That’s What You Call Serious Tithing

Grant Hill and Christian Laettner, NBA players and former teammates at Duke, are lending a hand to a New Jersey Catholic high school in need of financial aid.

Hill, of the Orlando Magic, and Laettner, of the Washington Wizards, each have contributed $50,000 to Jersey City’s St. Anthony, a longtime basketball power that has won 23 state parochial championships.

The players were teammates of former Sacramento King Bobby Hurley on the Duke teams that won national championships in 1991 and 1992. Hurley’s father, Bob, has coached St. Anthony for several seasons, and is among those trying to raise $500,000 to keep the school open.

The elder Hurley said Hill and Laettner were not asked for the donations, but sent money after learning of the school’s plight.

Early retirement? Five players in their 40s have won on the PGA Tour this year, and none has mentioned retirement. Then there’s Colin Montgomerie.

Montgomerie, a seven-time top-money winner on the European Tour, will turn 40 in June and told the Sunday Times of London that he might quit the next time he wins one of Europe’s top tournaments.

“Very few players get better in their 40s -- very few,” he said. “If I can stay in the top 15 in the world, or even get back into the top 10, I’d be thrilled.”

He said a victory in a top event, such as the season-ending Volvo Masters in Spain, would be the perfect way to end his career.

Then again, Montgomerie threatened to pull out of the Ryder Cup because of an aching back, then went 4-0-1 at the Belfry last month, leading Europe to victory over the U.S.

Trivia time: Who holds the record for World Series career home runs?

The whiz kid: The legend of Angel rookie reliever Francisco Rodriguez, who has won five postseason games, is stretching across the country.

“He is Mariano Rivera in 1996, when John Wetteland was closing for the Yankees,” writes Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “What Rivera and Rodriguez share is an uncommonly direct approach that suggests they have early dinner reservations and mean to keep them.”

This dog can bite: Florida State football Coach Bobby Bowden wasn’t thrilled when oddsmakers made the Seminoles 10 1/2-point favorites over sixth-ranked Notre Dame, which comes calling Saturday.

“That’s really hard for me to understand,” Bowden said. “Of course, Notre Dame loves that. I heard one of their players last week on television saying, ‘I hope we’re underdogs again.’ I don’t know how many times they’ve been underdogs ... but they just keep winning.”

For what it’s worth: BetWWTS.com lists the Lakers as 13-10 favorites to win the 2002-03 NBA championship. Sacramento is next at 3-1, followed by Dallas at 29-4. The Clippers are tied with Seattle and Houston at 50-1.

For those hunch betters out there, Golden State brings up the rear at 300-1.

Trivia answer: Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees, 18.

And finally: From Bill Simmons, ESPN.com: “My favorite NHL Division is the Southeast: Washington, Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina and Atlanta. Lotta history there.”

-- Mike Terry