A case of life imitating ‘The Simpsons’

Dodgers fans seeing Manny Ramirez in an Albuquerque uniform and wondering “Isotope?” need to watch more episodes of “The Simpsons.”

The Springfield Isotopes are the baseball team in the Simpsons’ hometown. In the 2001 episode “Hungry Hungry Homer,” Homer Simpson goes on a hunger strike to try to thwart the team’s planned move to Albuquerque.

When the real-life Calgary Cannons moved to Albuquerque after the 2002 season, fans in New Mexico were asked to vote for a new team nickname. “Isotopes” received 67% of the vote.

According to Answers.com, an isotope is “One of two or more atoms having the same atomic number but different mass numbers.” The team’s logo features a baseball-shaped isotope zipping around the letter A.

And the nickname is appropriate for New Mexico, which has several scientific facilities dealing with nuclear technology, including Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Trivia time

Who is the only other NHL Hall of Famer besides Luc Robitaille to be drafted by the Kings?

Traveling Shaq

From Hack-A-Shaq to Rent-A-Shaq, Shaquille O’Neal’s reputation has taken a hit since he left the Lakers in 2004 for the Miami Heat.

After winning an NBA championship with the Heat in 2006, O’Neal was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2008 and, on Thursday, from the Suns to the Cleveland Cavaliers -- leaving the Sun Belt for the Rust Belt.

That’s four teams in six years and three teams in two years.

Through 2007 at least, the Lakers were criticized for not getting enough in return for O’Neal -- they received Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round draft choice.

But compared with what the Suns received in Thursday’s trade -- Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, cash and a second-round draft choice -- the Lakers’ haul looks like a windfall.

Photos don’t lie

University of Texas baseball Coach Augie Garrido was arrested for driving under the influence earlier this year, and he says the incident yielded one silver lining:

Garrido told the Lafayette (La.) Daily Advertiser, “My mug shot was better than Nick Nolte’s.”

Trivia answer

Larry Murphy.

(Question and answer provided by reader Grace Williams of Westchester.)

And finally

From Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald, on the allure of golf’s U.S. Open: “The field is a combination of pros and amateurs. Sort of like the USC basketball roster.”

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mike.penner@latimes.com