Good spot for flaky event
Olympic ski champion Jonny Moseley and his buddies transformed one of San Francisco’s steepest streets into one of the strangest king-of-the-hill competitions yet.
After several tons of trucked-in snow were dumped on two blocks of Fillmore Street, a section so steep that the sidewalks have built-in staircases, Moseley and friends drew a big crowd on the gorgeously sunny day, and their aerial tricks as they soared across Vallejo Street had the fans cheering on Thursday.
Moseley, the 1998 Olympic gold medal winner in moguls, beamed with pride as he dug his heels in the snow, helped erect retaining walls, and oversaw the growing contour of the slope.
“It’s about 14,000 cubic feet. That’s my number,” Moseley said as he helped staple up some banners promoting sponsors of the event, which was organized by Icer Air, a ski equipment company. “We’ve got plenty. We’re good.”
It took a few trips down the 400-foot run before the skiers hit their stride. The first jumpers came up a bit short, banging into massive Styrofoam blocks short of the landing area. That elicited a nervous murmur from the sun-drenched crowd. The heat had softened the snow, and while the street plunges down a grade of more than 18 percent, that’s not as steep as the slopes these world-ranked skiers and snowboarders were used to.
The thousands of spectators clearly enjoyed watching them fling themselves skyward in the middle of the city.
“I think this is following in a long line of great San Francisco nuttiness,” said resident James Armstrong said.
Trick or treat
The Moss Mask, a plastic replica of Randy Moss’ head, including a Velcro-attached afro the now-Raider receiver wears during the playoffs, is on sale at TheRealRandyMoss.com. Price: $49.95.
Don’t mess with him
NBA official Bob Delaney was formerly a New Jersey state trooper who worked undercover in a fight against organized crime. Notes Slam magazine:
“All of which is worth keeping in mind the next time Phil, LB or one of the Gundys try bullying him into a makeup call. Having faced down real-life Tony Sopranos, Bob ain’t really sweating these sideline gangsters.”
Time to look ahead
The Arizona Republic’s Dan Bickley on the Cardinals’ 0-3 start: “A brief memo to the Cardinals: Pack a little more resolve, and leave a couple scouts behind for (Saturday’s) big game at Sun Devil Stadium (between Arizona State and USC). The way things are going, you’ll soon have your choice between Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.”