When Shaq Puts It in Gear, People Listen

Eddie Sefko of the Houston Chronicle writes that Shaquille O’Neal has a $40,000 stereo system in his car--an eardrum blaster on wheels. Orlando (Fla.) police have noticed, citing him for violation of the town’s anti-noise ordinance.

“Happens all the time,” Shaq said. “I consider it ‘passing-by’ noise. If I just parked in one place, I could understand it. But if I’m passing by, that’s the same thing as a loud airplane, ambulance or cop car.

“But I don’t ever get smart or talk back [to the police]. I just take my ticket like a gentleman and pay my $18.”

Do you think he can afford it?

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Trivia time: Identify these former NBA players by their nicknames--Hondo, Bad News, Cornbread and Butterbean.

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Sun shock: Rick Hummel in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Two games into his Florida Marlin career, Devon White was booed by his new hometown fans, who are less charitable than those in Toronto’s SkyDome.

“He lost a fly ball in the sun, something he didn’t have to deal with at SkyDome. ‘The only glare there,’ he said, ‘was off somebody’s watch.’ ”

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Market value: From the Good Doctor in Inside Sports:

Q: Magic Johnson has given up 5% of the Lakers. What was it worth?

A: 95% of the Clippers.

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Spacemen? Randy Johnson, the Seattle Mariners’ 6-foot-10 pitcher, told the New York Times that he was called a “flaky, weird, person” earlier in his career with the Montreal Expos.

“You know, like lefties are crazy, like Bill Lee. If Bill Lee wants to do certain things a certain way, fine. But I do things the way I do them because that’s the way I do them.”

Johnson and Lee do have something in common, though. They pitched for USC.

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FYI: Former UCLA and Ram running back Gaston Green is trying to make a comeback in the World League as Gaston Muhammad.

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Looking back: On this day in 1979, Maurice Cheeks of the Philadelphia 76ers tied an NBA playoff record with eight steals against the New Jersey Nets. He shares the record with five other players.

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Cheap shot: John Wooden on the over-emphasis of dunking in college basketball: “I think a dunk shouldn’t count more than one point.”

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Trivia answer: John Havlicek, Marvin Barnes, Cedric Maxwell and Bob Love.

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And finally: Players in the Senior PGA Tour Legends of Golf tournament last month at PGA West had to tee off early because of a television conflict with the NCAA basketball tournament.

Jim Colbert, the senior tour player of the year, told Golf Weekly, “I hit it two feet from the pin on the first hole and both people [in the gallery] clapped.”