Ironically, the Others Give Him an Icy Reception

Woody Paige in the Denver Post: “My hobby requires that I hang around NHL, NBA, NFL and major league baseball players. As a boy, I happily idolized a lot of them. As a man, I sadly loathe a lot of them.

“Except hockey players. Will Rogers would never meet a hockey player he didn’t like.

“Take a goon to lunch. You’ll like him.

“This is a broad generalization, but so many football, basketball and baseball players are jerks and creeps who act as if the world owes them fame, fortune, free cars and obeisance.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the record for most seasons leading the NBA in free-throw percentage?

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Failure inevitable: Nick Canepa in the San Diego Union-Tribune: “It may be a novelty item in the beginning, but sooner or later the XFL is going to be the ex-XFL.

“Eventually, it will go the way of its ancestors, which can be found in the NFL’s recycle bin.

“Because you can only go with the bells and whistles for so long. In the end, it will come down to football. And the fledgling professional league isn’t going to be good football, nor will its smell of testosterone be any greater than Lombardi’s game.”

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More XFL: Ed Sherman in the Chicago Tribune: “I can only imagine what Bob Costas and other longtime staffers of NBC Sports must have thought about their division stooping to WWF levels Saturday. It couldn’t have been a proud moment.”

Actually, Ed, since Costas has appeared on WWF telecasts in the past, he probably wasn’t all that embarrassed.

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Original analogy: Salt Lake City Olympic chief Mitt Romney, a devout Mormon, on the flap over making a church-owned Olympic celebration plaza alcohol-free for the 2002 Winter Games: “You don’t borrow a barbecue grill from a rabbi to cook pork chops.”

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Anything he wants: Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Let’s say Tiger’s knee injury had been worse. For the whole season, he can swing but can’t walk. Do you suppose the PGA would rethink its position on motorized carts?”

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Minor exaggeration: Blackie Sherrod in the Dallas Morning News: “Someone suggested Bobby Bowden might have 27 pro prospects on his Florida State roster and drew a quick response. ‘That’s not true!’ said the coach. ‘Maybe 26.’ ”

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Trivia answer: Bill Sharman of the Boston Celtics, seven.

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And finally: Chris Gatling of the Cleveland Cavaliers, on the joys of returning from a long trip: “I don’t feel anything. I live across the street in the hotel. I like the road.

“I’m sure for the rest of the guys it’s good to see their wives, kids and families. I see the receptionist and the maid. ‘Hey, you’re back.’ ‘Yeah, I’m back.’ That’s my thrill.”