Tomba Can Hit the Secondary Receiver Too

If you can believe a free-lance photographer, maybe Italian skier Alberto Tomba should get a job as an NFL quarterback.

The photographer, who had circulated nude shots of Tomba, claimed he was injured by a crystal trophy cup thrown by the World Cup champion. Aldo Martinuzzi said the skier threw the cup and a champagne bottle at him during the awards ceremony of a giant slalom.

“I managed to avoid the bottle, but I was hit by the cup. He did it deliberately. He hit me on purpose,” Martinuzzi said.

Tomba denied he was trying to hit the photographer.

“I was trying to throw the cup to my sister to avoid it being stolen,” he said. “I received a push from the Austrian trainer and the cup accidentally fell on the photographer. I apologize, but I want to add he was probably punished, inadvertently, for his misbehavior.”

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Trivia time: What was the first sporting event to be broadcast coast to coast?

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Shaq attacks? How secure is Orlando Magic star Shaquille O’Neal?

On his recent visit to play the Clippers at Anaheim, those in the know about security at The Pond had this to report:

“There were five bodyguards there to greet the team bus because we heard he is a stickler for personal security. The bus arrived, the door opened and one of Shaq’s personal bodyguards gets off and asks about what security we have. He is told we have five security personnel people there waiting.

“Shaq’s guard replies: ‘Shaq don’t get off the bus unless there are at least six.’ ”

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Hockey FYI? Patrick Roy fell to 1-3 with Colorado after dropping a 4-2 decision on Monday night. Montreal, however, is 4-2-1 since trading its star goaltender to the Avalanche.

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Behind times: Bowl games are now being decided by a tiebreaker when teams are tied after 60 minutes, but the NAIA has remained loyal to the tie. After Findlay of Ohio and Central Washington played to a 21-21 tie in the Division II title game, one Seattle sports columnist dubbed the NAIA the NA-tie-A.

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Salty statistic: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service budget for recovery of animals and plants on the Endangered Species List this year was $39.7 million. Mollie Beattie, Fish and Wildlife director, put it in a more understandable perspective for Dave Downing of the Death Valley Gateway Gazette:

“Americans spend 40 times more than our recovery budget on popcorn at the movies each year.”

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Consolation prize: Picabo Street didn’t win any races over the weekend, but she did get a week’s vacation at the St. Anton, Austria, resort.

Embarrassed that they forgot to invite Street onto the podium after she finished in a third-place tie in the downhill, race officials apologized and invited her to return as their guest.

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Trivia answer: The 1927 Rose Bowl, a 7-7 tie between Stanford and Alabama.

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Quotebook: Miami Dolphin quarterback Dan Marino, after losing to the Buffalo Bills, 23-20: “I wish I could give a reason why we lose games I know we should win. I just can’t.”