Photo by SANDI FAHY
Eighty-eight-year-old Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Feller, former pitching ace for the Cleveland Indians, poses for a photo with Erin Wagner of Springfield, N.J., at a recent spring training game between the Indians and Dodgers in Winter Haven. The gracious "Bullet Bob" made himself available to fans in the picnic pavilion throughout the game.
-- Kansas State basketball fans used to smuggle live chickens into the arena and toss them onto the court against rival Kansas, mocking the school's Jayhawk mascot. Animal rights group PETA complained. Isn't being thrown onto the floor a lot better than being a three-piece combo at KFC?
-- Last month, the NBA West All-Stars routed the East 153-132. Unfortunately, four players were ejected for playing defense ... The champion Miami Heat visited the White House a couple of weeks ago, when President Bush shook superstar Dwyne Wade's hand and was called for a foul. Refs rarely allow touching D-Wade ... Celtics radio analyst Cedric Maxwell disagreed with a call made by female ref Violet Palmer and suggested she "go back to the kitchen and make some bacon and eggs." This from a former player known as "Cornbread".
-- Top high school hoops player in the nation, O.J. Mayo, so far this year has picked up four technicals, been suspended for bumping a ref to the floor and cited on a drug charge. Sounds NBA-ready to us.
-- According to avian specialist Al Klein, the American woodcock is the slowest flying bird--5 mph without stalling.
-- The Orioles' Jay Gibbons recently hit a foul ball that injured a fan: his wife, who suffered bruised ribs ... The A's new ballpark will be across the street from a plant that distributes highly toxic materials. Sing along with me: "Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don't care if there are gas attacks" ... Un-checkable rumor: Anna Nicole Smith and deceased Dodger substance abuser Steve Howe are dating ... Did you know Gil Hodges had a higher lifetime batting average than Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Harmon Killebrew and more hits and HRs than Hank Greenberg. There is even a bridge in Brooklyn named after him. The Hall of Fame needs him.
-- You have to hope Patriot QB Tom Brady's two girlfriends don't give birth on the same day. It would give new meaning to the term "quarterback scrambling" ... Titans' CB Pacman Jones (some feel the rottenest thug in the NFL due to numerous felonies and misdemeanors) has a 24-member entourage, including his hair stylist ... The Raiders have been sifting through top draft picks but with the help of Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell? ... A 12-year-old New Jersey football player has already received a few verbal offers from several colleges.
-- See where NASCAR has come out with a Daytona 500 cologne--great-smelling "Eau de Octane"!
-- In closing, legendary postal specialist Harry Brown gives us this: Two cannibals were sitting by a fire and one says, "Gee, I hate my mother-in-law." The other says, "So, try the potatoes"!
Happy Easter, everyone.
(Some of the information in this column was obtained from other news organizations)
