Keeping Score

From The Daily News of Saturday, May 31, 2008 . . .

The NFL has awarded the 2012 Super Bowl to Indianapolis where it will be played in Lucas Oil Stadium, which has a retractable roof. “As for the TV rights to the game,” writes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times, “sources say it's down to Fox, NBC and Bill Belichick.” . . . You may not have noticed that Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez isn’t half the man he used to be, but another catcher certainly has. Carlton Fisk, who was saluted by the Chicago White Sox last week, told the Chicago Sun-Times: “He was big and strong and powerful for 3-4-5 years and now it looks like he hasn't eaten in a month and a half.” . . . Mike Piazza, whose phone didn’t ring so he announced his retirement, seems to be best remembered as a catcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Except that he played in more games with the New York Mets. He also had more at-bats, home runs and RBI with the Mets than Dodgers. . . . But you have to wonder if Tommy Lasorda will allow Piazza to wear a Mets hat when he is inducted in the Hall of Fame.

T.J. Simers, of the Los Angeles Times, while visiting San Antonio during the NBA playoffs: "It's steaming hot and the only thing this city has going for it is the River Walk — where everyone walks around a winding, polluted river, maybe catching a table by its side for dinner and watching the garbage float by. There's also the Alamo, named for a rental car company, I believe, but none of it is Boston, and isn't that what everyone is really waiting for?" . . . By now, you will have heard of Jason Giambi and his slump-busting, tiger-striped, gold-lamé thong. Well, Giambi and his New York Yankees are knocking the ball around these days, but they have been in the cellar in the AL East and Giambi was hitting .230. Which resulted in Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle pointing out: "Maybe Giambi's thong isn't all it's cracked up to be." . . . One more from Ostler: "The Yankees are sweating about that construction worker, the Red Sox fan who claims he buried many Bosox items while pouring concrete at the new Yankee Stadium, in order to jinx the Yankees. Now Hank Steinbrenner is worried sick because nobody has seen Don Zimmer lately."

According to Sports Illustrated, former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mark Hendrickson's favorite pickup line is: "You believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?" . . . Go ahead. Steal it. . . . So what do you think — how much longer will Joe Paterno be the head football coach at Penn State? . . . Talking the other day about the possibility of U.S. college football ever going to a playoff, Paterno told The Associated Press: "I'm only going to be a head coach another 10 or 15 years, and I don't think it will happen by then." . . . Paterno is only 81 years of age. . . . Officials from the University of Kansas, whose Jayhawks won the NCAA men’s basketball title, have bought the floor on which the championship was decided. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the floor will be cut into tiny pieces and sold as souvenirs. . . . According to the Fort Wayne, Ind., Journal Gazette, Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coach Charlie Weis was paid $598,000 for the 2006 season. At the same time, Notre Dame paid Tyrone Willingham, who was fired after 2005, a total of $650,000 for the same season. . . . If you're interested in playing Torrey Pines two days after the U.S. Open ends June 15, it'll only cost you US$1,500. But, hey, they'll throw in some food, something to drink and a gift package.

Pete McEntegart, of SI.com: “Country singer Mindy McCready will reportedly dish about former paramour Roger Clemens in her own upcoming documentary. For one thing, she says she’s certain she was of age before they became intimate because she had already stopped referring to their time together as ‘sleepovers.’ ” . . . Greg Cote, in the Miami Herald: “Detroit vs. Pittsburgh is considered a big, exciting, attractive matchup, except up in Canada, where the entire country has spiraled into a deep funk because we stole their sport and won't give it back, and all they have left is curling.” . . . Of course, Cote’s team is the Florida Panthers, meaning you have to wonder if he would know the NHL game if he saw it.

Mike Bianchi, in the Orlando Sentinel: "Bob Dylan lyric: 'Steal a little and they throw you in jail; steal a lot and they make you king.' Sort of reminds me of Bill Belichick: Cheat a little and they get you fired; cheat a lot and they call you a genius." . . . As this week began, the Los Angeles Dodgers had Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciaparra, Andruw Jones and Jason Schmidt on the DL and had designated Esteban Loaiza for assignment. The salaries of those five total $49.5 million. Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times points out: "That's more than the total payrolls of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays, and more than twice what the first-place Florida Marlins are spending on their 25-man roster."

Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News, with a question about the Yankees: “Who's going to be the Bridge to Mariano — I love it when the announcers say that, as if it's the greatest lyrics about a bridge since Simon and Garfunkel — once the kid (Joba Chamberlain) is in the rotation?” . . . One more question from Lupica, this one about the NBA: “These interviews with the coaches we see between the end of one quarter and the beginning of the next — we're doing these why, exactly?” . . . After Scott Dixon picked up $2.5 million for winning the Indy 500 on Sunday, Bret Lewis of Los Angeles radio station KFWB noted: "That almost paid for his gas."

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.