For Starters, Red Sox Haven’t Won Since 1918

Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe on the Red Sox acquiring Ramon Martinez to reunite him with his younger pitching brother, Pedro:

“Think about it Red Sox fans: Pedro and Ramon could be the Dominican Deans. When the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers in the 1934 World Series, all four games were won by the Brothers Dean.

“Old Diz won Game 1 and Game 7, and brother Paul won Game 3 and Game 6. Now close your eyes and try to imagine Pedro and Ramon winning all four games of the 2000 World Series for the Boston Red Sox. Heady stuff, no?”

Yes, Dan, no.

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Trivia time: Other than the Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis fight, how many heavyweight championship bouts have resulted in draws?

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Hoop fan: Houston’s Charley Barkley, a former Auburn star, is tuned into the NCAA tournament: “I’m going to skip a game if [Auburn] goes to the Final Four. I’m going to the Final Four. I don’t care if we’re playing the Lakers.”

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For the record, the Rockets play at Golden State on the Final Four date and are off March 29, the night of the championship game.

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Early exit: UCLA, Arizona and Washington all lost in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

It’s not unprecedented. In the 1985 tournament, four Pacific 10 teams--USC, Washington, Oregon State and Arizona--were eliminated in the first round.

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Compromise: Indiana University of Pennsylvania will retain Indians as the name of its athletic teams, but change its mascot to a black bear, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“The union of Indians and black bears will maintain a campus and town tradition for the school’s name without demeaning Native American people by having mascots portray them.”

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Who’s the fan? Kevin Kernan of the New York Post got worked up over the Knicks’ 76-63 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.

“If you look up the word “pathetic” in the dictionary this morning, there will be a picture of the Knicks. If you are a Knick fan, hang your head in shame.”

Yo, Kevin, you’re not serious are you?

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Clip and save: Blackie Sherrod of the Dallas Morning News quoting Cowboy owner Jerry Jones: “Without being overly optimistic, I can see Chan Gailey coaching this team 10 years from now.’

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Trivia answer: Three--1906, Tommy Burns vs. “Philadelphia” Jack O’Brien, 20 rounds; 1913, Jack Johnson vs. “Battling” Jim Johnson, 10 rounds, and 1983, Michael Dokes vs. Mike Weaver, 15 rounds.

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And finally: Woody Paige in the Denver Post: “As we all realize, the NCAA tournament is held annually to determine a champion--at the water cooler.

“Why is it that the company jerk who reluctantly kicks in 10 bucks and says, ‘I don’t follow college basketball’ always wins the $500--and doesn’t buy a round at the bar.

“That’s because those who believe they know hoops don’t know squat.”