Trivial pursuits: Name the Lakers fan who co-wrote the Monkees movie

Random thoughts, while looking for a breakfast wine that pairs well with stickball and sarcasm:

• Trayce Thompson could hit the crunch off a bowl of Wheaties.

• Heard it here first: Pete Carroll will be the next Rams coach.

• Telecasts without Vin Scully will be like vodka without vermouth.

• If Justin Turner’s beard gets any longer, he can claim it on his taxes.

• Just when you thought pro athletes were starting to behave, along comes Johnny Manziel.

• Sports book Bovada is offering 10-1 odds that Madison Bumgarner will be in the home run derby.

• At what point do the Lakers trade Jack Nicholson?

• The best things in life make you a little sweaty.

• Theo Epstein for president. After fixing baseball in Boston and Chicago, fixing the world would seem like a breeze.

• Did you know: Epstein’s grandpa, Philip, and his great uncle, Julius, co-wrote “Casablanca.”

Will Pete Carroll stay in the pros but return to L.A.?

(Elaine Thompson / Associated Press )

• Still say Rocky Balboa was the best fighter I ever saw.

• Best backstop? Kevin Costner, who recently told Larry King he may be making yet another baseball movie.

• Trivia I: Who was the only person to play for the Lakers, Kings and Dodgers? (answer below)

• Would free agent Pau Gasol come back to the Lakers? They have been in a death spiral since he left.

• Jimmy Kimmel will be the archbishop of Boston before they settle this Dodgers TV standoff.

• Kelly Ripa will be prime minister of Mars before we’re done hearing about Deflategate.

• Favorite word(s): Mini-camp.

• Shouldn’t hyphenated have a hyphen in it?

• The Rams open on the road against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 12, a Monday night match-up.

• Still don’t understand why the NFL gives us Lions vs. Vikings on Thanksgiving Day, instead of Packers vs. Bears.

• Trivia II: Name the Lakers fan who co-wrote the Monkees movie “Head,” back in the late ’60s.

• Soccer’s sensational Copa America features 32 games in 10 cities over 23 days. Or, as any MLB team would call it, “a typical road trip.”

• June birthdays: J.J. Redick, 32; Jordan Clarkson, 24; Milan Lucic, 28; Tim Lincecum, 32.

• Seriously, there’s nothing wrong with the Dodgers that hiring a few more general managers wouldn’t solve.

• Nicholson can’t shoot. He can’t defend. I’d trade that joker for a box of popcorn.

• The more I recall Muhammad Ali’s preening, polarizing stunts, the more I appreciate the class and patience of Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr.

• How impressive was Alexander Rossi’s Indy 500 win? An F1 driver primarily used to road courses, he didn’t race on an oval till the month before.

• FYI, Indy cars zoom farther than a football field every second.

• O’Malley family artifacts – including the original Dodger Stadium model – are on display at the Skirball Cultural Center through Oct. 30.

• Costner says the baseball story he wants to do is about the Chicago Cubs. Tragedy? Comedy? Romance? How about all three?

• The only two people qualified to pen a Cubs screenplay: Moses and Shakespeare.

• Quirky Saturday night date: Roller derby, L.A. vs. Arizona, June 11. Tickets from $11.50. Info at derbydolls.com.

• Agree with Rob Manfred: “Rachel Robinson is an American treasure.”

• Inspiring Father’s Day gift: “Wednesdays With Wooden,” Dr. Michael Levi’s recollections of his weekly house calls (with Larry Stewart, via FriesenPress).

• Yasiel Puig plays baseball the way Bob Dylan sings – raggedly, yet occasionally to great effect.

• Think blue. Think positive. I’d wager my entire collection of Fiona Apple albums that the Dodgers TV standoff will get fixed in our lifetimes. Wait, how old are you?

Jack Nicholson can’t shoot and can’t defend, but he’s like family for Lakers fans.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )

• Trivia I answer: This year, stadium organist Dieter Ruehle has played for the Lakers, Kings and Dodgers.

• Trivia II answer: Jack Nicholson co-wrote the Monkees’ movie “Head.”

• “The movie dropped like a ball of dark star.” – Monkees bassist Peter Tork, describing the film’s botched release.

• Me, I’d hang on to Nicholson. He’s like family. Seriously, have you ever seen him with an ax?

Chris.Erskine@latimes.com

Twitter: @erskinetimes