Good Thing His Head Is Attached to His Body

From the pitcher who once sleepwalked naked out of his hotel room, the door locking behind him, and who once missed two starts because of an elbow injury suffered in the back seat of a cab, we bring you the latest in the wacky world of Brian Anderson.

The Cleveland Indian left-hander was in a rush to get to the team bus for Wednesday’s trip from Winter Haven, Fla., to Vero Beach, Fla., for an exhibition game against the Dodgers, and 20 minutes into the two-hour drive, “I thought, you know what? I don’t think I packed my spikes or my glove,” Anderson said.

He was right. When the Indians arrived at Vero Beach, Anderson borrowed a car and drove to a nearby Wal-Mart to buy a $28 glove and to a sporting goods store to buy a $63 pair of shoes, which he used during his three-inning stint against the Dodgers.

“This one is about in the middle,” Anderson told The Times’ Mike DiGiovanna when asked where Wednesday’s shenanigans ranked on his lengthy list. “This is the first time I’ve ever remembered my jockstrap and cup and forgot everything else. That’s what spring training is for, though.”

Trivia time: Who holds the record for most seasons leading the NBA in assists?

Tough list: Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times: “USA Today came up with a list of the 10 toughest things to do in sports. Surprisingly, getting a pro athlete to admit he is respected and overpaid didn’t make it.

“The top five: 1) Hitting a baseball thrown at 90-plus mph; 2) driving a race car at competition speed and not getting hurt; 3) pole vaulting 15 feet or higher; 4) hitting a golf ball far and straight, and 5) returning a 130-mph tennis serve.”

More Perry: “The score of the year so far in spring training: 114-113. And judging by all the shutterbugs who once dogged Ichiro, it was undoubtedly a photo finish.

“That’s the number of press credentials issued by the New York Yankees -- to Japanese and non-Japanese writers and photographers.”

Hard to do: Jim Armstrong in the Denver Post: “I don’t have a problem with hitting a baseball being No. 1 on USA Today’s list of the 10 hardest things to do in sports.

“But I’m sorry, flunking out of school when you play for Jerry Tarkanian has to be No. 2.”

Please, drink: Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle: “The highlight of J.T. Snow’s off-season was serving as water boy for the St. Louis Rams during a December game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

“The Giant first baseman told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat he flew on the team’s charter at the invitation of Ram radio analyst Jack Snow, the Rams’ pass-catching great who happens to be his father.

“During a timeout, Marshall Faulk said he didn’t need any water. Snow said: ‘Marshall you gotta hydrate. You gotta make me look good out here.’ ”

Trivia answer: John Stockton of the Utah Jazz with nine.

And finally: Michael Ventre of MSNBC.com on Team New Zealand’s loss in the America’s Cup final: “Who was the skipper? Whenever I hear that an established power suffers a major upset in international competition, I just assume it was led by George Karl.”