Is There a Correlation Between Speed and the Number of Legs?

Daniel Sangouma, a member of the French team that set a world record in the 400-meter relay at the European Championships last month, went to the post in St. Cloud, France, Tuesday. His opponent was a small black jumping horse named Jappeloup.

Was Jappeloup ready for the challenge?

Au contraire, Jappeloup bombed Sangouma twice--at 80 meters and at 60 meters.

Said the sprinter, gasping: “I couldn’t believe how fast that horse was able to increase his speed. After 50 meters, the horse is really too fast to catch.”

Add Jappeloup: The horse, ridden by Sangouma’s friend, Pierre Durand, won the equestrian jumping gold medal in the 1988 Olympic Games at Seoul and recently helped the French team win the gold medal in the World Equestrian Championships at Stockholm.

Trivia time: In 1972, what NFL running back was credited with a 1,000-yard rushing season after films showed that “lost yardage” actually was a fumble and should not have been subtracted from his total?

4, 3, 2, 1 . . . : Joe Gergen of Newsday, on umpire Terry Cooney’s ejection of Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens in Game 4 of the American League playoffs Wednesday: “It happened because Cooney decided that Clemens was showing him up by shaking his head after the call of ball four to Randolph. It happened because the pitcher, whose nickname Rocket is not short for rocket scientist, has one of the shortest fuses in baseball.”

Redefining ‘legend’: Tuesday’s Morning Briefing noted the appearance of former Ram quarterback Bill Munson on a “Rams Legends” T-shirt.

Given Munson’s No. 11 ranking on the Ram all-time passing yardage list, the choice seemed dubious, at best. It turns out that Munson contributes his share of the profit from the shirts to children’s charities designated by the NFL Alumni Assn.

The shirts are licensed by NFL Properties and marketed by Tight End Sportswear, which is run by former San Francisco 49er and Oakland Raider tight end Ted Kwalick.

Said Kwalick: “Munson is just one of 300 former players involved, in a number of NFL cities. These guys aren’t just chosen (for the T-shirts) inadvertently. It’s a tribute to (Munson) that he’s participating.”

Trivia answer: Mercury Morris of the Miami Dolphins.

Quotebook: Headline on Page 1 of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports section, after Texas Christian’s come-from-behind 20-19 victory over Missouri: “Frogs Roar, Tigers Croak.”