Rooney Would Fit Right in at Augusta

Andy Rooney, the 83-year-old “60 Minutes” commentator, appeared recently on MSG Network’s “Boomer Esiason Show” and caused a stir with this comment relating to “Monday Night Football”: “The only thing that bugs me about television’s coverage is those damn women they have down on the sidelines who don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.

“I mean, I’m not a sexist person, but a woman has no business being down on the sidelines trying to make a comment about a football game.”

Comment from Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: “If Rooney was specifically pointing to ‘MNF’ sideline reporter Melissa Stark--and it sure sounds as if he was--he’s being even loopier than usual.”

Stark has been called the “consummate pro” by John Madden.

More Rooney: Jon Saraceno of USA Today, on what Rooney really meant to say:

* “Why aren’t the Giants starting Y.A. Tittle?”

* “When did they stop using leather helmets?”

Trivia time: Which school leads the nation in bowl victories?

Spooky place: On Fox’s “The Last Word With Jim Rome,” Minnesota Twin first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz said of the noise inside the Metrodome: “That’s the first time in my life that I realized sound had feel.”

On the other hand, he said, “In ’99 we could hear a guy buying a hot dog in the upper deck.”

Reason enough: What keeps Penn State football Coach Joe Paterno going at age 75?

Son Jay, the Nittany Lions’ quarterbacks coach, told the New York Times, “He’s got 11 grandchildren, all under the age of 8. I think he’s scared to death being home with all of them at one time.”

Vicious: George Easterbook of ESPN.com: “The curly horns on St. Louis helmets should be replaced with a curlicue letter Q--for Quitters.... St. Louis played with no heart [against the 49ers] and, trailing in the fourth quarter, lackadaisically strolled up to the line on offense making no attempt whatever to hurry up for scores.”

Seventy-nine years later: Steve Kroner of the San Francisco Chronicle points out that if California beats USC today at the Coliseum, the Bears will accomplish something they haven’t done since 1923, when they had a four-game road winning streak over the Trojans.

Of course, that was Cal’s “Wonder Team” that was in the midst of an overall five-year unbeaten stretch.

Two more wins: San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ray Ratto, on why “most longtime Giants fans know this is the absolute worst time to be a Giants fan.

“They will remind anyone who asks about the ’85 Dodgers and Blue Jays, who won the first two games of their respective playoff series with the Cardinals and Royals at home but still crashed and burned.”

Trivia answer: Alabama, with a 29-19-3 record. Runner-up is USC, 25-15-0.

And finally: Tim Tucker in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “So, for the 11th time in 12 years, the team with the best regular-season record will not win the World Series.

“The Giants were the, count ‘em, ninth different franchise to eliminate the Braves since ’91.”