It’s Not the Kind of Inside Stuff Fans Want to See

Tom Cushman in the San Diego Union-Tribune on NBA plans to put television cameras in dressing rooms at halftime:

“Will this be a total-access situation, one including urinal areas? And will we see the trainers’ room--where clumsy camera people may disturb napping superstars?

“If you’re expecting to see coaches at blackboards diagraming plays, forget it. There aren’t any plays, only players.

“As for inspirational halftime oratory, forget that too. Coaches wouldn’t want to interrupt guys who are on cell phones consulting brokers or making postgame plans.”

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Trivia time: When did the UCLA men’s team first play in the NCAA basketball tournament and what was the result?

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Not-so-subtle hint: Women’s Sports & Fitness magazine reports that when Brooke Shields and Andre Agassi were married, Agassi taped a photograph of Steffi Graf on their refrigerator to remind Shields to get into shape.

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Slow, slow motion: Atlanta Brave hitting coach Marv Rettenmund on country singer Garth Brooks’ swing: “He starts into the hitting area slow, then slows it down more.”

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A no-hitter: Boxer Vinny Pazienza pleaded no contest recently to charges that he tried to punch a police officer in Rhode Island.

“Because the punch missed so badly, the judge ordered Pazienza to undergo career counseling,” said Michael Ventre of MSNBC.

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Getting serious: Gary Shelton in the St. Petersburg Times: “Not to say the NFL has had a problem with felons as of late, but I understand the Bucs are considering hiring Tommy Lee Jones as a scout.”

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High anxiety: From David Letterman’s “Top 10 Things You Don’t Want To Hear On A Ski Lift”:

* “Wow, you don’t get views like this in prison.”

* “Over there in the trees--did you see the glint of a rifle barrel?”

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Nothing has changed: The Football Museum in Preston, England, has acquired a jersey from the first international soccer match, England versus Scotland at Glasgow in 1872.

Museum spokesman Kevin Moore noted that the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

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Mayor’s ball? Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street, who irritated women at a recent NCAA Women’s Final Four news conference with a condescending remark that he meant to be funny, is trying to make amends.

To prove he is a good sport, he has challenged WNBA star Dawn Staley of the Charlotte Sting to a one-on-one match. She accepted and they will play April 2.

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Trivia answer: 1950, when the Bruins lost to Bradley, 73-59, in a West Regional semifinal game at Kansas City, Mo.

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And finally: In a ceremony at Overbrook High in Philadelphia, the late Wilt Chamberlain became the first player to have his jersey retired by the Harlem Globetrotters.

“A lot of people talk about Wilt Chamberlain on the girls’ team,” said Patricia Whittingham, a 16-year-old Overbrook junior. “He’s like our role model too.”

Did any of them read Wilt’s book?