Morning briefing
Next time, keep your shirt on
David Beckham may be good for soccer in the United States, but he seems to be a divider.
First, the Spice Girls broke up after he married Posh Spice (score one for David as Yoko Ono?). Now he has come between two boys, 9 and 10, who have been fast friends for three years.
Beckham handed one of the boys his jersey after a Galaxy match in Honolulu. But, just as in soccer, possession seems to be the key issue. After a failed attempt to share the jersey, both families have retained attorneys and lawsuits are being threatened, the Honolulu Advertiser reported.
“He [Beckham] pointed out that he wanted our son to have it. How do you explain this to a 10-year-old?” Eric Kerr, the father of one of the boys, told the Advertiser.
Wilfred Ho, father of the other boy, countered, “My son got it first from Mr. Beckham, directly. We agreed to let them borrow it from us, [but] before that happened we tried to clarify we were the owner and they proceeded to get upset so we never let them borrow it.”
Fellas, there’s only one way to settle this: penalty kicks.
Trivia time
Who was first player taken the NFL’s first draft in 1936?
Seeing red
Dr. Don Kalant Sr., an oral surgeon from Naperville, Ill., would have been better off taking the bull by the horns. Instead, he reached out to the Chicago Bulls mascot, Benny, during a Feb. 12 game and, well, Kalant’s attorney can take it from there. . . .
“Benny’s flying down the aisle, giving everybody high-fives,” Shawn Kasserman told the Chicago Tribune. “When he gets to Dr. Kalant, he either inadvertently trips or, as part of the shtick, trips. . . . He grabbed Kalant’s arm and fell forward.”
Kalant alleges that he suffered a ruptured biceps muscle, according to the lawsuit field Monday.
It’s worth noting that Barry Anderson, Benny’s alter ego, previously made news in 2006 when, dressed as Benny, he allegedly punched an off-duty Cook County sheriff’s deputy who tried to stop him from riding a mini-motorcycle through Grant Park.
Charges were later dropped. Still, that seems like one raging bull.
Good call
UCLA held its end-of-spring-practice scrimmage Saturday night, and the lead-up had first-year Coach Rick Neuheisel recalling a spring game 16 years ago, when he was a Bruins assistant.
“My oldest son was born that day,” Neuheisel said. “It’s the only practice I have ever missed.”
Let’s see, a wife who is in labor or a football scrimmage? UCLA fans can take heart that Neuheisel does seem to possess good decision-making abilities.
Net losses
The New Jersey Nets announced this week that they have made T-Mobile their partner for the NBA playoffs. Quite a marketing campaign, considering the Nets didn’t reach the NBA playoffs.
Brett Yormark, the Nets’ chief executive, addressed that in a statement, saying, “We are committed to having our fans ‘stay connected’ with us by offering a number of exciting events and promotions during the playoffs.”
So, what, the cellphones will beep every time ex-Net Jason Kidd scores a basket in the playoffs for the Dallas Mavericks?
Trivia answer
Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago, who chose to join the noble profession of sportswriting instead. Smart man.
Footnote: Of the 81 players drafted in 1936, 53 of them never played a game in the NFL. Detroit Lions fans would argue that’s the same success rate Lions President Matt Millen has today.
And finally
A gas station in Philadelphia held a promotion to honor the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, selling gas at 76 cents for 76 minutes.
The line was cut off at 100 cars. Why 100 cars? Because any more and the station, like many previous 76ers playoff runs, would have -- all together now:
Run out of gas.
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