Looking Back, No. 2 Wasn’t All That Bad

Ed Bouchette in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “When Pittsburgh’s All-Catholic League football team was revealed in 1949, Dan Rooney of North Catholic was crushed that he made only second-team quarterback.

“All my teammates said, ‘How in the world could this guy beat you out?’ I thought the same thing. At least you knew it was on the level later on.’

“The guy who beat out Rooney was St. Justin’s Johnny Unitas.”

Bouchette pointed out that Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, finally caught up with Unitas when he joined him recently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Trivia time: What is the lowest winning score in the USC-UCLA men’s basketball series?

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Go Mom! Joan Benoit Samuelson, the first women’s Olympic marathon champion, in 1984 in Los Angeles, will try again at the age of 42--with urging from her children, Abby, 12, and Anders, 10.

She’ll compete in the marathon trials in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 26.

“I think they [her children] see this as a ticket to Australia,” Samuelson said. “I told them this is a ticket to South Carolina.”

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Poor timing: Wayne Gretzky in the New York Post on why Canadians reacted so negatively to a proposal for government aid to NHL teams:

“If you’re making $30,000-$35,000 a year and working your rear end off, the last thing I would vote for is giving a guy $5-million tax breaks.”

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Money standoff: Portland Trail Blazer President Bob Whitsitt, responding to Phil Jackson’s claim that the Trail Blazers have “the best team money can buy”:

“The Lakers have the best coach money can buy.”

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Strange brand? Mark Kriegel of the New York Daily News on Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban’s signing of Dennis Rodman: “Whatever he’s smoking, Cuban it’s not.”

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Timeless seer: Fox analyst Marv Levy correctly predicted Dick Vermeil would retire after the Super Bowl. Asked about his prognosticating skills, Levy said:

“I’m the guy who picked the Chicago Cubs to win the 1908 World Series, and I was right then, wasn’t I?”

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Who is this guy? Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun-Times: “The NHL Board of Governors heard a report on Michael Jordan’s bid to own 5% of the Capitals, the Washington Post says.

“After a background check, he is expected to be accepted formally. A background check?”

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More work-release programs: Jay Leno on the recent announcement that the XFL will begin playing pro football after the NFL’s Super Bowl in 2001: “Are there enough criminals to support two leagues?”

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Trivia answer: The Bruins won, 19-17, in 1932.

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And finally: Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News commenting on the Spurs’ 93-90 loss to Utah on Sunday, ending a six-game Jazz losing streak:

“The Jazz has always felt the Spurs were not only soft, but also goody-goody. Even when the Spurs were going 15-2 through the playoffs last season, the Jazz wondered what would have happened if they had met the soft goody-goodies in the playoffs.”

Goody-goodies? Do the Spurs sell Girl Scout cookies?