It’s All Rubbish: Miami Has No Class

Michael Irvin, who played college football at Miami, said recently on Dan Patrick’s ESPN radio show that before you can play for the Hurricanes you have to take a class in trash talking.

Miami tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., a guest on Patrick’s radio show this week, was asked, “Did you have to take that class?”

Winslow: “No, I’ve always been a trash talker.”

Patrick: “So I guess you’re now in graduate school for trash talkers.”

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Trivia time: The Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins combined for 17 runs in Game 1 of the National League championship series Tuesday night. What is the postseason record for most combined runs?

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Schooling needed: The New York Giants’ Jeremy Shockey probably didn’t take any classes in religion when he was a tight end at Miami. He blasted fans for leaving Giants Stadium early Sunday, when the Giants lost to the Miami Dolphins, 23-10.

Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reported that John Mara, the Giants’ vice president, acknowledged that many fans might have made an early exit to get home before sundown for the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.

“[Shockey] is not going to be close to being aware of that,” Mara was quoted as saying.

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Another viewpoint: Giant co-owner Wellington Mara, quoted by Schwartz: “My response is, what’s he doing looking in the stands? That’s my job.”

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The teacher: Dusty Baker’s 4-year-old son Darren is staying away from the home plate area this year, but he has new problem. Ira Berkow of the New York Times reported Darren came over to his dad with gum in his mouth and complained he couldn’t blow a bubble.

“You can do it,” his dad said. “Put your tongue in the middle and make a little space and blow.”

The gum almost spilled out of Darren’s mouth.

“Try again,” Baker said. “Keep practicing. It’s only a matter of time.”

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Voice of reason: After the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League championship series, Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe wrote: “Red Sox fans needn’t overreact. Think of this [best-of-seven-game] series as a presidential election. Your candidate just won the New Hampshire primary, but the race is far from over.”

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More reasoning: Before Game 1, Red Sox Manager Grady Little told the media, “I don’t think we’re battling the Curse of the Bambino here. We’re battling the New York Yankees, and this group of renegades I’m putting out there, they don’t care.”

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Trivia answer: 29. Toronto beat Philadelphia, 15-14, in Game 4 of the 1993 World Series.

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And finally: Randy Hill of foxsports.com says, “According to reports out of New York, Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter has a bum shoulder that could require postseason surgery. Yankee insiders believe Jeter injured the shoulder while shrugging it during meetings with George Steinbrenner.”

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.