A Weird Endorsement for the Raiders in L.A.

Now here’s a spin we haven’t heard before on the potential of Al Davis returning to Los Angeles:

Asked recently by “Business Week” whether Davis would be accepted in Los Angeles, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said, “Most of the public says hell, no. I guess there are some people who feel Al is now at the end of his life, and it seems like the Raiders are going to be the Raiders without Al Davis. That’s more palatable to some people.”

Let me see if I’ve got this straight. Tagliabue says we don’t want Davis here, but since it’s within the realm of possibility he will die within the foreseeable future, then it’s OK with us if the Raiders come back.

Intriguing. But I don’t buy it. Even when Davis eventually passes on, I’m guessing he’ll find a way to take the Raiders with him. It will probably involve a lawsuit.

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I loved the speech Phil Jackson delivered after Shaquille O’Neal was ejected from Saturday’s game at Portland. . . .

Although Jackson didn’t condone the Trail Blazers’ tactics that pushed Shaq over the edge, he said, “We felt like he had a responsibility to the team. He didn’t uphold that.” . . .

Too bad Shaq wasn’t paying attention. . . .

Jackson on driving in L.A.: “I’ve noticed what I’ve been calling a freeway-frenetic kind of jitters in people who live here. I understand now having been here and riding in five-lane traffic at 70 mph with bumper-to-bumper traffic and semis that there is a little bit of hyperactivity that goes on when people are cellular-speaking and trying to do multiple tasks while driving down the freeway. . . .

“I illustrated that to the players as one of the points I thought was the cause of their lack of concentration and focus. The freeway is the hallowed sacred spot that I enter with fear and loathing.” . . .

Jackson knows all about fear and loathing. He used to walk through Manhattan’s Lower West Side en route to Madison Square Garden when he played for the Knicks. . . .

Vlade Divac’s wife, Ana, appears in “Powder Keg,” a play about the conflict in the Balkans, at the Odyssey Theatre in West L.A. through Nov. 28.

I know what it sounds like in the age of overpaid, pampered ballplayers, but Darren Dreifort’s demand to remain a starter instead of becoming a reliever has nothing to do with ego. . . .

After coming out of the bullpen in 1994, his rookie year, he underwent reconstructive elbow surgery and missed the next season. He recovered physically but not psychologically. . . .

Dennis Gilbert, the former Beverly Hills agent who represented Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza and Jose Canseco, has at least temporarily joined the other side. . . .

He will deliver the Yankees’ side in arbitration hearings with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. . . .

The Yankees lost to both last winter, costing General Manager Brian Cashman points with George Steinbrenner. . . .

Why do fighters start training before dawn when their fights are at night? . . .

Evander Holyfield has asked the same question. Hearing no good answers, he has been working out at night for Saturday night’s fight against Lennox Lewis. . . .

Maurice Greene beat Ato Boldon in a sprint at the Sports Arena filmed by Konami America and House of Moves for a video game, “International Track and Field 2000.” . . .

Bobby Goldwater, Staples Center general manager, wants to bring an annual indoor meet to the new arena. The Millrose Games were one of his favorite events during 25 years in the executive offices at Madison Square Garden. . . .

The only sad news about having a major meet here is that Dave Osterman wouldn’t be covering it. The Orange Country Register sportswriter, who knew as much about track and field as any reporter I know, died Tuesday of a heart attack. . . .

Here’s a half-hearted vote for Charismatic as horse of the year. . . .

Win or lose, he’s not likely to complain. Retired to stud duty in Kentucky, he has been primping with Mane ‘n Tail Shampoo and will endorse the product in television and print ads. I couldn’t make this stuff up.

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While wondering if the Dodgers’ signing of Shawn Green means they can’t afford to pursue Alex Rodriguez, I was thinking: I wouldn’t want to be the broadcaster who has to say Marques Tuiasosopo about 100 times a game, the Clippers are the best 1-4 team in the NBA, I hope Holyfield-Lewis is better than O’Neal-Charles Barkley.

Randy Harvey can be reached at his e-mail address: randy.harvey@latimes.com