Can’t Spell Cat? Don’t Even Try Revisionist

Terry Bradshaw retired as a quarterback after the 1983 season, but he is still pretty good at backpedaling. He has sure changed his tune about New York Giant Coach Tom Coughlin, now that the Giants have won four games in a row.

During the first week’s edition of “Fox NFL Sunday,” Bradshaw called Coughlin a jerk.

Sunday, he said, “This is a live show, and I never should have called him a jerk.

“I never met the man. My point was primarily based on the fact that I think that no white socks, feet flat on the floor, no flip-flops and silly rules like that for grown men are no good. ... Now the team is winning and hats off to Coughlin. He’s doing a wonderful job.”

Add Coughlin: Some NFL coaches give players a “victory Monday” off, in addition to their regular Tuesday off.

“We’re not ready for that,” Coughlin told Fox’s Pam Oliver. “A couple of weeks ago [after a victory], one of the guys yelled, ‘See you Wednesday.’ And I said, ‘No, no, we’re not getting started on that one.’ ”

Trivia time: Former USC tight end Charles Young was honored after the first quarter of the Trojans’ game against California on Saturday because of his impending induction in the College Football Hall of Fame. Young went to the same high school as former Trojan defensive back Tim McDonald. Name that school.

One way to look at it: “There was plenty of glory for Cal in the 23-17 loss to the Trojans,” wrote Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle. “On the list of heroic, honorable Cal defeats, wherever that list is kept, Saturday’s game will be inscribed near the top.”

Old joke: Citing this quote from Cal safety Ryan Gutierrez -- “I feel we could beat those guys nine times out of 10” -- Ostler added: “That would be a damaging quote on the USC bulletin board next year, if the Trojans could read. (Just kidding, USC. Fight on!).”

At least Ostler didn’t dig up the old Jim Healy line and call the Trojans “brain surgeons.”

No grammarian: The 1-3 Kansas City Chiefs had an open date Sunday, but that didn’t keep CBS’ Shannon Sharpe from ripping them on “The NFL Today.”

“The only thing Kansas City is going to win is a barbecue,” Sharpe said. “They’re not coming back to win no AFC West.”

And Sharpe isn’t going to win any contests for proper English.

Looking back: On this day in 1967, Rico Petrocelli hit two home runs to lead the Boston Red Sox to an 8-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and force a Game 7 in the World Series.

Trivia answer: Edison High in Fresno, where McDonald is now the head coach. The assistant head coach is another former Trojan defensive back, Matt Johnson.

And finally: The Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves conclude their series in Atlanta tonight. Game 2 of the series in Atlanta drew 40,075, more than 10,000 short of a sellout. Three sports events in Los Angeles on Saturday drew more than 200,000. And there is an NFL team in Atlanta, and not L.A.

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