In 60 Years, He Left No Stone Unturned

Dallas Morning News columnist Blackie Sherrod has retired after a career of nearly 60 years. He once said of a heavyweight contender:

“He has everything a boxer needs except speed, stamina, a punch, and ability to take punishment.

“In other words, he owns a pair of shorts.”

More Sherrod: On an auto wreck involving hard-living quarterback Bobby Layne:

“After indulging in some heavy, late-night research with some scholarly friends, Bobby was driving back to his hotel, innocently enough, when he was sideswiped by several empty cars lurking at curbside.”

Trivia time: How many Lakers have been named the NBA’s most valuable player?

Thank goodness: Kansas basketball Coach Roy Williams told the Kansas City Star he’s impressed with Arizona’s talent, but he says there’s one thing missing from the Wildcats:

“They don’t have that one 7-foot monster with one eye in the middle of his head and smelly armpits.”

Getting involved: Holly Robinson Peete, the actress wife of Carolina Panther quarterback Rodney Peete, says women shouldn’t stand for being football widows.

They should sit and watch the game, which why she is writing a book about it.

“It’s kind of like a diary of a football wife and how to survive the season,” she told the New York Daily News.

“If more women knew about the game and could get into the strategy, they wouldn’t be hurt every Sunday when they become a widow.”

Goal operation: City police in Vancouver, Canada, say 20 sets of goal posts have been stolen from city parks since last fall with replacement costs topping $30,000 Canadian (U.S. $19,500), and six sets have been lifted in suburban Richmond, apparently for sale as scrap metal at 10% to 25% of the original cost.

The thieves even hit a soccer field across from City Hall in Richmond, said Gord Barstow, parks operation manager for the suburban municipality.

“Aluminum doesn’t weigh that much, but I guess it’s found money to them,” Barstow said.

Sorry, Charlie: Veteran Dallas Cowboy running back Emmitt Smith, when asked on the “Best Damn Sports Show Period” about new Cowboy Coach Bill Parcells:

“I have not talked to him, but I have been eating a lot of tuna.”

Looking back: On this day in 1996, the Chicago Bulls won their 17th consecutive game with a 105-85 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

The Bulls improved to 40-3, an NBA record for most victories with three losses, passing the 1971-72 Lakers, who had a 39-3 record.

Trivia answer: Three: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975-76, ‘76-77, ‘79-80), Magic Johnson (‘86-87, ‘88-89, ‘89-90) and Shaquille O’Neal (1999-2000).

And finally: Former NFL defensive end Pat Toomay told the Dallas Morning News about spending the final three years of his 10-year career with the Oakland Raiders:

“You don’t have to be convicted of a felony to play there. But it helped.”

-- Mal Florence