If USC Involved, There Has to Be Notre Dame Angle

Twice in his career, the New York Jets’ Keyshawn Johnson has had an apparent touchdown wrestled from him in the end zone, by Tom Carter of the Washington Redskins last Sunday in the NFL and by Travis Davis of Banning High when Johnson was playing for Dorsey.

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The rest of the story: Notre Dame enthusiasts Mike Felix of Villa Park and Don Galias of Pacific Palisades point out that the two tormentors of the former USC wide receiver were teammates in the Fighting Irish secondary in 1991 and 1992.

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Trivia time: Who holds the major league record for pinch-hits in a season?

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For the record: Add Ken Caminiti to the list of switch-hitters in Thursday’s trivia answer with 40 or more home runs in a season. The Padre third baseman got No. 40 last Friday, when he helped beat the Dodgers.

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One man’s view: Columnist Ian O’Connor of the New York Daily News has this spin on the Roberto Alomar spitting incident: “Athletes live above the law. This is the message of organized competition, from Williamsport to SkyDome: You run fast enough, hit a ball far enough, and total disregard for another human being is your privilege.”

Headline on O’Connor’s story: “Justice is Worth Spit.”

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Horse sense: After Dare And Go’s last major workout for Saturday’s Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Santa Anita, jockey Alex Solis said, “He worked great. He’s a totally different horse. It’s like he knows what he did.”

In case you didn’t know, Dare And Go is the horse that ended Cigar’s 16-race winning streak.

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Weighty situation: Race drivers weighing 200 pounds or more are going to get a break in next year’s NASCAR Winston Cup series. Rule changes will take a driver’s weight into account.

Drivers 200 pounds or more will continue to race the 3,400-pound stock cars as they have, but drivers under 200 will have to add ballast to make up the difference.

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The cold facts: On a chilly night in Chicago, announcer Harry Caray reported: “The average attendance at Cub games this year is 48 degrees.”

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Stopping the hurt: Anyone who was surprised when the San Diego Chargers upset the Kansas City Chiefs, 22-19, should have listened to Charger defensive tackle Shawn Lee, who said, “If you lose to the Chiefs, it hurts for two years.”

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Trivia answer: John Vander Wal of the Colorado Rockies, with 28 in 1995.

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And finally: When the Lakers finally signed Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West compared it to the birth of his children. To which the Boston Globe’s Peter May wrote: “His kids shoot free throws better.”