It’s only a game, isn’t it?
BOB RAISSMAN of the New York Daily News, naming the Dodgers’ Milton Bradley his “Dweeb of the Week,” showed some gamesmanship.
“Does this guy have a Clue?” Raissman wrote. “That tantrum he threw against the Milwaukee Brewers really got him in Trouble. It was no Trivial Pursuit, either.
“For his wig job, Mr. Bradley was suspended for four games. Clearly he was not Sorry, because he is appealing the suspension.
“Bradley is having a rough time in the Game of Life. Still, one thing is certain: With his unusual temperament Bradley is putting himself at Risk when he’s on the field.”
Inside job
The Arizona Rattlers defeated the Avengers on Sunday in the Arena Football League playoffs. The Rattlers went into the playoffs as the top-seeded team after winning eight consecutive regular-season games.
Rattlers Coach Danny White complained recently that stories about his team in the Arizona Republic were being buried inside the sports section.
Replied Bob Young of the Republic: “Gee, sorry. We thought since you play inside you’d prefer your stories inside too.”
Coulda, woulda, shoulda?
With four more victories, Phil Jackson will surpass Boston’s Red Auerbach with his 10th NBA championship – and if he had followed the results of a long-ago aptitude test, it never would have happened.
Jackson played 12 seasons with the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, finishing his career as a player-assistant coach before joining the Nets’ coaching staff full-time.
But Jackson felt somewhat disenchanted with basketball, and he took a test to determine other possible careers for a North Dakota native with religious parents, a love for the outdoors and an abiding interest in human behavior.
“The three things that popped out (were) outdoor expedition leader, minister/psychologist and house husband,” Jackson said Sunday. “Those were the things that stood out. So fortunately, I found another profession.”
Midas touch
Pistons owner Bill Davidson attended Sunday night’s game in Los Angeles. On Monday morning, he flew to Tampa, Fla., to watch one of his other teams – the Tampa Bay Lightning – in the Stanley Cup finals.
Davidson, an 81-year-old billionaire, is expected to return to Los Angeles today for Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
It’s been a banner year for Davidson, who also owns the Detroit Shock – the WNBA’s defending champions – and the Arena Football League’s Detroit Fury.
Nice backhand
Martina Hingis took a verbal jab at former doubles partner Anna Kournikova.
Asked what it might be like to struggle with serving the way Elena Dementieva did in the French Open final, Hingis smiled, then said: “Ask Anna Kournikova, I don’t know.”
Kournikova once won an Australian Open singles match despite serving 23 double-faults, 13 more than Dementieva had Saturday.
The last word …
“She plans to use her free time hitting homers for the San Francisco Giants.”
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, on Kelli White’s getting a two-year ban related to the BALCO steroids scandal.