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Sun., Oct. 17, 1999

Ali would’ve Wilt-ed in ring

Art Spander in the Oakland Tribune: “Remember when he signed to box Muhammad Ali? The bout never came to pass, but my pick would have been Chamberlain.

“I saw him lift up two NBA players at the same time, one in each hand, in a successful attempt to break up an on-court fight.”

If not a battleship, the Titanic

Bob Ryan in the Boston Globe on Wilt Chamberlain: “If you never saw him play, there’s not much I can say, other than you owe it to yourself to seek out some video.

“You think Shaq is strong? You think Shaq is unstoppable? Let’s put it this way: If Wilt was a battleship, Shaq is a rowboat.

Does that mean the Lakers are up a creek?

Not even close

From Mal Florence in the `Morning Review’ column in the Los Angeles Times:

Chamberlain and Bill Russell had to be amused by the 1996 Sports Illustrated cover that asked if Dennis Rodman was “The Best Rebounder Ever?”

Rodman averaged 13.2 rebounds. Chamberlain averaged 22.9, Russell 22.4.

Double take

Jokesters have been having fun with this world population thing. Here are two examples: From Jay Leno: “There are now 6 billion people in the world and the Cleveland Indians still can’t find one that can pitch.”

Syndicated columnist Norman Chad: World population just topped 6 billion. And (New York Jets quarterback) Rick Mirer still can’t find any of them open.

Note on Chad: Why do so many of our readers take him so seriously? It’s a humor column! His picks are intended to be the only serious part, though admittedly they are sometimes worth a laugh, too.

Double take, Part II

Another popular source of humor has been the demeanor of the Eagles fans at last week’s Philadelphia-Dallas game in the NFL:

Chad: After Cowboys game, Eagles fans heckled residents at nearby homeless shelter.

Another report quoted an Eagles fan who said he was disappointed that injured Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin was carried off the field on a stretcher instead of a coffin.

The last word …

“This is a tough yard for a hitter when the air conditioner is blowing in.”

- Former major league catcher Bob Boone on the Houston Astrodome.

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Cheap Seats

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