This Game Was in Desperate Need of a Shot Clock

What was the score of the lowest scoring overtime basketball game of all time? Would you believe 2-0?

Reader George McMahon of Vista, Calif., sent along a clipping from the La Junta (Colorado) Tribune-Democrat about a 1941 high school district playoff game in which Las Aminas High beat rival La Junta, 2-0, in overtime on its way to a second-place finish in the state tournament.

The game was also written up in Ripley’s “Believe It or Not.”

Only three shots were taken in the game, two by La Junta at the end of each half and the winning shot by Las Aminas in the overtime.

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Trivia time: Who holds the Laker career playoff record for field-goal percentage?

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Eight debate: In Cal Ripken’s hometown of Aberdeen, Md., there is no more squabbling among Little Leaguers over who wears his uniform number. Everyone is No. 8.

The Little League team in Arbutus, Md., attacks the problem in the opposite manner. There is no No. 8.

“If we don’t have it, then there can be no arguments,” said Mike Haspert, president of the 40-team league.

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Adaptable: Dennis Rodman has said he wants to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger. Said NBC’s Conan O’Brien: “He also said if that doesn’t work, he wants to be the next Maria Shriver.”

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More Rodman: Rumor has it that Rodman is engaged. Said comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: “Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if, at the wedding, the groom showed up in the same dress as the bride?”

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Covering all bases: Actor Sylvester Stallone listed his dream golf foursome partners as Ben Franklin, Michelangelo and Jesus Christ. Said CNN golf reporter Jim Huber: “I guess Sly doesn’t want to be concerned with lightning, low ceilings and water.”

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Slighting the seniors: Greg Cote in the Miami Herald on the Senior PGA Tour: “Too many guys named Larry Laoretti, Buddy Whitten and the aptly named John Bland--men who couldn’t attract a gallery unless their caddie was lobbing wadded-up bills [$20 or higher, please] into the crowd.”

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FYI: In the fall, there will be a Yogi Berra museum in Montclair, N.J. Memorabilia relating to the Hall of Fame catcher and the Yankees is being collected.

One item already stashed away is a bronzed model of the mitt Berra used when he caught Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956.

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Looking back: On this day in 1991, Vernon Maxwell of the Houston Rockets set a Laker opponent playoff record by making six three-point field goals in 13 attempts. Nonetheless, the Lakers won, 109-98.

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Trivia answer: Kurt Rambis, 59.2%.

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And finally: Cincinnati Red Manager Jack McKeon keeps two types of cigars in his Cinergy Field office. One brand is an expensive Jamaican Macanudo, the other a cheap brand that fouls the air.

When the Reds win, the 67-year-old McKeon lights up a Macanudo during postgame interviews. When the Reds lose, he unsheathes the cheap brand.

What better way to keep the media from asking too many questions after losses.