Rams Could Leave in the Nick of Time

If the Rams leave Southern California, their rivalry with the San Francisco 49ers won’t be the same.

That may suit Jerry Rice, the 49ers’ standout wide receiver, whose barber is a Ram fan.

“He’s always saying, ‘My boys are ready for you,’ ” Rice told John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Examiner. “I don’t say much when he’s cutting my hair.”

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Trivia time: When did USC last play in a bowl game in Texas?

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Disillusioned: When told that his rebounding style resembled Dennis Rodman’s, reserve center Greg Dreiling of the Cleveland Cavaliers said:

“Don’t ever mention my name and that guy’s in the same sentence again. To have him in a commercial with Santa Claus, well, it’s enough to make me tell my kids not to believe anymore.”

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I Love N.Y.: Jet quarterback Boomer Esiason told Dave Caldwell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he isn’t intimidated by playing in New York. In fact, he thoroughly enjoys it.

“New York fans are tough people,” he said. “They’ll boo you. They’ll write you off as an athlete. But they’re also the most compassionate people you could find.”

Hey, Boomer, are you sure you have the right city?

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Turned off: Kevin McHale, former Boston Celtic standout, on the buddy-buddy atmosphere among today’s NBA players:

“Now you see guys kissing. Man, I tell you, it would be a cold day in hell before I would kiss somebody on the other team.”

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Perspective: Dan Shaughnessy in the Boston Globe on football in Florida: “Any way you look at it, America’s Citrus State has replaced the Lone Star State as the place where we find the most football players, the largest number of devout fans and the best teams.”

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Optimist: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, moving from NCAA Division II to Division I in basketball, is ranked 302nd--and last--in the country by the Sporting News.

Undaunted, Cal Poly SLO Coach Steve Beason said, “Then Street & Smith (magazine) came out and they had us No. 301, and I told our kids, ‘See, we’re moving up.’ ”

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Throwback team: Buffalo Bill Coach Marv Levy on the Chicago Bears, the surprising leader of the NFC Central Division:

“The Bears are the most conservative team in the National Football League right now. People in this league like to say you can’t win being that conservative. Well, the Bears are showing you can.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1956, Floyd Patterson knocked out Archie Moore in the fifth round and won the world heavyweight boxing title in Chicago.

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Trivia answer: USC lost to Michigan State, 17-16, in the John Hancock Bowl in El Paso in 1990.

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Quotebook: Charles Oakley of the New York Knicks on his injured toe: “It is like a muffler that is hanging. Sooner or later, with wear and tear, it’s going to fall off.”