Fast Break

NFL

Numbers can add up fast

A wide receiver wanted to alter how the back of his jersey looked, then discovered he had to pay up first.

No, this wasn’t Chad Johnson legally changing his last name to Ocho Cinco, but the Oakland Raiders’ Jerry Porter trying to switch his number after the 2006 season.

Porter planned to go from 84 to 81 – until he learned it would cost him about $210,000. The NFL requires that players reimburse Reebok, the league’s official supplier, for the value of the jerseys already printed for sale to fans, which would become obsolete after a change.

“Man, there’s a couple of nice cars I’d like to get for that money,” Porter said at the time.

The more popular the player, the more expensive the switch, according to the league.

Ravens-Texans postponed

The Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans game was rescheduled to Nov. 9 after Reliant Stadium was severely damaged by Hurricane Ike.

The Texans’ home opener was originally scheduled for today, then postponed to Monday night as Ike approached the Gulf Coast. The Category 2 storm slammed into Texas on Friday night and moved into Houston early Saturday.

Ike tore chunks off the stadium’s retractable roof and the damage couldn’t be fixed in time for the game, said Shea Guinn, the president and general manager of Reliant Park.

“There are parts of the roof that are completely gone,” Guinn said.

The new date also affects the Cincinnati Bengals’ schedule.

Houston was originally scheduled to play the Bengals on Nov. 9. Now those teams will play on Oct. 26 and Cincinnati will take its bye week on Nov. 9.