trying to stay warm.

==Final: USC 24, UCLA 7 ....

==And the sixth Pac-10 title in a row. Now, the BCS pick 'em show to wait for on Fox Sunday at 5 p.m.

==Or does USC have some outside change of going to the BCS title game? Surely, Carroll has the angles figured out how it could happen.

==TV sideline shots of Bill Russell (the former Boston Celtics great, not the former Dodgers shortstop/manager) and painter LeRoy Neiman ... that's the best they can find? While Gannon is talking about them, Cowan completes a huge pass to Brandon Breazell for 27 yards to put more juice in the UCLA offense...

==KSPN-AM (710), the USC flagship station, held a contest for the second year in a row to allow a listener to make the call of the second-half kickoff. Last season, the guy who did it at the USC-Notre Dame had to watch the Trojan kicker boot it out of bounds.
This season, contest winner Scott DeFalco wasn't intimiated by Pete Arbogast's presence and made this call heard on the station:
Wait. First a few words of intro by Arbogast before DeFalco was allowed to speak:
"It was more crowded than normal in the booth here at halftime. But that's to be expected with UCLA in town. The UCLA guys got to come over and eat from our trough. ... I invited them over, they do it for us when we're over there. Because otherwise they get boiled wienies downstairs, you know ... they brought in some barbeque chicken .. they brought in some beef stew ... it's so cold I put my hands on the container to warm up... and the big ol' hot dogs, too, so thanks to Bristol Farms, all year long for providing us with some great grub."
Then Paul McDonald rambles on about some stats, laughs at Arbogasts remarks ...
"Well we have our winner on the 'you make the call contest' on our flagship station on Los Angeles 710-ESPN," Arbogast finally yields, "and I believe he's making his first-ever trip to the Coliseum, which is really fun, and he's a Jersey guy as well, Scott DeFalco ... the kickoff's about to happen, so tell us what's going on ..."
(While I listen in amusment ... All this time the teams are lining up and you can hear in Arbogast's voice, the inflection that it's not what he's crazy about doing, but as long as he keeps talking, the less DeFalco gets in ...
"All right, thanks Pete and Paul for letting me share the booth with you guys, appreciate it ..."
(Unnecessary, but polite)
"David Bueler kicking off for the Trojans, and as he's done all day today trying to keep the ball away from Matt Slater and Norris ... and they fair catch it wisely at the 32 yard line, UCLA takes over first and 10 trying to build on that momentum from the score at the end of the first half."
"You did better than the guy last year," Arbogast comes in with the instant analysis. "Last year they kicked it out of bounds, they didn't even catch the ball."
"Nice job!" screams McDonald. "Well done!"
That's all Arbogast needed to say as well. But the professor had to show who's the real game caller... like W.C. Fields trying to shoe away a pesky kid tugging at his pantleg.
"Enjoy the rest of the game, try not to freeze to death out there," Arbo gives his parting shot, reminding the kid that he has to leave and Arbo gets to stay.
On the TV coverage, the kick and fair catch wasn't much more exciting, either. Arbo would have probably made some crack about how this was great field position for UCLA compliments of the Trojans ...

==Pinned at its own 2 with 5:22 to play in the quarter, USC could make a statement by going the length of the field and score. Third and 10 from the 15, a false start on the offense. Third and 15 from the 10, Booty rushed hard by Christian Taylor, who flies over him (Booty ducks) and the pass goes limp and short. The punt gives UCLA a start inside the 45...

==But on a typical UCLA mistake, the fumble it right back to USC on an trick end around, so the Trojans have it back at the 50.

"The Bruins have had a sloppy day handling the football," said Norrie. "Those are the mistakes you don't survive against USC."

"They had momentum ... kind of wonder why they didn't go with their bread and butter and mix the run and pass," says Gannon about UCLA.

==Joe McKnight returns the favor, fumbling it back, and USC it hit with another penalty for a guy Drew Radovich flying into the pile on the fumble recovery late for 15 more yards. Smart play.

==Cowan returns the favor, throwing it to USC's Terrel Thomas after the receiver Johnson falls down (actually, smacked blindsided by Cushing, and Cowan complains about it) with :56 left in the quarter. Illegal play? Bruins fans must think so.

