Play time for Dad Lance

Lance Armstrong, a guest of David Letterman, said it was important to have his children, son Luke and twin daughters Grace and Isabelle, in France this year to see him win the Tour de France for a seventh time.

“They could relate to what Daddy does for a living,” Armstrong said, “because every day I go for a bike ride, and the girls are like, ‘He’s going for a bike ride. With his friends. My dad doesn’t do anything.’ “

•Armstrong earlier was quoted as saying all he wants to do now is lie around the house and drink beer. Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg thanked him for that, saying, “Now, when your wife asks you what you are doing all weekend, you can say, ‘I’m going to work out like Lance Armstrong.’ “

Of Armstrong’s supposed plans to lie around and drink beer, Jay Leno said, “So, he’s taking up professional bowling?”

Speaking from experience

Pete Rose, on FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” said of Rafael Palmeiro’s testing positive for steroids and subsequent suspension: “I’d still vote for him for the Hall of Fame, but I don’t necessarily agree with the 10-day suspension … 10 days is nothing.”

Bright spots from Coleman

Jerry Coleman, the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence at the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony Sunday at Cooperstown, N.Y., was typically self-effacing in his acceptance speech.

Coleman, a New York Yankee broadcaster before being hired by the San Diego Padres in 1972, recalled once working a Yankee-Cleveland Indian doubleheader.

He said he was told that Sam McDowell and Jack Kralick would be pitching for the Indians. What he wasn’t told was that Kralick would be pitching the first game, McDowell the second.

Coleman said he had McDowell pitching for the Indians for four innings before someone from the Yankees’ television station told him that Kralick was on the mound.

“That put me in the Guinness Book of Records,” Coleman said. “Most innings, wrong pitcher.”

•Coleman, famous for misspeaking, has produced a wealth of “Colemanisms.” Here’s one of the better ones: “I’ve made a couple of mistakes I’d like to do over.”

Another hot dog on the field

Arizona Diamondbacks announcer Mark Grace last week in Milwaukee served as the bratwurst in the Brewers’ between-innings sausage race.

“I was brutally slow wearing that big costume,” the former first baseman was quoted as saying by the Daily Herald of suburban Chicago.

“It was like carrying a piano on my back. … In other words, nothing has changed from when I was a player.”

Take that, Tacoma

The Sporting News has come out with its list of the nationals best sports cities, from No. 1 Boston to No. 388 Tampa-St. Petersburg.

Seattle rides 16th in a top 20 dominated by the usual suspects.

Spokane checks in at 131, 44 places behind Pullman.

But Spokanites shouldn’t despair. Not only is Spokane still the second-most populous city in Washington, just ahead of longtime rival Tacoma, but it ranks 141 places better than its West Side nemesis (272) in the Sporting News rankings.

But Tacoma’s humiliation isn’t over.

Meet No. 223: Cheney.