Togetherness Goes Way Beyond Troy to Jacksonville

What are the odds of three college roommates winding up on the same NFL roster? Million to one?

Three USC players from the 1994 season did. Offensive tackle Tony Boselli was the NFL’s second overall pick in the ’95 draft, by Jacksonville. Then quarterback Rob Johnson was a fourth-round pick, No. 99 overall, also by Jacksonville. And earlier this season, they were joined by linebacker Jeff Kopp, cut by Miami.

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Trivia time: Which school has the longest winning streak of any football team in NCAA Division I-A or Division I-AA?

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Gretzky wannabe: New York Yankee relief pitcher John Wetteland, a former Dodger, has an unusual way of working off tension before a ballgame. After he arrives at Yankee Stadium, he puts on his in-line skates and a shiny black helmet and grabs a hockey stick.

Then he skates around the corridors of the empty stadium, slamming an orange ball against the walls until it’s time to do his stretching exercises.

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The real reason: Lee Trevino used to change his golf shoes in the parking lot at Augusta National when he played in the Masters. He explained why in Golf Digest:

“That was because they let the media in the locker room, and you couldn’t sit down without 500 of them pouncing on you like a dog with a piece of meat. . . . I bent down to lace [my shoes] and hit my head on five tape recorders. I took my stuff and ran. That’s the reason I never went in that locker room.”

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Big and bad: From Shaun Powell of Newsday, writing about the Clippers: “They’ve cornered the market on heavy centers with bad attitudes. Stanley Roberts reported overweight again and was booted from camp for cursing Coach Bill Fitch; Dwayne Schintzius is holding the starter’s position. The Clips then did the sensible thing and signed Kevin Duckworth.”

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Second thoughts: Defenseman Trent Yawney, signed by the St. Louis Blues as a free agent last summer, was down on himself after a so-so year with Calgary. He admits he was enormously surprised with the three-year, $2.25-million contract he was offered by the Blues.

“Actually, that’s more money than I’m worth,” he told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. “I was a free agent July 1 and by the third I had three offers. So I’m thinking, ‘Maybe I’m not so bad after all.’ ”

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Quick turnaround: Special teams did more than their share in Syracuse’s 55-7 rout of Pittsburgh last Saturday. Jim Turner returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, Phil Nash returned a blocked punt for another and Kevin Johnson returned a punt 73 yards for yet another score.

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Trivia answer: Duquesne, with 14 consecutive victories.

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And finally: Fordham Athletic Director Frank McLaughlin recalled fond memories of Bill Tierney, who died of what appeared to be a heart attack Saturday after collapsing in pregame warmups. Said McLaughlin:

“I’ll give you an idea of what kind of a kid he was. Our medical office opens at 7 a.m., and any time he had to be treated he always made sure he brought coffee to the trainers. How many college kids would ever think of that?”