Morning briefing

Riley’s hair has nothing on this deal

Reaction to the trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal from Miami to Phoenix in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks has been mixed. Some people believe it was a bad trade, others believe it was a really bad trade.

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, wondering if Suns first-year General Manager Steve Kerr might have been suffering from sunstroke out there in the desert, wrote: “Pat Riley pulled off such a steal here that this trade should be dusted for fingerprints.”

Trivia time

O’Neal scored a career-high 61 points against what team on March 6, 2000 at Staples Center?

Name game

Dan Patrick, during an interview with Kerr on his radio show Thursday, pitched this nickname for O’Neal, now that he will be playing in the desert: “Shaq-tus.”

Big mistake

Another guest on Patrick’s show Thursday was Charles Barkley, who last week said he was picking the New York Giants to win the Super Bowl.

He admitted to Patrick that he had changed his mind, going with the Patriots, and missed out on what he said would have been a $400,000 payoff.

“I listened to the so-called experts on radio and television,” Barkley said. “They’re not experts. They just give an opinion, and I made the mistake of listening to them.”

Not picture perfect

Angels television commentator Rex Hudler won an award at Monday’s Southern California Sports Broadcasters luncheon at Lakeside Golf Club. And Vin Scully, as usual, won two awards.

Hudler said it was an honor to just be in the same room as Scully, adding that last season he was thrilled when Scully was in the next booth at Angel Stadium.

“I went and got a photographer and got a picture with Vin,” Hudler said. “That was great, except for that glass wall between us.”

Logical excuse

Giants quarterback Eli Manning, asked by David Letterman if he had any idea why New England Coach Bill Belichick would leave the Super Bowl before it was over, said: “Trying to beat traffic, I guess.”

More excuses

Among the top 10 Patriots excuses for losing the Super Bowl that aired on an earlier Letterman show:

“Since when is that dude allowed to catch a ball with his head?”

“Thought game was supposed to be played on Super Tuesday.”

More Belichick rips

From Jay Leno: “Sunday after the Super Bowl, President Bush called the New York Giants’ coach to offer his congratulations, and then he called the Patriots’ coach to find out [if he could] erase some embarrassing spy video.”

All in the timing

From Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune: “He is back, baby! Dick Vitale is doing college basketball games again, baby! Do you think this could be why Bob Knight picked this exact point in life to quit, baby?”

Working title

Of the caper about the Nevada high school football player making up a story about being recruited by Pacific 10 schools California and Oregon, Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times wrote: “If this were a movie, it would be titled ‘Nobody’s All-American.’ ”

Trivia answer

The Clippers, on O’Neal’s 28th birthday.

And finally

From President Bush, during this week’s White House ceremony honoring last season’s Stanley Cup champions: “Have you noticed a lot of security around here? It’s because the vice president heard there were some Ducks around.”

--

larry.stewart@latimes.com