Playing It Where It Lies Could Be a Bear

The circus was in Eagle, Colo., for the Kobe Bryant hearing. The bears, however, are in Castle Rock, Colo., with the PGA Tour.

Wildlife officials say that, despite recent sightings, they expect four black bears that live near Castle Pines Golf Club to stay away when The International begins today.

Woody Paige of the Denver Post couldn’t help pondering what might happen if they decide to visit the course, designed by Jack Nicklaus -- the Golden Bear himself.

“Suppose Vijay Singh hooks his drive on the 10th hole into the rough, and he finds a bear holding his golf ball.

“Does Singh try to hit the ball out of the bear’s paw? Does he take an unplayable lie? Does he complain that female bears should not be permitted on a course where males play?

“If Rich Beem is surprised by a bear behind the 15th green, should he pull out a 3-iron, or is that too much club?”

And who will win the tournament anyway, Paige wondered, Jose Maria Olazabear?

Trivia time: From the U.S. Golf Assn. rules quiz: A ball enters a hole burrowed by an animal, the entrance to which is out of bounds, and comes to rest underground in bounds. Is the ball considered out of bounds?

Missed the news: Amid the media’s intense thirst for a new angle on the Bryant story, someone from CNN called Laker publicist John Black on Wednesday.

To request an interview with Chick Hearn.

The caller was a year and a day late. Hearn died Aug. 5, 2002.

Prices up again: Fans trying to buy Denver Bronco tickets online through Ticketmaster.com this week were offered “Special Half-Price Tickets,” the Denver Post reported.

For $999 each.

Plus an $8.10 “convenience charge.”

Bronco officials said a Ticketmaster computer glitch caused the problem, and those who purchased the $999 tickets will be charged the correct price, hardly a bargain at $250.

Plus that convenience charge, of course.

Miami nice: At this point, Dolphin fans miss Dan Marino more than they do Bob Griese.

But Brian Griese isn’t worried about following his father in Miami, where he is officially No. 2 behind Jay Fiedler.

“I’ve never felt pressure because my dad played here,” Griese told the Washington Post. “I followed John Elway in Denver and that was a lot of pressure. I couldn’t really imagine more pressure than that.”

And no rights fees: Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says August used to be a dull time in sports before the excitement of the fall -- the NFL, the pennant races, the big celebrity trial.

“Oops, the trial comes only every other year, kind of like the Olympics, except with fewer judging scandals,” Kawakami wrote.

Trivia answer: No. The ball is in bounds, because whether a ball is in bounds is measured vertically. The player may drop the ball without penalty within one club length of the ground directly above the ball’s position in the burrow.

And finally: One more question from the Denver Post about possible ursine visitors at this week’s PGA Tour stop:

“Will David Duval come out of hibernation?”

-- Robyn Norwood