. . . and He Was So Hungry He Could Eat a . . .
Jockeys are notorious for dieting to keep their weight under control. Silver Charm trainer Bob Baffert, who was a jockey before becoming trainer, had a unique one.
“Once I decided to go on a chocolate eclair diet because I liked chocolate eclairs,” he told Pasadena Weekly. “I’d eat one for lunch, one for dinner. I did that for about a week.”
Which might be why he became a trainer.
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Trivia time: Who holds the NHL record for penalty minutes?
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Youth movement: The hottest new name in soccer is Vincenzo Sarno, who apparently has received $75,000 from Torino of the Italian second league for his future rights.
You haven’t heard of him? Maybe it’s because he is only 10 years old. Torino said it offered the boy’s family a house in Turin and a chance for Vincenzo and his brothers to play with Torino’s junior teams.
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Most popular: The Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers missed making it to the Super Bowl, but two of their stars, Viking rookie receiver Randy Moss and Packer quarterback Brett Favre, are the biggest money makers for Pro Player Inc., based on generating retail sales for player likeness and caricature merchandise.
Favre had been No. 1, but was surpassed by Moss this past season. Moss was responsible for 14.4% of all sales involving NFL players.
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Old school spirit: Auburn’s winning basketball team is finally getting the same adulation usually reserved for the football team. How do we know?
The trees at Toomer’s Corner have been toilet-papered after basketball victories.
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It’s called progress: The Toronto Maple Leafs will play their final game in the 68-year-old Maple Leaf Gardens on Feb. 13, and it won’t be a happy moment for Boston Bruin Coach Pat Burns.
“Some of the players don’t realize it, but it’s one of the last old buildings left,” Burns said. “I’m sorry to see the old lady go, it’s a great place to play in.”
The Maple Leafs are moving to the new Air Canada Centre.
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Fair enough: Mitch Lawrence in the New York Daily News: “The Knicks were absolutely right to bring in Latrell Sprewell because everybody deserves a 22nd chance.”
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Trivia answer: Dave “Tiger” Williams, 3,966 minutes--equal to more than 66 games--in 962 games.
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Trivia follow-up: By contrast, in 1,465 games, Wayne Gretzky has only 569 penalty minutes.
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And finally: Shaquille O’Neal’s problems with free throws have been well documented. Wilt Chamberlain had the same problem. He tried to solve it by going to a psychiatrist.
“After six months the psychiatrist could shoot 10 for 10, but I was still screwed up,” Chamberlain said.