-- Here's two of David Letterman's Top 10 Chicago Bears excuses: "Colts players were shoving us" and "We were worried about sharing the locker room with Prince" ... The NFL Network politely turned down Britney Spears' representatives who tried to get her in Super Bowl promos. "She's too much of a train wreck and, besides, we already have Paris Hilton." Ouch! ... Possible headline: With their #1 pick Oakland takes Leak--Gator QB Chris is Relieved ... Raiders' new coach Lane Kiffin, 31, is so young, when he hears "timeout", he goes straight to his room ... Michael Irvin is headed to the Hall of Fame, which means the inductees' gold blazers won't be the loudest thing on the stage.
-- After scoring the game-winnnng two-point conversion in the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State's Ian Johnson proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend on the sideline, giving new meaning to taking a knee ... University of Georgia recently received a football recruiting signature from a 20-year-old high school senior taking 7th grade-level classes.
-- Bonnie Caldwell tells us the basilisk lizard can drop on water and run across the surface.
-- The NBA's slogan claims its games are FAN-tastic! So why weren't any tickets to their February 18 All-Star game released to the general public? ... Ron Artest's new hip-hop CD would sell better if he were playing for the Rap-tors ... Why would the Heat's Shaq O'Neal at 7'1, 325 lbs., need a bodyguard? ... Super Sonics center Nick Collison on the best advice his mom gave him: "Never eat yellow snow" ... Wizards' star Gilbert Arena's 25th birthday party included 7,500 guests, an ice carving of himself playing basketball and a large TV monitor showing highlights of him in action. Gotta love his modesty.
-- Did you know NBA star Bobby Hurley's dad, Bob Sr., has won 24 high school state basketball titles as a coach at Jersey City St. Anthony?
-- Baseball spring training could get off to a rocky start if catchers decide not to report with pitchers next week. After all, pitchers get all the ink while catchers get squat.
-- The late Bob Hope on former President Gerald Ford's golf skills: "Whenever we played, I'd try to make it a foursome--the prez, myself, a paramedic and a faith healer."
-- How about the Illinois guy who rode his stationary bike for 85 hours, a new Guinness record.
-- In closing, Bobby Haggart's wife last week told him their car wasn't running well because there was water in the carburetor. Asked where the car was, she replied, "In the lake"!
(Some of the information in this column was obtained from other news organizations)