Thus We Now Have the Name ‘Fall’ Classic

Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette commenting on the World Series:

“[It] is upon us, and already there are yawns. What once was America’s greatest sports spectacle -- the October classic -- has declined to the point there must be something special about it to attract our attention....

“In retrospect, the World Series is not much more special than the NBA Finals....

“It has fallen so far that someone on one of the national talk radio shows was wondering if the first game of the Series would draw better television ratings than the Notre Dame-Air Force football game.”

Trivia time: What is USC’s largest margin of victory in football?

Class by himself: Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune commenting on 40-year-old wide receiver Jerry Rice of the Oakland Raiders: “When you take everything into consideration -- skill, work ethic, statistics, longevity, domination, scoring touchdowns and winning championships -- Rice’s credentials are beyond impeccable. They are staggering....

“Run out the statistics of all the great athletes in all the sports. Rice is long gone, way past everyone in the numbers racket.”

Toe strategy: Isiah Thomas knows a team that can beat the Lakers. Unfortunately for him, it’s not the Indiana Pacers he now coaches; it’s the Detroit Pistons he once played for.

In an interview with Florida Today, he was asked a key question: “Who covers Shaq?”

Thomas: “He wouldn’t play. He has that arthritic toe, and [Rick] Mahorn and [Bill] Laimbeer would have stepped on it.”

Now you know: The arrest of Chicago Bull forward Marcus Fizer on a weapons violation reminded Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune that Scottie Pippen was arrested on a gun charge in Chicago about a decade ago.

“Afterward Michael Jordan, one-upping Pippen as usual, was waving his gun around the locker room,” Smith said. “Thus was born the term ‘morning shoot-around.’ ”

Easy game for some: Martin Fennelly in the Tampa Tribune on Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Donovan McNabb: “The man strikes Favre-like fear into Bucs fans. The man made some Bucs give up in last year’s playoff game.

“The year before that, coming to the line against the ice-cold, beaten Bucs, McNabb was laughing. That still stokes some pewter fires. It was overblown. It was simple.

“ ‘I have fun out there,’ he said.”

Trivia answer: 80-0 over Pomona in 1925. The lowest winning score is 3-0 over 21st Infantry in 1917.

And finally: Mickey Hershkowitz of the Houston Chronicle commenting on Yao Ming: “How good is [he]? How much will he improve the Rockets? How long will it take him to change the game?

“No one knows yet, of course, but we are prepared to find out. What we do know is this: He is 7 feet 5 and weighs 287 pounds. He can dunk the ball without leaving his feet, and on an average night he can block between five and 10 shots....

“Somehow you doubt the Great Wall of China will turn out to be a disappointment.”

-- Mal Florence