At Least He Gets the Gravity of Situation

T.O. always did stand for Terrell’s Orbit.

And, like it or not, many people are getting pulled into it. The furor keeps building after the controversial “Monday Night Football” promo involving Eagle receiver Terrell Owens and an actress from “Desperate Housewives.”

San Jose Mercury News columnist Ann Killion joked about the source of the outrage.

“It must be because Owens didn’t reach for his Viagra or Levitra before [Nicollette] Sheridan dropped her towel,” she wrote. “What an outrage that someone missed that kind of opportunity for cross-promotion!”

Owens, of course, has the best sense of his place in the cosmos and seemed unsurprised that he landed front and center in the newspapers.

“I always make the front page,” he told reporters.

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Trivia time: What was the score of the 1950 game between Ohio State and Michigan, also known as the Snow Bowl?

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Web-free: Apparently the loss of the Internet, and its often addictive games, has prevented some Finnish men from completing a six-month term of service in the military.

“For people who play games all night and don’t have any friends, don’t have any hobbies, to come into the army is a very big shock,” Commander-Captain Jyrki Kivela, a recruitment officer, said on a BBC news website.

You can just see the protest signs: No video poker, we won’t go.

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Doughnut lite: The Sporting News spoke with Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris about his activities -- among them, running Super Bakery Inc. -- and asked whether there was really such a thing as “a healthy doughnut.”

“Ours are the first nutritional doughnuts -- and we believe the best-tasting on the market,” Harris said. “They are made from a dough that includes protein, minerals and vitamins. There’s no refined sugar or flour ... and yes, it’s fun to promote this oxymoron.”

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Swift exit: You certainly don’t expect such repercussions after winning a soccer game, 7-0.

Despite beating Hong Kong by that lopsided score Wednesday in a World Cup qualifier, China is going to fire Coach Arie Haan, the players were apparently in tears on the way to the bus afterward, and the team was greeted with some hard headlines in the newspapers.

The Beijing Youth Daily: “Chinese football kills itself.” The Beijing Daily Messenger: “China washed up.”

So, what happened?

China needed to score two more goals than Kuwait. Kuwait advanced to the next qualifying round by defeating Malaysia, 6-1.

“I am empty inside,” Haan told reporters. “This is one of those moments in sport that are very difficult.”

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Trivia answer: Michigan 9, Ohio State 3, in a blizzard in Columbus. Some key numbers to consider: Reports had the temperature at 10 degrees and the wind gusting to 27 mph.

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And finally: Michigan running back Michael Hart, to the Detroit News, on venturing into enemy territory Saturday at Ohio State: “I love being booed. To me, there’s nothing better than that. I’d rather get booed. It gives me a lot more incentive.”