Van Gundy doesn’t get Christmas wish

What, Stan Van Gundy whine?

The Orlando Magic coach was complaining the other day about his team not getting the respect due an NBA finalist.

“For a team that went to the Finals, we really haven’t gotten the respect teams normally do,” Van Gundy said. “Based upon what we did last year I think our players do feel a little underappreciated and under-respected.”

As an example, Van Gundy pointed to a perceived slight by ABC, which usually puts the two Finals teams from the season before in the prime 2 p.m. slot on Christmas Day. This year it’ll be the Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the prime slot while the Magic play the Boston Celtics in the earlier game.

“It’s a lot of little things, and in the long run they’re not very important, but you feel it,” Van Gundy said. “Like the television schedule. Normally on Christmas Day, you get a rematch of the teams that played in the Finals.

“But instead, we get a Christmas Day matchup of the teams that they [ABC] wanted to see in the Finals.”

The Orlando Sentinel website ran this item with a sidebar asking readers to vote for their favorite Rodney Dangerfield no-respect joke.

Trivia time

What was the first Major League Baseball team with a $100-million payroll to lose 100 games in a season?

Favre-free zone

Usain Bolt is on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated, no surprise there. But in the upper left-hand corner there is a blocked-out No. 4 with the promise of a “100% Favre-free” issue inside.

Good for Sports Illustrated. Someone had to step forward and offer a counter-balance to ESPN.

Unprecedented

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira was a guest on David Letterman’s show Monday night. During his monologue, Letterman observed that, “The Yankees are a little taken aback by Teixeira. They are a little shaken by Teixeira. It’s the first time in a deal they’ve ever got their money’s worth. They don’t know what to do.”

Routine operation

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck says he isn’t worried about the latest knee surgery performed on Pro Bowl tackle Walter Jones. “That’s probably a big deal to the outside world,” Hasselbeck told the Associated Press. “In a locker room, it’s, ‘Hey, what are you doing this weekend?’ ‘Oh, I’m getting a ‘scope.’ ”

Trivia answer

The 2008 Seattle Mariners. (Question and answer provided by reader Mark Cortes of Northridge.)

And finally

From Bob Molinaro of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot: “For $39.99, NFLShop, the league’s online merchandising vehicle, is selling a Philadelphia Eagles jersey for dogs that can be customized with Michael Vick’s name and number on the back . . . no joke.

“Final score: Irony 1, Good Taste 0.”

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mike.penner@latimes.com