If you’re still wondering who won on Wednesday, consider this from Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: “In what probably was the final appearance of his career, the greatest pitcher in baseball history was shelled.” . . . More from Plaschke, whose piece in Thursday’s Times was a
terrific piece of writing: “You thought Mark McGwire refusing to discuss steroids in a previous hearing was bad? Compared to (Roger) Clemens, McGwire was downright noble. You think Barry Bonds being indicted for perjury was bad? Clemens is just Bonds with a smaller neck and a Texas accent. . . . (Clemens) will be fortunate if he is not dragged out (of retirement) by a
perjury indictment. He has probably blown his chances at the Hall of Fame.” . . . After the Miami Heat traded Shaq to the Phoenix Suns, comedy writer Alex Kaseberg noted: “Now when Shaq gets to the free-throw line he will still be cold, but it will be a dry cold.”
Chris Pinkert of stlblues.com asked Blues forward David Backes to pick his dream golf foursome and one of the names might surprise you – Albert Einstein, Babe Ruth and Jessica Simpson. Asked about Jess¹s ability on a golf course, Backes replied: “That really doesn’t matter at all. She can have some un-witty one-liners and she can just sit in the cart for all I care.” . . . Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “Three things I wouldn’t want to be: 1. Goaltender, Toronto Maple Leafs; 2. Coach, Saskatchewan Roughriders; 3. Mister, Nancy Grace.” . . . Forward Kyle Korver of the Utah Jazz is making $4.5 million this season. He has said he eats as
many as 30 peanut butter-and-jam sandwiches per week. To which Brad Rock of the Deseret News wrote: “Word is he hopes to land a contract extension so next year he can upgrade to macaroni and cheese for lunch.”
If you missed it, a French bulldog named Diva was Best of Opposite Sex at the Westminster Kennel Club’s annual show. Diva is owned by Patricia Hearst Shaw. Yes, that Patricia Hearst. If you missed it, you will be able to watch it again . . . and again . . . and again . . . as one network or another is sure to replay the dog show a time or two. . . . After the 2006 WKC show, a
whippet named Vivi escaped at Kennedy International Airport and hasn’t been seen since. Not to worry, though, because two pet psychics told The New York Times that Vivi is alive and well and living in Brooklyn. “She’s pretty street-smart,” Judi Byers said. “She’s made friends, and she’s got reliable places to eat. She told me she’s been pregnant – she lost one puppy – and that she’s trying to raise the litter on her own.” And then there’s Sue Becker, who told The Times that she spoke with Vivi last week, adding: “She doesn’t want to be a show dog anymore. She just wants to be a companion now." . . . Meanwhile, two baseball psychics weren’t able to provide any
hint of what has become of Barry Bonds.
Jerry Crowe, in the Los Angeles Times: “With athletes such as Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne and Roger Clemens blowing off entire months of games, maybe somebody owes Allen Iverson an apology for giving him so much grief about blowing off practice.” . . . If you are a fan of college football, you should mark Aug. 30 on your calendar. That’s the day the LSU Tigers, the BCS champions, will open by playing host to, yes, the Appalachian State Mountaineers, who won the Football Championship Subdivision title that used to be known as Division 1-AA. Appalachian State upset Michigan in The Big House last season. This also will be the first time the two national champions will have met in the season in which they are defending champions.
If you’re wondering why Phil Mickelson is so popular among PGA fans, maybe it’s because of things like this – during the final round of the FBR Open in the Phoenix area on Feb. 3, he decided not to go to the Super Bowl. So he had his caddy give his two tickets to an 11-year-old boy and his father. “I thought it would be fun to give it to a father-son,” Mickelson told the
Arizona Republic. “I cherish the time I have with each one of my kids, and I thought it would be a cool experience for them.” . . . There were about 97.5 million people watching the Super Bowl. Yes, that’s a lot of people. But the night before the Super Bowl, 200 million Chinese viewers watched an NBA game between the Houston Rockets (Yao Ming) and Milwaukee Bucks (Yi Jianlian). . . . “I look at it almost as the Chinese Super Bowl,” Milwaukee head coach
Larry Krystkowiak told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Ian Hamilton, in the Regina Leader-Post: “A new video on YouTube shows New York Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez at a cockfight in the Dominican Republic. It’s hard to make out, but the grainy image appears to show Martinez grabbing an old, bald rooster by the head and throwing it to the ground.” . . . Dan Daly of the Washington Times, after Brian McNamee said he also
injected Clemens’ wife, Debbie, with HGH five years ago: “Well, that explains her 1.17 WHIP and 4-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio in ’03.” . . . One more from Daly: “It was a sad week in Lubbock after Texas Tech basketball coach Bobby Knight resigned in midseason. The flags were at
half-mast, and the folding chairs at Wal-Mart were half off.” . . . There apparently is no truth to the rumour that TRU men’s basketball head coach Nevin Gleddie has applied for Knight’s job. . . . Syndicated columnist Norman Chad: “Bob Knight quit last week, citing fatigue from throwing
chairs, grabbing students, choking players and shoving LSU fans into trash
cans.”
Greg Cote, in the Miami Herald: “Pitchers and catchers report for spring training Sunday, and Saturday the Florida Marlins held their annual FanFest. One minor controversy: Several hundred fans arrived at the stadium and were shocked to discover that penny-pinching Marlins ownership had sold them to other teams for cash.” . . . And here’s Cote after the Heat dealt Shaq to Phoenix: “Reaction to the deal around the league has been split pretty evenly. About half think it was a bad trade for Phoenix. The other half think it was a good trade for Miami.” . . . T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times, on an underwear ad campaign starring David Beckham: “Huge billboards will go up soon showing him with his chest bare – and isn’t it always? – and his briefs appearing a size too small. You’d think a guy with as much money as he’s got could find underwear that fit.”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca.
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