Too Bad He Didn’t Keep the Peach Baskets

John Naismith, grandson of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, is touring the country with the first draft of rules his grandfather drew up in December 1891.

Naismith is negotiating with the Smithsonian Institution about selling the original rules to the Washington museums for $5 million.

A couple of excerpts from the 1891 rule book:

* Rule No. 2 -- “The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with a fist.)”

* Rule No. 5 -- “No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed.”

Hey, how’s Rick Fox supposed to be able to play when he recovers from foot surgery?

Trivia time: What NBA expansion team qualified for the playoffs in its first season?

Throw a flag: A game of flag football in a physical education class at Adams High in South Bend, Ind., turned ugly recently, and the incident figures to end up in court.

The game apparently escalated from flag to tackle, and Alex Stanton, 15, was dragged down and two or three players landed on him. Stanton told the South Bend Tribune that teacher Pat King was watching and “laughing and giggling” when other players were tackled.

Before writing this off as another frivolous lawsuit, note that Stanton’s mother took him to the hospital after he complained about difficulty breathing.

He had suffered a lacerated spleen and liver, bruised intestines and internal bleeding.

Pain game: The Chicago Tribune’s Jim Harding, noting that participants who completed the Chicago Marathon could show their finisher’s medal at the United Center and get a free ticket to a Blackhawk game: “After 26.2 miles, haven’t those people suffered enough?”

Gimme a break: Houston is planning a weeklong Super Bowl celebration highlighted by an Olympic-style opening ceremony at Reliant Stadium.

CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz, a University of Houston graduate, came up with the idea and has been working on details with former President Bush, the event chairman.

“As a veteran of three Olympic Games,” Nantz said, “remembering the majesty of the opening ceremony, this will be our version.”

Just what the world needs ... more Super Bowl hype.

Yule cheer: Was something missing from Christmas last year? If opening gifts, eating too much and hugging family members isn’t enough to fill your Dec. 25, take heart: The Blue-Gray All-Star Football Classic has returned after a one-year absence to enliven Christmas Day.

The 65th edition of the game -- which features college seniors hoping to catch the eye of pro scouts -- is back with a new sponsor and a new home, Troy State’s renovated Movie Gallery Stadium.

Trivia answer: the Chicago Bulls.

And finally: Ken Caminiti, to the Houston Chronicle after serving a sentence for a drug conviction: “That was a real eye-opener for me. Walking down the corridors in prison and having people walk up and say, ‘Hey, Caminiti, sign my crack pipe.’ ”