This List Leaves You Bowled Over

Hal Bock of Associated Press recalls some of the “not so dearly-departed” postseason bowl games:

“There were one-year wonders, such as the Bluegrass Bowl, played in 1958 at Louisville, and the Aviation Bowl, hosted by Dayton in 1961. ESPN Classic never shows clips from the 1937 Bacardi Bowl at Havana or the Dixie Bowl at Birmingham in 1948-49.

“May they all rest in peace, alongside other short-lived events such as the Cigar Bowl in Tampa, the Camellia Bowl in Layfayette, La.; the Delta Bowl in Memphis, the Raisin Bowl in Fresno, and of course, the Salad Bowl in Phoenix.”

Trivia time: Which team holds the Pacific 10 record for fewest yards gained in a bowl game?

Quack, quack: Bud Geracie in the San Jose Mercury News on the greatest hits of 2002. A sampling:

* “The Oregon Ducks have a player named Mallard.

* “New offensive coordinator Mike Sanford fits Stanford almost to a T.

* “While watching Olympic curling, it occurred to me that I should get the crew over here to sweep the garage.”

Ah, parity: Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle with some sports predictions for 2003:

* “All 32 NFL teams finish the season 8-8. Satisfied, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue retires.

* “The Pete Rose reinstatement agreement hits a snag when Rose demands to be enshrined on his Hall of Fame plaque wearing a Golden Palace Casino hat.”

Royal pain: A plan to name a street after boxing promoter Don King is in for a fight, with critics complaining there are more deserving people.

The proposal, which would designate a stretch of Mississippi Avenue as Don King Boulevard, was pulled from the City Council agenda by sponsor William Marsh, who said he would submit it again at a later date.

Before doing so, Marsh heard complaints from two residents.

“I grew up on Mississippi Avenue and I never saw him on my playground,” Joseph LaTorre said. “I never saw him do anything here until he became famous.”

Marsh wants the designation to honor King for the boxing matches he has promoted with Atlantic City casinos.

In addition to slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Atlantic City has streets named for former Mayor James L. Usry and former firefighter John Seedorf -- who died in the line of duty -- among others.

Looking back: On this day in 1966, UCLA defeated Michigan State in the Rose Bowl game, 14-12. The Bruins had lost to the Spartans in a season-opening game, 13-3.

Trivia answer: USC, 41 yards against Alabama in the 1946 Rose Bowl game. Alabama won, 34-14.

And finally: Jon Heyman in Newsday: “Whew! We can all sleep easier today, knowing the Yankees locked up an eighth top-drawer starting pitcher, and it’s no less a talent than All-Century qualifier Roger Clemens.

“While awaiting completion of this long-discussed deal, I confess I was starting to overload on Sominex, so restless was I that they’d have to live with a starting rotation only seven times better than everyone else’s.”

-- Mal Florence