World Cup Controversy Is Brewing in Munich

German beer, brewed according to strict, centuries-old purity laws -- only water, barley, hops and yeast may be used -- is sacred in Munich, the city of the Oktoberfest.

But an American brew, of all things, has the good burghers up in arms.

Soccer’s World Cup will be played across Germany in 2006, and many a stein will be lifted. But in Munich, not a drop in those steins will be Augustiner, Spaten or any other classic Bavarian brau, at least not in or around the city stadium.

That’s because FIFA, the world soccer governing body, has an exclusive sponsoring contract with Anheuser-Busch.

The rallying cry in Munich is, “This Bud is not for us,” and local officials are trying to get Bavaria governor Edmund Stoiber to step in and do something. After all, would the French sit still for Gallo wine being the exclusive sponsor of the Tour de France?

Trivia time: What is the NBA playoff record for fewest points in a first quarter since the shot clock was instituted in 1954?

Class and gas: Former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra is building a $3.5-million gas station -- “the Taj Mahal of gas stations,” he calls it -- on 1.3 acres in Corona.

The station will have a colonial Spanish motif, a convenience store with mosaic floors and black granite countertops, Italian cherry-wood cabinetry, high ceilings with skylights, and chrome-framed windows and doors.

Writes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “This place is so classy, we hear, that there’s even a gold-plated chunk of 2-by-4 attached to the restroom key.”

Carwash adventure: Dykstra already has a carwash in Corona, and a promotion there not long after it opened in 1995 provided one of the funniest moments ever in sports-talk radio.

John Ireland and Steve Mason, doing a morning show for XTRA (690), had producer David Singer go through the carwash -- on the hood of a car. He took a cordless phone with him to provide play by play along the way. It was dumb, but funny.

“My biggest worry was that they would forget to turn off the hot wax,” Singer said later.

The food isn’t deadly: Karl Malone is a partner in a restaurant in Lake Forest called Kill Devils, with another scheduled to open soon in Temecula.

House specialties include barbecue sandwiches and frozen custard. The name of the restaurant comes from a town in North Carolina, Kill Devil Hills, near where the Wright brothers flew their first airplane.

Looking back: On this day in 1912, Fenway Park opened in Boston with the Red Sox beating the New York Yankees, 7-6, in 11 innings. Unfortunately for Red Sox fans, the victory did not establish a trend.

Trivia answer: Eight, by Utah against the Lakers in the first quarter of a second-round game in 1988.

And finally: Joe Torre on the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry: “I think everybody should have the opportunity to experience it -- sitting in the dugout. I think it’s probably safer in the dugout than in the stands.”

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