Neuheisel Has Him Hot Under the Collar

Woody Paige of the Denver Post ripped former Colorado Coach Rick Neuheisel, now coaching at Washington, for recruiting violations that resulted in NCAA penalties against Colorado, referring to him as “Neuweasel.”

“He is a creative cheater and a coaching charlatan,” Paige said of Neuheisel, the former UCLA quarterback. “Neuweasel is a disgrace to the university that took a chance and gave a 33-year-old assistant with no college head coaching experience a magnificent opportunity to lead a successful program and ultimately made him a rich and famous man.”

Neuheisel has been barred from off-campus recruiting for the Huskies until May 31, 2003.

Trivia time: What is the PGA Tour record for the longest sudden-death playoff?

Upsetting: Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Says Jeff Kent’s agent, Jeff Klein: ‘Jeff Kent is going to explore the [free-agent] market and would be flattered to be considered by the Dodgers.’

“I’m going to explore the Safeway market to find a new paper bag to barf in.”

More Ostler: “The Mets need a break from the Bobby Valentine high intensity-type manager. My pick would be Willie Nelson.”

Says it all: Bernie Lincicome in the Rocky Mountain News: “Maybe no other sport has quite the variety and bluntness as ice hockey, my favorite T-shirt summary of the sport being, ‘If You Die, We Split Your Gear,’ although my preferred bumper sticker is ‘My Son Cross-Checked Your Honors Student.’ ”

The real reason: Jay Leno, explaining why President Bush gave Monday’s speech in Cincinnati: “He was in Cincinnati to declare the Bengals’ stadium a disaster area.”

Golfer’s best friend: Retired L.A. Times columnist Chuck Hillinger has this golf story: “A friend, Jim Killough of San Pedro, always brings along nuts to feed the squirrels at Harbor Golf Course--a city course.

“Recently while playing in his every-Friday five-some Killough made a long putt on the par-three eighth hole. As the ball neared the hole and was about to stop an inch or two from going in, a squirrel ran up and pushed the ball into the hole. We were amazed.”

Trivia answer: Eleven holes in the 1949 Motor City Open. Cary Middlecoff and Lloyd Mangrum were declared co-winners by mutual agreement.

And finally: Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun-Times: “Mike Scioscia as manager of the White Sox? It could have happened, former Dodger general manager Fred Claire says. In the mid ‘90s, Sox General Manager Ron Schueler called to ask permission to talk to Scioscia.

“It was fine with Claire, but Scioscia declined because he felt he needed more seasoning as an instructor and minor-league manager.

“ ‘It was typical of Mike to have a plan to get the experience he felt he needed before taking a job, even though his goal was to manage at the major league level,’ Claire said. ‘I felt he would and should be manager of the Dodgers one day.’

“The irony is that after managing in the Dodgers’ minor-league organization, Scioscia was let go and now finds himself managing the Angels in the American League championship series. Everybody knows where we can find the White Sox, of course.”