County Crew’s Flush With Pride After Mopping Up Olympic Competition

The Lakers aren’t the only local champs. A team of L.A. County sanitation workers has captured a national title in the Wastewater Olympics for the sixth time in nine years.

Lest you underestimate this feat, the sponsoring Water Environment Federation pointed out: “Skating, skiing and bobsledding are great, but will the competitors at the Winter Games in Salt Lake City ever face a sewer collapse?”

The Wastewater competitors, who wore colored team jerseys and hardhats, were judged on speed and accuracy in five events: maintenance, laboratory analysis, collection systems, process control and safety. (No need to go into more detail on the events, I’m sure you’ll agree.)

By the way, the Wastewater Olympics news release sent to The Times was addressed to Tim Rutten, this paper’s culture correspondent.

Does that say something of the state of culture in L.A.?

Unclear on the concept: Today’s puzzling exhibits (see accompanying) include:

* A company that claims its cheese comes from an unexpected source (Richard West of West L.A.)

* A gardening shop with an unusual solution for dead lawns (Joan Tandrow of Simi Valley)

* A one-of-a-kind mobile eatery (Jerry Lench of North Hills)

* A sale on a peculiarly situated piece of sidewalk (submitted by Roger Weinhouse of Manhattan Beach)

Unclear on the concept, part II: Dan Fink was driving on Hollywood Boulevard when he came upon a yard sale sign that said: “God Bless a Sale.”

All too clear now! A couple dozen Times readers telephoned, e-mailed, faxed and sent messages by carrier pigeon to point out that Wednesday’s column erroneously said that Lockheed’s P-38 Lightning fighter of World War II fame was a jet.

Back to the Lakers: Nobody can block out Shaquille O’Neal, not even Apple’s folks.

A 15-story-high mural of Shaq (bigger than life size) has been slapped on the side of a building at Olympic and Figueroa, the latest in Apple’s “Think Different” series. But the Lakers center has elbowed his way into the ad in such a way that only “nk Different” is visible.

Of course, grammar coaches would rather have Shaq blotting out the second word in the ad.

It should be “Differently.”

Attorneys and other critters: I’m still hearing addenda to the joke about why lawyers have replaced rats as the preferred subjects for lab research.

You’ll recall one answer: “There are more of them and you don’t get so attached to them.” And: “There are some things a rat won’t do.”

But attorney Eugene Lambert of Washington, D.C., says there is a problem using lawyers in lab tests. “No one is sure whether the results would be applicable to humans,” he said.

miscelLAny: Las Vegas’ Aladdin Casino recently filed for bankruptcy, so I shouldn’t be too nasty. But I heard a radio ad the other day in which the Aladdin bragged that it was the site of Elvis Presley’s marriage.

Interesting, but an important question was left unanswered: Was Elvis, like so many other Vegas visitors, married by an Elvis look-alike?

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.