Fast Break
BASEBALL
Ryan offers some food for thought
Although he’s 60 and walks with a limp, Nolan Ryan would be happy to listen if any team offered a deal like his pal Roger Clemens got.
“If I can pitch, I’d be there,” Ryan said, smiling wide. “And I think my family would encourage me.”
The one thing he wouldn’t do: give Barry Bonds anything worth hitting.
“You don’t want him to beat you,” Ryan said. “Make the other guys beat you. Because the odds of him beating you, if you go right at him, are a lot better than the next guy.”
The Hall of Fame pitcher spoke Sunday at a regional meeting of the Associated Press Sports Editors. The gathering was held at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, home of the Ryan-owned Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.
Ryan was 46 when he retired following the 1993 season.
Football
Favre frustrated by lack of action
The Green Bay Packers left Brett Favre fuming when they didn’t pull off a trade for wide receiver Randy Moss during the NFL draft.
But was the three-time MVP angry enough to ask his way out of Green Bay?
Amid public grousing from Favre about the state of his team over the weekend, a report on the Fox Sports Web site, citing anonymous sources, said Favre’s agent called Packers general manager Ted Thompson to request a trade a few days after last month’s draft.
According to the report, Packers coach Mike McCarthy later called the quarterback and was able to calm his anger, getting Favre to admit that he didn’t really want to play elsewhere.
In a statement posted on the Packers’ Web site, Thompson said he would not address the specifics of the report but understood the frustration Favre vented in interviews over the weekend.
“I think it’s natural for a player to be frustrated from time to time – that’s simply being human,” Thompson said. “Everyone knows that Brett Favre is all about winning. As an organization, we share that commitment. And we want to win now.”
SOFTBALL
Clean sweep for Pac-10
All eight Pac-10 softball teams have been invited to the NCAA softball tournament, including No. 6 overall seed Washington.
The Huskies (35-16) will be the top seed in a four-team bracket at Lincoln, Neb. Washington will play Creighton (39-12-1) on Friday. Nebraska (37-18) and Georgia (43-26) are the other teams at the site.
The other Pac-10 teams are No. 1 Arizona, No. 7 Arizona State, No. 12 UCLA, California, Oregon, Oregon State and Stanford.
The Women’s College World Series is May 31-June 6 at Oklahoma City.