He May Have Provided Charge, but It Fizzled on the Field

Mark Kiszla trashed the San Diego Chargers on Friday in a column in the Denver Post. A sampling:

“Let the Broncos be the first to beat San Diego this season because it’s bound to be a popular NFL activity this year.

“The Chargers are in for a shock. The team dressed in lightning bolts is about to be jolted back to reality.

“San Diego is headed back to mediocrity, where it belongs.”

The Chargers were so enraged that they lost, 34-17.

Trivia time: Which major conference has the best bowl game winning percentage from 1902 to 1992? Which has the worst?

Clones: Johnny Majors, Pittsburgh’s football coach, said his friendship with Penn State Coach Joe Paterno began 15 years ago when they shared--of all things--Majors’ clothes while visiting St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.

“They had lost (Paterno’s) bags and he didn’t get them for three days,” Majors told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’m a notorious over-packer, and it so happened he wore the same size shoe, the same size shirt, same size pants and same size sports coat.”

Their friendship will endure for at least four years, since Pitt and Penn State aren’t on one another’s schedule through that span.

Lock the doors: Kevin Greene, the former Ram linebacker now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, on whether it takes some particular skill to be a good pass rusher:

“It’s more just being a psycho out there on the field, just running around slobbering and freaking out.”

Smallest snake: Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners considers himself the underdog in the race for the home run title with Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox and Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers.

“I’m the little guy in the group,” Griffey said. “I can hit them, but I’ve got to get my whole little body behind it. They just get their big butts and big legs and big bats going. They’ve got those big pythons (arms). I’ve got little, skinny pythons.”

Bruins alerted: After California defeated San Diego State on Saturday, 45-25, Cal Coach Keith Gilbertson told the San Diego Union-Tribune:

“Personnel-wise, (San Diego State is) better than UCLA.”

The Aztecs play host to the Bruins Sept. 30.

Alamo II: “This will be the second battle of the Alamo,” Julio Caesar Chavez told the Dallas Morning News before his fight with Pernell Whitaker last Friday in San Antonio. “The first battle was won by the Mexicans, and the second battle will be won by the Mexicans, as well.”

Historians will note that the second battle was a draw.

Trivia answer: The Pacific 10, with a winning percentage of .545. The Big Ten is only .458.

Quotebook: Cheryl Miller, after having been named USC women’s basketball coach: “After working (on television) with Dick Vitale, it was time for early retirement.”