They Wrote the Sheet on How to Cheat

Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, in an interview with ESPN the Magazine, accused Coach Jim Tressel, his staff and school boosters of providing free use of vehicles, bogus grades, no-show jobs and thousands of dollars in cash.

“Excuse me for laughing,” wrote Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “but those seem like petty violations to me. I’m from Texas. We invented cheating in college football.

“Based on what I read, Ohio State needs lessons on big-time cheating.”

Trivia time: In 1955, Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers led the National League in runs batted in with 136 and hit 42 home runs. But he was second in the most-valuable-player voting. Who won the award that year?

Wrong time and place: Bob Costas, a guest of Jess Atkinson on his AOL.com audio show, offered his viewpoint on the ABC cross-promotion skit involving Terrell Owens of the Philadelphia Eagles and Nicollette Sheridan of “Desperate Housewives.”

“It’s just plain stupid,” Costas said. “What’s offensive about it is its inappropriateness.

“If you were the edgiest, most avant-garde person there is, you don’t go to your grandmother’s house on Thanksgiving and toss out all that stuff while she is carving the turkey. You don’t do it, not because you are ashamed of that material, but because you understand that it has a time and a place.”

A different view: Bret Lewis of KFWB sees irony in ABC’s use of “Desperate Housewives” for an opening to a football game.

“Why are housewives desperate?” Lewis asked. “Because their husbands are ignoring them and watching football.”

Trash talking in golf: Nick Faldo, a guest of Van Earl Wright and Andrew Siciliano on XTRA, was asked why the Europeans have taken over the Ryder Cup competition.

“We’re just better,” Faldo said. “We’re just awesome golfers, you know.”

Odd couple: There’s no telling where the ubiquitous Bill Walton is going to show up next. Walton and Fat Albert, played by actor Kenan Thompson, have taped a promotion for NBA All-Star balloting that will be shown on television and in Loews theaters beginning Wednesday.

In the spot, Fat Albert, outdoing Walton with fancy basketball maneuvers and an incredible shot, goads him with: “Hey, hey, hey -- what did I say?!”

Looking back: On this day in 1962, Bill Wade of the Chicago Bears, a former Los Angeles Ram quarterback, passed for 466 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-33 victory over Dallas.

Trivia answer: Teammate Roy Campanella, who had 32 home runs and 107 RBIs. What hurt Snider was that a Philadelphia sportswriter, new to the baseball beat, didn’t include him among his top 10 MVP candidates.

And finally: “I love the media,” NBA Commissioner David Stern told Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald. “Couldn’t live without them. Have some trouble living with them, but couldn’t live without them.”

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