It’s a Script the Brits Have Read Before

They live and die with every half volley and cheer wildly when their man wins. But for all the stiff upper lips on “Henman Hill” -- the grassy slope outside Wimbledon’s Court 1 where Brits give in to their patriotic impulse to root for home-grown hero Tim Henman -- pessimism persists.

“To tell you the truth, I think they expect him to choke in the second week,” London resident Darren Pollard told the Washington Times.

Not a bad bet, considering Henman is a four-time semifinalist who has yet to win the tournament.

“He’s got the motivation, but not the talent,” said Katie Legg, from Braintree, Essex. “It’s very hard being a [British tennis] fan. You’re devoted to these one or two players all the time. And you end up disappointed.”

Trivia time: Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic, who knocked defending champion Lleyton Hewitt out at Wimbledon, is a long way from becoming the tournament’s most successful qualifier. Who holds that honor?

Name game: Bank One Corp.’s mega-million dollar arrangement to sponsor the Chicago Bears is another bit of the signage of the times.

“Bank One will bring its customers and our fans new opportunities and enhanced services,” Bear President Ted Phillips said, without specifying the enhancements, unless he’s talking about lots of billboards around a refurbished Soldier Field.

The deal shouldn’t surprise Windy City natives. Some people think the city government has been for sale for decades.

The edge: Syracuse’s Carmelo Anthony, who should go to Denver at No. 3 in today’s NBA draft, has been training with Los Angeles-based fitness guru Gunner Peterson.

Peterson -- you might recall -- was summoned to Philadelphia by Jennifer Lopez while she was on vacation with Ben Affleck. Presumably, Lopez didn’t want her boyfriend to lose his buff in the land of cheese steaks.

Some rivalry: Interleague play is a boon in cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and the Bay Area, and even the all-Florida Series and all-Canada Series have some appeal. Then, as Dave Krieger of the Rocky Mountain News points out, you have the Rockies and Tigers.

“The All-Cities-That-Begin-With-The-Letter-D Series. When you consider how long we’ve waited for this, it brings tears to your eyes.”

The real story? Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens reportedly sent advance approval to the Mets’ Shawn Estes to throw at him last season in retaliation for Clemens’ 2000 beaning of Mike Piazza.

The Newark (N.J.) Star Ledger reported that Clemens, knowing Estes was assigned to get retribution, sent word through go-betweens that “I feel bad for Shawn. Tell him not to worry about it.”

Estes hit a home run and beat Clemens, 8-0. He failed to hit Clemens, but threw a pitch behind him in the third inning.

Trivia answer: John McEnroe reached the semifinals in 1977.

And finally: Mike Bianchi in the Orlando Sentinel: “Roger Clemens going into the Hall of Fame as a New York Yankee is like George Harrison going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Traveling Wilbury.”

-- John Weyler