Former Football Player Has a Lot of Nerve to Say This

Marcus Allen is one of several sports celebrities playing in a charity golf tournament over the Fourth of July weekend at Lake Tahoe. It turns out, he’s no different from the rest of us on the course.

“I’ve played before 100,000 people in the Rose Bowl and the Super Bowl and never been nervous playing football,” said Allen, the former USC and NFL running back.

“But I’ve been nervous over a three-foot putt. My hands were shaking.”

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Trivia time: Who won the last Formula One race in the United States?

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X-cellent trivia: According to Howe Sportsdata, Angel minor leaguer Abel Xicotencati is the first player in professional baseball whose last name begins with an X since Joe Xavier retired in 1990.

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Move over, soccer: CricInfo (https://www.cricket.org), the world’s leading cricket site, draws more than 50 million page views a month.

“There is a huge expatriate following in the United States who regularly visit the CricInfo site to follow their favorite team, gain a sense of community, and feel more connected to home,” said executive Ramesh Jain.

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It’s not boxing: Said Canadian bobsled Coach Ive Ferriani on gold medalist Pierre Lueders:

“Pierre is a fighter and I am a fighter and together we will be stronger.”

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Big difference: Philadelphia’s Terry Francona, who was Michael Jordan’s manager at double-A Birmingham, on Kevin Jordan filling in at third for Scott Rolen:

“Luckily, we’ve got a guy named Jordan. This one doesn’t jump as high, but he hits the curveball a little better.”

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Weighty bid: Swiss officials are taking nearly three tons of material to this month’s International Olympic Committee session as part of a final push to get the 2006 Winter Olympics for Sion. Carrying the load to Seoul, where the host city will be chosen, will be a delegation of 350.

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Sounds easy: Juan Montoya, who came from Colombia as a road racing specialist, didn’t endear himself to his fellow CART drivers when, after winning two oval track races, he said:

“Learning to drive an oval is not that hard. It’s only two corners.”

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Father knows best: When Ken Griffey Jr. was in a slump recently, the Seattle Mariner asked his father, now the Cincinnati hitting coach, for some advice.

As Junior left the batting cage after a lengthy session, Ken Sr. had a parting shot: “On those last three or four, you were swinging like your mother.”

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Trivia answer: Ayrton Senna of Brazil, at Phoenix in 1991.

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And finally: St. Louis Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire is not among those favoring interleague play in the major leagues. He says:

“It doesn’t do anything for the game. It screwed up the schedule and hasn’t gained the notoriety they thought it would. I think we should go back to the way the game of baseball is meant to be played.”