He’d Like to Give All Three the Boot

Carolina Panther punter Todd Sauerbrun apparently won’t be attending a Gramatica family reunion any time soon.

Sauerbrun was already angry at Tampa Bay’s Martin Gramatica for the way the Buccaneer kicker celebrated after his four field goals gave the Buccaneers a 12-9 victory over the Panthers last month.

Then Sunday, after Tampa Bay won the rematch, 23-10, Sauerbrun said Gramatica’s youngest brother taunted him outside the locker room after the loss.

“That kid is as big of an idiot as his brother,” Sauerbrun said, “and I’m sure his other brother is too. It goes right down the line.”

Bill Gramatica, the middle brother, kicks for the Arizona Cardinals.

Martin Gramatica had to be restrained from going after Sauerbrun after Sunday’s game.

“One hundred percent of the people that know him don’t like him,” Gramatica said. “I don’t respect people like that.”

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Trivia time: What year was the Hockey Hall of Fame established?

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Elephant freestyle: Japanese swimming coach Akiko Endo has given new meaning to the concept of a sabbatical. The 22-year-old has become the first female elephant driver, taking a break from her day job in Japan to learn the art of riding the huge creatures in Thailand.

“I had always liked elephants but became attracted by their charm,” she told the news agency Kyodo. “They are sensitive and clever. They read a person’s thoughts. No matter how well you ride them, they will not adapt themselves to you unless you really love them.”

There are some limits, though. Endo sticks to riding female elephants because the males have bad tempers.

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Big business: The more goalposts ripped down, the better for Neil Gilman, president of Gilman Gear. After all, if the posts fall, they have to go back up.

“I keep a real sharp eye on where goalposts go down,” Gilman told Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. “I’m always rooting for the underdog.”

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Stupid penalty tricks: There’s nothing like a long trip to make a hockey player cranky. But Teemu Selanne’s discontent had more to do with the San Jose Sharks’ penchant for landing in the penalty box.

“I don’t know why we don’t learn,” Selanne told the San Francisco Chronicle. “If we don’t learn, we are stupid. I think we should be [hacked] off.... I’m [hacked] off. That’s ridiculous. We have to find a way to get smarter.”

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Apple-mania: Associated Press compiled a list of the 10 most memorable Apple Cups, the yearly games between Washington and Washington State.

No. 10 was the 1942 game, a 0-0 tie. When WSU’s Nick Susoeff dropped what was called a sure touchdown pass, it was called “the $100,000 miss.”

In those days, that was what the Rose Bowl paid to each competing school.

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Trivia answer: 1943.

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And finally: French soccer coach Guy Roux, on the difference in funding for the sport in Britain and France:

“In Britain, there are rich men who dare to say they are rich. In France, someone who gets rich is immediately in fear of going to prison. But in Britain, he builds a football stadium.”