After Denver stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL playoff game, a poll reported that 43 per cent of Americans were of the opinion that divine intervention has had something to do with Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow’s success. “Does that mean,” wrote Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post, “that (the) result was just God paying back James Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger?” . . . CBS-TV apparently tried to get Tebow to work as an analyst for tomorrow’s AFC championship game. Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald reports that CBS “is pulling out all stops. I just saw the CBS eye, and it was wearing eye black.” . . .
When the pooh-bahs who run the NHL and the NHLPA have time, perhaps they can explain why it isn’t mandatory that players wear their helmets in pregame warmups. That, folks, is called a no-brainer. . . . Greg Cote of the Miami Herald knows who the winners will be when the Australian Open ends. “Novak Djokovic,” he writes, “and the last woman who doesn’t drop out with an injury.” . . . In case you missed it, Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was arrested this week in the Dominican Republic. It turns out the Indians didn’t know much about this guy. They thought he was 28; he actually is 31. Oh, and his name? It’s actually Roberto Hernandez Heredia. . . . You may not be surprised to hear that he was charged with using a fake identity. . . .
When the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame holds its 2012 induction dinner on Sept. 20, the 1945-46 Vancouver Canucks will be among those being toasted. The leading scorer on that club was none other than Kamloops’ own Andy Clovechok, who turns 88 on April 10. Clovechok finished that season with 103 points, including a team-high 56 goals, in 54 games. . . . The Canucks were in their first season in the Pacific Coast league, and they beat the Hollywood Wolves for the championship. Vancouver then won the U.S. amateur championship from the Boston Olympics of the Eastern league. The Canucks overcame a 3-1 deficit and won the series, 4-3. . . . Also on that Canucks team were Bernie Bathgate, who spent three seasons (1950-53) with the Kamloops Elks of the Okanagan senior league, and Don Campbell, who was with the Elks for two seasons (1949-51). . . .
Running back Trent Richardson and the Alabama Crimson Tide had a grand time in New Orleans before winning the BCS Championship game and the NCAA football title. When someone from The New York Times asked Richardson what he learned in New Orleans, he replied: “Don’t walk and text because horses are everywhere doing their business.” . . . Bill Cowher, one of CBS-TV’s NFL analysts, hasn’t coached since resigning from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 5, 2007. So why do his pals on the CBS panel, and so many others, continue to call him Coach Cowher? . . . A tip of the hat to the TRU athletic department which will have 118 athletes involved at Wendy’s Dreamlift Day on Wednesday. Now that’s performance! . . .
Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “The (Oakland) Raiders are looking for a head coach. Is there another Harbaugh brother? Actually, no. However, Jim and John have a sister named Joani. And the Raiders have not been afraid to break new ground.” . . . Ostler feels that an NFC championship game between the 49ers and the Green Bay Packers would have been great. “But visiting Green Bay in late January? You can’t even get there,” he writes. “Did you see the story last week where a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker had to clear a path for a Russian fuel tanker to reach an iced-in Nome, Alaska? That’s how you get to Green Bay in January.” . . . Rick DiPietro, the New York Islanders’ oft-injured goaltender, has played 47 games over the last four seasons and been paid US$18 million. He now is scheduled for back surgery. Oh, the Islanders still owe him nine years and $40.5 million. . . .
RJ Currie, of SportsDeke.com: “Ken Dryden told Sportsnet 590 that hockey needs to do more to cut down on brain damage. The NHL has responded by asking Dryden to stay off the radio.” . . . A doe apparently went through a closed glass door at a Goodwill store in New Jersey. After which Currie noted: “She might have been looking to save a buck.” . . . Perhaps you have heard the rumours about the NHL apparently having targeted Seattle for a franchise at some point in the not-too-distant future. Not so fast says Russ Farwell, the GM of the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent). “There’s no rink,” Farwell has been quoted as saying. “There’s no one to build a rink. And the (big money guys) have been approached before and always say no.” . . .
Ron Judd, in the Seattle Times: “Bad news for Broncos fans — In a terse, single-line written statement, God clarified that Tim Tebow is completely on his own.” . . . So there now are TV sets available that will change channels by voice command. “I’m not sure it works,” notes NBC-TV’s Jimmy Fallon. “When I yelled ‘Crap!’ during a football game, the TV put on Jersey Shore.” . . . Word in the society pages is that A-Rod and Torrie Wilson of WWE fame are an item. “A sad sign of the times: A wrestler and a baseball player are dating,” scribbled the afore-mentioned Dickson, “and it’s the baseball player who’s been linked to steroids.” . . . A-Rod dating someone from the WWE? Hmm. Who does he think he is? George Clooney?
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