Here’s a Clause We Can Do Without

Reader Gene Brown calls to say that the Pacific Coast and Pacific 10 conferences also had no-repeat clauses for a time in their New Year’s Day Rose Bowl pact with the Big Ten.

It prevented undefeated UCLA from facing undefeated Ohio State in a national championship game on Jan. 1, 1955. Runner-up USC played and lost to the Buckeyes, 20-7, in the mud and rain. UCLA had played in 1954, losing to Michigan State, 28-20.

The rule was written after California played three years in a row, 1949-50-51, losing all three. After the Pac-10 and Big Ten rescinded the unpopular clause, USC (1967-70) and Ohio State (1973-76) each went to the Rose Bowl four consecutive times.

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Trivia time: Which team has lost the most times in the Rose Bowl?

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Nothing doing: When Randy Moss arrived at the Minnesota Vikings’ training camp after signing a $75-million contract, he refused to sign autographs. A fan appealed to team owner Red McCombs for help in getting Moss’ signature.

“I got one last week, but it cost me some money,” responded McCombs.

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Attn. McCombs: Jimmy Johnson, former Dallas Cowboy and Miami Dolphin coach, says, “Don’t give a player big money unless you know he is the kind of guy who will keep playing for it.”

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Broken record: Cleveland Indian Chairman Patrick J. O’Neill said of baseball’s financial problems, “Unless something happens, we’re all going to be out of business. When you have as many teams as there are losing money, something has to give.”

He said that Feb. 27, 1985.

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No A-Rods there: For a $4.7-million one-year contract, Hideki Matsui became the highest-paid player in Japan’s baseball history. An outfielder with the Yomiuri Giants, Matsui surpassed the $4-million record set by Ichiro Suzuki, now with the Seattle Mariners.

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Expensive relief: English Premier League soccer player Hayden Foxe was fined the equivalent of about $20,000 for urinating in a public bar after being ejected from a London nightclub.

“It was in a pot plant, out of people’s view,” said his manager, who added, “Obviously, if he could turn back the clock he wouldn’t do it again, he’d walk whatever distance it is to go to the toilet.”

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Say what? Murray Walker, dean of Formula One announcers, retired after September’s race in Indianapolis, but he will be forever remembered for his call of Michael Schumacher leading Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello.

“The car in front is absolutely unique, except for the one behind, which is identical,” he said.

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Trivia answer: Michigan, with nine losses, against eight wins.

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And finally: Syndicated columnist Norman Chad speaks out on the NFL’s instant replay:

“Instant replay should mean instant death. It doesn’t make things right, it makes things wrong. Plus, it’s disruptive and as we found out recently in Cleveland, it’s dangerous.

“How good of a job do you expect [officials] to do with someone looking over their shoulder? Let’s say you’re a heart surgeon. If the patient’s family is allowed two ‘challenges’ per operation, might you not be a little more nervous with that scalpel in hand?”