He Wouldn’t Give the Shirt Off His Back

Sam Young, a grocery store employee in Dallas, was fired for wearing a Green Bay Packer jersey to work.

Young, a Washington Redskin fan who said he “very much dislikes the Cowboys,” told a Dallas television station he was fired from the store when he refused to take off the Packer shirt.

Employees had been told to wear Cowboy shirts or their regular uniforms to work on Saturday to show support before Sunday’s NFC championship game between Dallas and Green Bay.

It’s presumed he is now looking for work in Green Bay, Wis.

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Trivia time: Jim Harbaugh is the sixth quarterback to win a passing title in the NCAA and NFL. Who are the others?

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Unimpressed: Before the Cowboys beat Green Bay, 38-27, Randy Galloway of the Dallas Morning News wrote: “Buddy Ryan could have coached the Cowboys into the NFC championship game. Meg Ryan could have. Nolan Ryan could have. The best talent in the NFL has simply prevailed thus far against a cast of flyweights.”

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Vicious: Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle on Cleveland Brown owner Art Modell, who announced he is moving the team to Baltimore: “He is Albert Belle without charm. He is an owner with a corked heart.”

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Greasy: Phil Mushnick of the New York Post claims ESPN analyst Barry Melrose, the former King coach, uses more “gunk in his hair” than even Pat Riley. “Melrose, under studio lights, might be a fire hazard.”

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Waiting game: Eddie Sefko in the Houston Chronicle: “Toronto’s Carlos Rogers says he won’t cut his hair until the Raptors win three in a row. How long can hair grow by the exhibition season?”

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Perseverance: Bobby Wadkins has the dubious distinction of being on the PGA Tour the longest without a victory. He has 21 years of service and has earned $2.4 million.

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A schemer? Bill Lyon in the Philadelphia Inquirer: “So the job he lusted after and lobbied for so shamelessly is now his.

“His sly and unconscionable two-year campaign to unseat Don Shula has succeeded and now the Miami Dolphins belong to Jimmy Johnson.

“Oh, the official proprietor is still listed as Wayne Huizenga, but Johnson has a way of taking over.”

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I don’t think so: Ron Weaver, the 30-year-old from Seaside, Calif., who passed himself off as 23-year-old Ron McKelvey on the University of Texas football team, is listed in the Texas football guide in the “Newcomer” section.

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Looking back: On this day in 1974, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mantle was elected in his first year of eligibility and Ford in his second.

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Trivia answer: Charlie Conerly, John Brodie, Brian Sipe, Tommy Kramer and Steve Young.

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Quotebook: Green Bay quarterback Bret Favre on why he hasn’t been sought to make television commercials to the degree of Dallas’ Troy Aikman: “My mom says it’s because I don’t shave.”