It’s Only Way to Get a Rise Out of Jackson

Bernie Lincicome of the Chicago Tribune on the anticipated breakup of the Bulls:

“Will anyone who had anything to do with that sixth championship banner be on hand to see it raised, other than Toni Kukoc, keeper of the flame and default house pet?

“Phil Jackson certainly will come back for one official final bow and to see, if I understand the honor, his own banner hauled to the rafters. Jackson will be the first NBA coach to have his suspenders retired. . . .

“We did not understand Jackson and most decidedly we did not adore him. Mike Ditka wins one Super Bowl and he is forever Da Coach. Jackson wins six titles and he is Da Lucky Stiff.”

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Trivia time: What is the longest night game in National League history?

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Geography lesson: It has been reported that Nigerian-born Michael Olowokandi liked the idea of attending the University of Pacific because he wanted to go to a school close to the ocean. Pacific is, of course, in inland Stockton.

Peter May of the Boston Globe wrote: “It’s like Humphrey Bogart’s great line from ‘Casablanca’ after he told Claude Rains that he came to Casablanca for the water. Told that Casablanca is in the desert, Bogart says, ‘I was misinformed.’ ”

Olowokandi is closer to the ocean now after being selected by the Clippers in the NBA draft.

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Revised geography: From the Gallery column in the San Diego Union-Tribune: “The East Coast Hockey League has awarded a franchise to Little Rock, Ark.--well-known Eastern seaboard hot spot.”

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Scan-dalous: Venus Williams on her one complaint about Wimbledon--extensive electronic security:

“It’s not so bad, except that people generally want to scan you out, and I’m not into all the scanning . . . only one scan a day.”

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The Yogi file: When Yogi Berra’s wife said she had taken one of their sons to see “Dr. Zhivago,” he replied: “Now what’s wrong with him?”

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Anonymous: Catcher Sal Fasano of the Kansas City Royals remembers going out one night with Mark Gubicza and Jeff Montgomery when the team was in California.

Said Fasano: “A guy walked up to us and said, ‘Hey, you’re Mark Gubicza. Hey, you’re Jeff Montgomery.’ Then he said to me, ‘Hey, didn’t you work on my house?’ ”

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Looking back: On this day in 1990, Jennifer Capriati, 14, defeated Helen Kelesi, 6-3, 6-1, in the first round to become the youngest winner in Wimbledon history.

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Trivia answer: The Dodgers’ 5-4 victory over Houston on June 3, 1989--7 hours 14 minutes in 22 innings at Houston.

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And finally: I.J. Rosenberg in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on George Steinbrenner and Ted Turner:

“Instead of well-worn adjectives to describe the two, just recall that Turner has gone to great financial lengths to save the world, and Steinbrenner has gone to great lengths to control it.”