==End of third quarter: USC 17, UCLA 7

2:30 p.m.: A leg injury for USC's McKnight, meaning he and Washington (hip) could be out...

=UCLA about to force USC to kick a field goal, but Bosworth is hit with a facemask on Booty after the incompletion. "You can't have those kind of mistakes when you play USC in their house," says Norrie as USC has the ball first down at the 10.

==Guess Washington is healthy enough to return -- he runs it in from just beyond the 10 here for a 14-0 lead with 10:26 left in the half.

==By the numbers with 10:26 left in the half:
USC -- 37 plays, 14:26 time of possession, 193 total yards, 2 TDs
UCLA - 13 plays, 5:08 time of possession, 17 yards, 0 scores.....

==47 yard field goal gives USC a 17-0 lead with :46 left before the half as UCLA's defense is the only thing preventing this from becoming a nasty blowout. That and John David Booty's footwork in the pocket. He'll never win "Dancing With the Stars."

==With 4:15 to play in the half, unsportsmanlike on UCLA pushes the Bruins back after a punt return down to their own 10 after a fair catch is, er, ignored by some USC players. And there's a sideline warning, too. It's getting chippy out there. Finally.

=UCLA has a reason for hope: A fade route by Cowan to freshman Dominique Johnson, one-handed, hauls it in the back of the endzone with 7 seconds left.
"That's as a good a catch as you're gonna see," says Gannon.
"This thing has just changed on a dime."

=UCLA: Before its final score: Six first-half positions: Five punts, one fumble away.
It had only 27 yards total before that 65-yard drive in only 38 seconds ends in the TD and cuts the lead to 10 points and gives the Bruins a bunch of confidence.

=A facemask call for 5 yards against UCLA along with a personal foul against USC for 15 yards on the same kickoff return. Now there's what makes it real.

=Halftime score: USC 17, UCLA 7

1:45 p.m.: Somehow, ABC almost misses the opening kickoff, still in a car commercial as UCLA kicks it away to start -- and with it, of course, a penalty called on USC for holding (B. Cushing) on the return (although the ABC graphic says "false start on USC). Instead of first and 10 from the 26, it's back at the 16. Keep track of the penalties on the Trojans, among the worst in the nation in this category ...

=UCLA alumn Rob Reiner does the intros for the Bruins ... that's the best they could do? Nice effort, Meathead. Rodney Peete did it for USC appearing as if it was his first time in front of a camera ...

=ABC analyst and former UCLA quarterback David Norrie makes his first comment about Karl Dorrell's coaching job status: "The stakes are high ... all the money's out on the table ... you could find yourself coaching in the Rose Bowl (or) you could find yourself without a job. What a team to line up against with your job on the line."

=There's no reason each team can't wear its dark home jerseys for this game. Again, I thought that was resolved coming into this game, whomever was going to take the 15-yard penalty and we'd move past it. Apparently, the Coliseum issues were too much for one brain to wrap around this week for the Trojans...

=First big stop by UCLA: Holding Chauncey Washington to a one-yard loss on a 4th and 1 inside the 25. Didn't want the three points? Deja vu? That's what the Bruins did to the Trojans a year ago on their first drive -- stopped them on a fourth-and-short play.

=Two turnovers already for the Bruins in less than seven minutes ... not a solid gameplan.

=Set up by 27-yard pass to Havili after the Markey fumble (above) and recovery, McKnight runs it in for a 7-0 USC lead (7:34 left in the first quarter).

=Next Norrie quote on Dorrell: "I'm not sure whether a win or loss is black or white in determining whether Dorrell stays or goes. But definitely the performance of the Bruins in this game, win or lose, is going to greatly determine whether he will coach (there) again next season."

=Another Norrie window of TV time to talk about Dorrell: "I'm sure it's been a tough 3-4 weeks, a lot of heat ... he faced the heat a year ago down the stretch but the win at the end of 2006 took a lot of pressure off him. But for Karl, I think he knows as well as alot of other people know, this game really determines his future, the way that UCLA plays throughout."
(Can he lose this game and still have a job, asks Terry Gannon)
"There's a chance that could happen, yes," said Norrie.
(As USC moves in for another offensive march, Gannon continues: Is there any way Dorrell's out of a job if he wins this game and beats USC two years in a row?)
"You can't make decisions for Dan Guerrero, the athletic director, but I think it would be pretty tough to fire a coach coming off a USC win let alone an appearance in the Rose Bowl ..."

