Maybe They Never Really Dug Sanders

Randy Hill of Foxsports.com on CBS football commentator Deion Sanders’ interest in coming out of retirement to play for the Oakland Raiders:

“In his prime, it was presumed that Sanders had the ability to prevent a 7-Eleven from being open. Even on fumes, his presence could do, well, something, for a crippled Oakland secondary.

“However, Raider [executive] Bruce Allen is questioning Deion’s sources. ‘We’re not interested in hiring Deion,’ Allen said, ‘because we don’t have our own studio show.’

“Allen’s statement seems to contradict the Raiders’ Commitment to Excavation, a policy that embraces potential contributions from fossilized superstars.”

The Raiders won’t get a chance to sign Sanders, who was claimed off waivers by five teams Tuesday.

Trivia time: What school has won the most Las Vegas Bowl games?

No pain, no gain: The Denver Post’s Jim Armstrong says he feels the pain of the NBA’s young guns: “NBA superstar Tracy McGrady has a chronic bad back, and he’s in his mid-20s. Hey, I can relate, bro. I had to pop a couple of ibuprofens to make it through this column.”

Closed-door policy: Chicago Blackhawk owner Bill Wirtz blames NHL players for driving up ticket prices and causing fans to stay home.

“We’re in the family entertainment business, and a lot of families can’t afford to go to a hockey game anymore,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “Not only in Chicago, throughout the league.

“But we don’t charge what we charge because we want to. We charge what we have to. The players keep wanting more and more. Pretty soon they’ll want the key to my door. Well, God bless ‘em. I love them all. But I love my door even more.”

Add Wirtz: Wirtz, hinting at the likelihood of a work stoppage when the NHL collective bargaining agreement expires in 2004, somehow managed to take a shot at former Bull coach Phil Jackson.

“Read Phil Jackson’s autobiography. What a colossal ego,” Wirtz said. “The coach and players should get everything, and nobody else gets anything. That’s bull. Got to stop.”

Looking back: On this date on 1971, Garo Yepremian’s 37-yard field goal in the second overtime gave the Miami Dolphins a 27-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the AFC playoffs. At 82 minutes 40 seconds, it’s the longest game in NFL history.

Looking back again: On this date in 1999, Hawaii beat Oregon, 23-17, in the Oahu Bowl to mark the greatest single-season turnaround in NCAA history. The Rainbow Warriors went from 0-12 in 1998 to 9-4.

Trivia answer: Nevada Las Vegas and Utah have each won twice. The Rebels beat Central Michigan, 52-24, in 1994 and Arkansas, 31-14, in 2000; the Utes beat Fresno State, 17-16, in 1999 and USC, 10-6, in 2001.

And finally: The NFL Scrooged the Jacksonville Jaguars this year. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the league nixed the team’s tradition of painting a Santa Claus hat on the Jaguar head on the 50-yard line at Alltel Stadium. Bah humbug.