-- Sam Kimmel,13, a Steelers fan from Homer City, Pa., handed the football to a game official just before kickoff at this year's Super Bowl (he had won a contest sponsored by Kellogg). Wouldn't it have been great if the kid had taken off with the ball? ... A 654-foot private ship in Tampa Bay was charging $1,800 per night for on-board apartments. For that price, I'd expect the ship to dock at the 50-yard line during the game ... Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger is scared of two things off the field--snakes and tomatoes (he hates the texture) ... Some Pittsburgh fans call their franchise the best in sports. Apparently, they've forgotten the Yankees (26 championships), the Celtics (11 championships in 13 years) and how about England's legendary soccer club, Manchester United ... A Wisconsin court has ruled that cheerleading is a contact sport: And that was just the mothers at the tryouts ... According to Wilson Sporting Goods, one cow yields 10 footballs.
-- Carla Kerns tells us the longest living bird on record was a sulfur-crested cockatoo named "Cocky" from Great Britain
who reached the age of 80.
-- Knicks' Al Harrington on playoff pressure: "Everything is 'magnetized' by 10." And magnified, too! ... Heat rookie Michael Beasley's favorite TV show is Sponge Bob. "I become a madman when I shop at Toys R Us," he admits.
-- It appears the 2009 Giants' weak batting order is more shallow than Britney Spears and Paris Hilton's reading list ... Former Mets OF Shawn Green on school memories: "My 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Yoshioka (Tustin, Calif.), liked hockey. If you were bad, she had a penalty box" ... The Yankees have signed C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to the tune of $243 million. Perhaps the car makers should have gone to the Steinbrenners for a bailout!
-- A British club soccer game was recently disrupted when a parrot brought by a fan started imitating a referee's whistle.
-- In another sign of tough economic times, the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee is considering eliminating medal ceremonies in 2010. Competitors will instead be awarded Participation badges from some guy in plaid shorts.
-- Kudos to local golfer George Ware, who recorded his first hole-in-one while playing the course at the Belleview Biltmore Golf Club in Belleair on January 2. He achieved that feat on Hole #12.
-- In closing, Jason Kotski is refusing to fly on any plane not piloted by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. It should be noted that in the goose community, Sully is considered a reckless and dangerous man.
(Some of the information in this column was obtained from other news organizations)
