He Likes the Outcome, Just Not the Event Itself

Not everyone thinks a college football playoff would be good. Among them is Chuck Lyon, coach of College of the Canyons, which a week ago won the state junior college championship.

The Santa Clarita school upset the nation’s No. 1-ranked junior college, City College of San Francisco, 39-32, last Saturday in a heavy fog at Visalia, Calif.

College of the Canyons became the first California junior college to go 14-0 by winning four tough playoff games after finishing the regular season 10-0. Canyons beat No. 20 El Camino, No. 5 Grossmont and No. 6 Saddleback to advance to the title game.

“A four-game playoff is too much,” Lyon said. “Our players are trying to earn scholarships and move on and need more classroom time. I’d be in favor of one bowl game, maybe two, after the regular season.”

But Lyon isn’t complaining too hard about the playoffs.

“I did like the result,” he said.

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JC powerhouse: City College of San Francisco has played in the state championship game seven times since the current playoff system was adopted eight years ago. And it has won the state title four times.

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Trivia time: Pedro Martinez is the ninth Cy Young Award-winning pitcher to sign with the New York Mets. How many of the eight others can you name? (Hints: Two won the award while with the Dodgers, one won it while with the Angels and another was a two-time winner who starred at Reseda Cleveland.)

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Good reason: Richard Codey, the acting governor of New Jersey, told Mike Francesca and Chris Russo of New York’s WFAN that Joe Torre was interested in investing in a new minor league baseball team.

Codey said Torre told him, “I want to be an owner so I can hire George Steinbrenner as the manager.”

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Out of touch: New York Jet Coach Herm Edwards told Van Earl Wright and Andrew Siciliano on XTRA that he didn’t own a cellphone. He said when he leaves his office, he doesn’t want anyone calling him.

“What if your wife needs you?” asked Siciliano.

Replied Edwards: “She can drive over here [to his office] and say, ‘Honey, it’s time to come home.’ ”

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Avoiding a trap: Tiger Woods, asked by Nancy O’Dell of “Access Hollywood” whether he’d given golf lessons to his wife, model Elin Nordegren, said, “I’m going to stay away and let the instructor handle it. You know, that’s how divorces start.”

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Trivia answer: Warren Spahn, who won the award in 1957; Dean Chance, 1964; Mike Marshall, 1974; Randy Jones, 1976; Bret Saberhagen, 1985 and ‘89; Orel Hershiser, 1988; Frank Viola, 1988, and Tom Glavine, 1991.

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And finally: Deion Sanders, never a paragon of unselfish team play, had some harsh words for Kobe Bryant on James Brown’s Sporting News radio show.

“Kobe has broken all the rules in regards to players’ camaraderie, their fraternity,” Sanders said. “He has broken every rule you can think of.”

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