But hey, no pressure
Finding the right name for a child is often problematic but the key is avoiding anything that will cause playground bullies to pounce. Then there’s the problem of living up to a name.
There once was a Davis Cup tennis player from Zimbabwe with the first name Genius. Wonder how he did in class?
Now the newborn daughter of the deputy chairman of the top Chinese soccer team, Dalian Shide, has her work cut out for her. Reuters reported that the proud father named his baby girl “Shuangguan.” The meaning? Double champion.
Only wants the highlight reels
According to Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune, new Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan had only one question when top draft pick Martell Webster asked for some tapes of Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Reggie Miller: “How about some tapes of guys who play defense?”
Quaid needs his strokes
Golf Digest ranks Dennis Quaid No. 1 on a list of Hollywood’s top 100 golfers. Tea Leoni is ranked first among women. Said Quaid, “There are three things being a celebrity is good for: raising money for charity, dinner reservations and tee times.”
Tom Cruise ranks last but is complimented for regularly tipping his caddies $100. That’s probably a finder’s fee for lost balls.
Bravo for that one
Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press, on the NBA dress code: “Hey, where can we get one of those ‘Stern Eye for the Street Guy’ makeovers?”
Looks like another Bush win
“Pundits beware,” warns the San Francisco Chronicle’s Tom FitzGerald in his syndicated column. “If the woeful 49ers draft Reggie Bush and he was added to a tandem with rookie running back Frank Gore, yes, there could be a Bush-Gore debate.”
A real lifetime contract
Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell has come out of retirement as the new spokesman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield. He’s 87.
“We signed a 10-year contract with a 10-year option, so I have to live to be 106,” he told the Denver Post. “And I’m going to do it or die trying.”
Not criticism-proof
Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said being bilingual comes in handy because “players can’t talk behind your back.”
But, he added, Tadahito Iguchi “is the one guy who can say anything and I’ll never figure it out.”
You dirty rat
Keyshawn Johnson, who wrote a book titled “Just Give Me the Damn Ball,” offered his opinion of the Terrell Owens saga on his Sirius satellite radio show.
“The one thing that I will comment on is” Owens’ agent Drew Rosenhaus, Johnson said.
“He’s a rat that belongs in the gutter. I can smell him a mile away. That guy doesn’t care about Terrell. He’s recruiting next year’s players.”