He’s a Good Bet for Induction in Canada

Pete Rose might be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame sooner than anyone expected.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, that is.

Rose, who played part of the 1984 season with the Montreal Expos and got his 4,000th career hit there, has been nominated for induction into the Canadian shrine.

A 16-member committee will begin evaluating the nominations of Rose and 45 others starting next week. Inductees to the St. Mary’s, Canada, shrine will be announced Feb. 24.

“From the baseball standpoint I could see the selection committee members having some reservations,” Canadian Hall of Fame President Tom Valcke told the London Free Press. “From the marketing side, [Rose’s induction] would go a long way in our awareness campaign.”

Said Rose: “Regarding any sincere recognition of my accomplishments, I’m all for it.”

Trivia time: Who holds the career record for Super Bowl rushing yardage?

Looking to the past: Many consider Randy Johnson to be a throwback, but even the Arizona Diamondback left-hander admits he would like to have competed in the era when Warren Spahn pitched (1946-65).

“The game is offensive-oriented right now. It’s a challenge to be a pitcher at the major league level right now. Those things tend to get overlooked,” Johnson said. “But the era of baseball that I enjoy watching and reading about is not the era that I actually play in now.”

Bet on it: Coach Arsene Wenger of Arsenal in the English Premier League said “gambling is cultural in England” although he won’t allow his players to be involved in high-stakes card games for fear of ruining team morale.

Recently there was talk of one unidentified Premier League player who had to write a $48,000 check to settle a debt incurred on a team flight home.

“Like every pleasure, though, the point is to make sure it doesn’t get out of control,” Wenger said. “You can have 10 people who drink one glass of red wine and an 11th who will drink three bottles.”

Fan frenzy: The Hall of Fans, a permanent exhibit in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, will soon honor its newest members, including Charles Ybarra of the Bay Area.

Ybarra is better known as “Darth Raider” and is described as someone who “leads fellow Oakland Raiders’ fans in cheers, while striking fear into the hearts of opponents.”

Striking fear? Doesn’t that label fit most Raider fans?

Tattoo you: In his “Weak in Preview” column for FoxSports.com, Randy Hill writes: “Speculation stirred by Anna Kournikova’s mystery tattoo increases when it’s reported that the ink in question reveals her home phone number. But inside sources believe that the controversial tattoo is something obscene ... like her WTA ranking.”

Trivia answer: Franco Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers, 354 yards.

And finally: Andy Katz of ESPN.com lists former UCLA and current Georgia Coach Jim Harrick as one of his coach of the year candidates: “Georgia is playing tenacious defense and finding ways to score from all over the court. They, too, are a title contender.”