=USC can make it a two-score game, but missed 40 yard field goal shows why USC went for it on fourth down earlier. Still 7-0 with 4:42 left in the first quarter.

=3:13 mark: "Who has the whistle in the stands would you please refrain from blowing that whistle, you're interrupting the game on the field of play," says the referee after a stoppage of play. "David, I told you stop bringing your whistle to games," Gannon tells Norrie.
It reminds Norrie of when his parents would yell at him for playing his Led Zepplin music too loud.
All it does is seem to provoke as many people in the stands as possible to start whistling...

End first quarter: USC 7, UCLA 0

The best way to get geeked up for a USC-UCLA game is attend one of the many alumni clubs or service group meetings during the week that feature a former player or coach to talk about their experience.

I found myself Friday at the South Bay Athletic Club for its weekly meeting at the South Bay Grill in Torrance. John Papadakis, the former USC linebacker who runs the Pakadakis Taverna with his brother (and may be more famous these days for being the father of Petros Papadakis), showed up to speak and brought along with him former Trojan great fullback Sam "Bam" Cunningham.

Papadakis' first-hand introduction to the USC-UCLA rivaly is tough to beat: He was recruited by both schools coming out of Rolling Hills High and had a sideline pass for both teams during a recruiting trip to watch the 1967 game -- where No. 1 in the country, a trip to the Rose Bowl and the Heisman Trophy were on the line. O.J. Simpson's 64-yard run was as fresh in his mind today as it was 40 years ago.

"It was the most momentus game in college football history," he said.

Papadakis punctuated his discussion about his love of USC and UCLA by discussion team colors and uniforms.

"Their uniforms looked like turn-of-the-century Salvation Army (bleep)," he said of the UCLA garb he first saw back in the late '50s.

"As opposed to the Cardinal and Gold. The Cardinal signifies a man's blood, where we're all equal inside. Where we're real. It's the deepest part of us. Gold is what every man will fight for and die for. Gold makes us rich. I knew what our colors stood for but I couldn't figure out what the (bleep) powder blue stood for."

Petros Papadakis, by the way, was sporting one of the best looking tan rimmed hats during the FSN Prime Ticket hour-long pregame show. Hope he keeps it ...

Opening kickoff after Va Tech finishes off Boston College for the whatever conference they're in title...

A pair of USC and UCLA Crocs sit quietly outside the porch, waiting for the rain to let up, and be used to go fetch the morning paper to see what kind of material can be gleaned by the Trojan-Bruin split households for barbing fodder.

The Crocs-town rivalry ... there's an idea.

We had the contest a couple years ago for readers to name the rivalry. Winner, in our opinion: The 'Wood vs. The Hood.

Somehow, it didn't catch on.

Already on ESPN GameDay, the subject was broached: Who'd be USC's Rose Bowl opponent Jan. 1 if Ohio State is recruited to go to the BCS game (after a Missouri loss today). Does the Rose Bowl pick Illinois or go with Georgia?

Kirk Herstreit: "Normally the Rose Bowl errs no the side of tradition versus reality. (If they pick Georgia) a lot of people would say that's the two best teams in the country."

Lee Corso: "Forget tradition, go with reality."

Later, ESPN's Pat Forde says if UCLA loses, "there's a very good chance" Karl Dorrell could go.

For real?!?!

"The first name I hear is Steve Mariucci" but if he stays in the NFL, then "it's wide open."

Forde gets paid for that kind of insight.

Our Daily News UCLA beat man Brian Dohn has been trying to track down Mooch through the NFL Network, but they've been very protective of letting him talk about the opening.

By the way, ESPN "GameDay" also confirmed that Les Miles was leaving LSU to become the new coach at Michigan. Miles held a special press conference later in the day to vehemently deny the report.

Kickoff here at 1:30 p.m. We predict a 34-17 victory by USC, with both of UCLA's touchdowns coming on special teams.

Stay tuned.