-- March Madness: With North Carolina, so much depended on guard Ty Lawson's injured toe. Ironic that toe would determine the fortune of a team nicknamed after a heel ... Once again Duke shot poorly in the tourney, qualifying them to go hunting with Dick Cheney ... To Blue Devils fans, for the first time, Coach K is now Coach Not-OK ... Best name in the competition--Alabama State Hornets 7' shot blocker, Chief Kickingstallionsims ... North Dakota State earning a spot in the NCAA tournament was as surprising as William Hung hooking up with Carrie Underwood.
-- How about Suns' Jason Richardson being busted for driving 95 mph in a 35 mph zone with his 3-year-old in back?
-- Cubs announced they will retire Ferguson Jenkins' #31 even though he was once arrested by customs for transporting cocaine and hashish ... The Double A Huntsville (Ala.) Stars had a"Gorgeous Grandma Pageant" recently and in her acceptance speech, the winner proclaimed she still "skinny dips with Pawpaw" ... T-ball inventor Jerry Sacharski died last month at 93 in Albion, Mich. At the service, his casket was placed on top of a tall rubber pipe.
-- According to talented seamstress Vera Bouchard, the tongue is the body's strongest muscle.
-- Ex-Dolphin Jason Taylor may wind up with the Patriots in keeping with Bill Belichick's track record for wanting players versatile enough to rush the passer and dance the samba ... One sign it is spring--NFL jailbirds are released back into the wild ... When Browns Hall of Famer Otto Graham retired in 1955, he was the league's highest paid at $25,000.
-- Notre Dame obese football coach Charlie Weis has announced he plans to stay on the field for games this fall. The impact on press box caterers will deal another harsh blow to the Indiana economy.
-- Singer Celine Dion is interested in buying the Montreal Canadians as a gift to her aging husband Rene for his 100th birthday ... Things are so desperate in Phoenix that people who buy a bottle of Smirnoff vodka at select retailers get a free ticket to a Coyotes game. If you purchase two bottles, you get to coach the team!
-- And finally, Helen Cullom gives us one sign the guy mugging you has never mugged before: besides wearing a ski mask, he's got ski poles and skis.
(Some of the information in this column was obtained from other news organizations)
