Add Two Parts Ego and Watch Sparks Fly

Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times: “In honor of the Bill Parcells-Jerry Jones ego merger with the Dallas Cowboys, ESPN.com’s Jim Armstrong has come up with his top-10 list of sports’ all-time worst couplings. A sampling:

* “Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin, New York Yankees.

* “P.J. Carlesimo and Latrell Sprewell, Golden State Warriors.

* “Larry Brown and Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers.

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Trivia time: The first Rose Bowl game was played in 1902. What was the result?

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Wishful thinking: Troy Aikman, former Dallas quarterback, to Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on his reaction to the Cowboys’ hiring of Parcells as coach: “I can’t tell you how many times when I was playing, particularly later in my career, that I thought about how I’d like to be on Parcells’ team for at least a season.”

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Still dangerous: Tom Knott of the Washington Times on Michael Jordan:

“[He] turns 40 years old next month in what he has said will be his last season in the NBA. He no longer flies through the air with ease. He no longer evokes paralyzing fear in opponents.

“Yet he remains an awfully good player who is still capable of producing head-shaking moments on the basketball floor.”

For his play last week, Jordan was selected the Eastern Conference player of the week.

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Clip and save: Bill Lyon of the Philadelphia Inquirer has already determined the Super Bowl XXXVII matchup: the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders.

“They are both seeded No. 1. If form holds -- and it says here that it will -- they will win two home playoff games apiece, thus qualifying for the game the Birds have played only once in their mostly mottled history.”

The Raiders beat the Eagles, 27-10, in Super Bowl XV.

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Make him do it: Rick Morrissey in the Chicago Tribune: “Earlier in the season, Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel promised his players that if the Buckeyes won the national championship, he would get his hair braided into cornrows.

“Tressel getting cornrows is like Allen Iverson taking up polka music.”

Now that Ohio State has won the national championship, let’s see if Tressel remembers his pledge.

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Corny, but entertaining: Roger Brown of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Keith Jackson’s play-by-play calls during ABC’s telecast of the Fiesta Bowl:

“ ‘Cactus standing like silent sentinels in the Arizona desert?’ ‘A Buckeye breath-holder?’ Whew. You could fire up five pans of Jiffy Pop and not get that much corn.”

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Select category: ESPN the Magazine, announcing the world’s latest sports record: “Kansas City running back Priest Holmes has reached 1,000 yards faster than any player in NFL history named after a member of the clergy.”

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Trivia answer: Michigan defeated Stanford, 49-0.

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And finally: Jim Barach of WTVH-TV in Syracuse. N.Y., explaining the difference between Shaquille O’Neal’s wedding and a Laker game:

“His teammates actually showed up for the wedding.”

-- Mal Florence