Mariucci Should End the Lions’ Road Rage

Before Steve Mariucci was hired Tuesday as the Detroit Lions’ coach, Tom Fitzgerald of the San Francisco Chronicle offered this bold prediction:

“The Lions will improve on Marty Morninhweg’s road record over the last two years: 0-16. The only Detroit figure to have a worse record on the road lately is Diana Ross.”

More Fitzgerald: “I understand Fox is filming a new show at the 49ers’ headquarters along the lines of ‘The Bachelorette’ but with a twist,” said reader Greg Fong of San Jose. “A football team wants a new coach and lines up a bunch of candidates.

“Each day one of the candidates turns down the team.”

Trivia time: Besides Jon Gruden, who is the other Dayton graduate to coach his team to a Super Bowl title?

Crystal ball: From Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune: “I never would have picked the Raiders to win [the Super Bowl] if I had known they were going to kick their center off the team.

“If somebody had told me Barret Robbins wouldn’t play, my prediction would have been Bucs 48, Raiders 21.”

Long hours: After Sunday’s NHL All-Star game became the first to be decided by a shootout, following a five-minute overtime, Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times observed:

“Thank goodness Bud Selig wasn’t on hand, or he might have called the game a tie after the second Zamboni oval.”

Not happening: Jon Heyman of Newsday, responding to reports that the baseball players’ union has begun to discreetly use the word “collusion” in connection with this off-season’s contractual talks:

“I have my own ‘C’ word in response to the union’s suggestion that owners are acting in concert to keep salaries down. And that is: Ca-Razy, as in nuts. Senseless. Loco.

“Commissioner Selig has told friends he has ‘not one scintilla of concern’ regarding the union’s request for ownership notes pertaining to this off-season’s dealings. That’s because the union is missing one thing, and that is a case.”

Aging fast: Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, on the San Francisco Giants’ signing of Andres Galarraga:

“What, they don’t know he’s 142 in Cat years?”

Name game: Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune wonders what the White Sox have planned next after Comiskey Park was renamed U.S. Cellular Field: “Maybe [owner Jerry] Reinsdorf is considering an annual Comiskey Memorial Ticket Price Increase.”

Looking back: On this day in 1991, Dave Taylor of the Kings had two assists in a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to become only the 29th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points.

Trivia answer: Chuck Noll, with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And finally: Who better to speak about LeBron James’ recent mishap in his $50,000 Hummer then Steve Hummer, columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution?

“You may have read that James backed into an 88-year-old woman the other day. But here’s the rest of the story: To better prepare him for the good life in the NBA, the old lady was called for the blocking foul.”

-- Rob Fernas