Fan Interest in This Rivalry Spans the Globe

Bill Lyon in the Philadelphia Inquirer: “The 1900s may be about to disappear, but Army-Navy endures. It is as eternal as our games get.

“It is the best rivalry in all of sport, and the 100th game in the series Saturday reaffirmed that.

“Good, bad or somewhere in between, the game touches people all over the world, from men in all the ships at sea to the lowliest grunts in the most desolate trenches, those who are serving, and those who will serve.”

For the record, Navy won, 19-9.

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Trivia time: What do former college football quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Rodney Peete, Joe Theismann and Bob Griese have in common?

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Phantom four? Bud Geracie in the San Jose Mercury News: “Responding to Mel Kiper Jr.’s assertion that Ron Dayne is no better than the fifth-best running back in the NFL draft, Wisconsin Coach Barry Alvarez said: ‘I’d like to see those other four.’ ”

More Geracie: “Based on close observation of his sideline behavior, the New Orleans Saints’ coach should be named Spitka.”

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Doubles fault: John McEnroe wants tennis’ ATP tour to do away with doubles, calling doubles a parasite living off the more popular singles game and suggesting doubles have its own circuit.

“If people want to see doubles, God bless them,” McEnroe said. “But let’s see how many tickets they sell.”

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Only for nerds: Krzyzewskiville, the tent city where Duke students camp out for basketball tickets, will have Web access this season. Students will be able to plug their laptops into the base of one of six street lights, which ostensibly will allow them to study online during their stay in line.

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Scheduling quirk: Reader Dwain Esper notes that Clemson had the dubious distinction of playing three undefeated, untied teams this season: Virginia Tech, Florida State and Marshall.

California had to run the same gantlet in 1954, meeting three undefeated, untied teams: Ohio State, Oklahoma and UCLA.

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Toto too? Jorge L. Ortiz in the San Francisco Examiner: “Toronto had an interesting co-promotion going with the ‘Wizard of Oz’ ice show, which plays at [the Raptors’] arena over the holidays.

“The Raptors were giving away tickets for [last] Friday’s game against Washington (the Wizards, get it?) to anybody named Dorothy.”

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Trivia answer: They were all runners-up for the Heisman Trophy.

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And finally: Peter Vecsey in the New York Post: “There’s nothing wrong with Laker fans genuflecting to Kobe [Bryant’s] unpredictable skills, astonishing hops and everlasting energy.

“I’m just wondering what supernatural feats Shaq must achieve to gain that same appreciation. If they love the present under the tree so much, you’d think they’d show appreciation for the tree.”