Photo by SANDI FAHY
It's still strange to see legendary Yankee manager Joe Torre in an L.A. uniform. Over the past 10 years, the underachieving Dodgers have spent $800 million (closing in on a billion) on 37 multi-year free agents, resulting in only one postseason game won. Always congenial with fans and media alike, perhaps Torre can mold this team of prima donnas into a contender!
-- In the NBA Finals, Boston has outdone the Lakers in ridiculous, faked drama after a wincing Paul Pierce left the court in Game I in a wheelchair (heck of a prop) only to return minutes later with two Celtics ball boys playing the fife and drum. What a miracle! ... The NBA announced that their refs had missed 7.1 miles of traveling violations this past season ... Former Gator Joakim Noah last month was charged with possession of marijuana. Is anyone surprised?
-- How about the Dodger fan who recently caught a home run ball with a baby in his arms? ... The Marlins bullpen has been terrible lately and we hear GM Larry Beinfest saw a "Jesus Saves" bumper sticker and started making phone calls ... If you're Barry Bonds, you have to be wondering, "What the heck is wrong with my phone?" ... Why not make foul poles square to give umps an easier call on deflections ... Twins second baseman Brendan Harris on the weirdest thing a fan ever said to him: "Can you write a letter of recommendation for me?"
-- UC Irvine baseball coach Mike Gillespie often hears fans say the school's anteater mascot isn't mean enough. "If you're an ant, then an anteater is ferocious," he quips.
-- According to Patrick Gettings, an elephant is the only animal with four knees.
-- Did you happen to hear about the three guys who robbed a bank in Miami? They thought they pulled it off clean. Luckily, the bank was being secretly videotaped by the New England Patriots.
-- The BCS has made a significant change in their system--the top two teams will be selected by superdelegates ... Consensus college football favorites: USC, Ohio State, Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma. USF and Missouri should not be overlooked in the top 5. Miami and FSU need to play with more heart!
-- Top U.S. man James Blake and woman favorite Serena Williams were eliminated early in the French Open. Remember the days when Americans could play tennis?
-- Daredevil Robbie Knieval with over 250 motocycle jumps spanning a 37-year career, was asked what scares him. "Snakes and mean librarians," he replied.
-- And finally, Dave Petrik tells us ants, though always at work, still find time to attend picnics.
(Some of the information in this column was obtained from other news organizations)
