This Probably Blows His Shot at an Espy Award

Keith Olbermann, the former ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor, trashed his previous employers in the December issue of Sport magazine.

“The fact is, people just don’t like working there,” said Olbermann, who now has the anchor job on “The Big Show” at MSNBC. “And when most of them get an opportunity to go someplace else, they do.

“What [ESPN is] left with is either people they’ve suckered into taking long-term contracts . . . or people who can’t get work anywhere else.”

What do you suppose Olbermann will say about MSNBC if he leaves that job?

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Trivia time: Who was the first NFL player to intercept four passes in a game, a record that has since been equaled by many?

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Desperate: Geoff Petrie, general manager of the Sacramento Kings: “Teams are so interested in getting [guard Mitch Richmond] they’re calling and offering players who don’t even belong to them.”

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Bearing down: Former Chicago Bear defensive lineman Ed O’Bradovich, on the suspension of Bear defensive end Alonzo Spellman:

“He calls himself ‘the Sheriff.’ He should arrest himself for loitering.”

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Bench chatter: Damon Huard of the Miami Dolphins is the team’s third quarterback, behind Dan Marino and Craig Erickson, and his chances of playing are slim. Nonetheless, he’s confident he could be productive if given the chance.

“I come from a big-time university [Washington] and I played against top talent,” he told the Miami Herald. “I know what it takes.”

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Firing away: The Good Doctor in Inside Sports:

Question: “Are the Washington Redskins ever going to change their nickname to something less offensive?”

Answer: “Yes, the franchise has finally seen the light. Beginning next season, the team will be known as the Bullets.”

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Ceiling reached: Utah Jazz announcer Hot Rod Hundley, the former Laker player, on the escalating player salaries in the NBA: “When their life is over as a professional athlete, they’ve got to go backward.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1969, the Rams won their ninth consecutive game, beating the Eagles in Philadelphia, 23-17.

The Rams would improve their record to 11-0 before losing the final three games of the regular season and a playoff game to Minnesota.

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Trivia answer: Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins against Detroit on Nov. 14, 1943. In those days, even quarterbacks played defense.

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And finally: Wayne Gretzky will be 37 in January. And even though he’s not the player he once was, stories of his wizardry live on.

“I saw him in a game once where a huge defenseman was going to put the biggest hit in the world on him,” Philadelphia Flyer Coach Wayne Cashman told the Sporting News.

“You know what Gretzky did? He passed the guy the puck. He was so surprised it stopped him in his tracks. Then Gretzky flipped up the guy’s stick, took the puck, went around him and was gone!”