Berman Called Them as He Saw Them

In the two-hour “Silver Anniversary Special” airing on ESPN at 5 tonight, one segment is devoted to Chris Berman’s nicknames for players.

Of his nickname, pitcher Dennis “Upper” Eckersley says, “That’s not real flattering, you know what I mean.”

Bert “Be Home” Blyleven was more fond of his nickname.

“What it meant to me as a pitcher was that I wanted my teammates to be home by 11,” he says.

Sour notes: In another segment of the ESPN special, describing a rendition of the national anthem by Carl Lewis, former SportsCenter anchor Charley Steiner says, “It was written by Francis Scott ‘Off’ Key.”

Trivia time: Bert LaBrucherie was a highly successful coach at what Los Angeles high school before becoming UCLA football coach in 1945?

Rapping Kobe: In a rap recording being played by XTRA and other stations, part-time rapper Shaquille O’Neal takes a shot at rapper Skillz as well as a former Laker teammate.

Skillz’s rap on O’Neal: “Ninety-nine free throws and you won’t hit one. When you’re at the foul line I feel bad for you, son.”

O’Neal’s retort: “Even with wings you never fly as me. You remind me of Kobe Bryant, tryin’ to be as high as me. But you can’t, even if you’re getting me traded.”

A direct hit: “Punch Drunk” read the headline on the back page of the New York Post on Sunday, referring to the announcement that New York Yankee right-hander Kevin Brown would undergo surgery after breaking his left hand by hitting a wall.

“Knife Going, Buddy,” read an inside-page headline.

More rips: The Yankees won Sunday after 3-1 and 2-0 losses to Baltimore. After being shut out Saturday, the Post called them the “Blankees.”

Baseball columnist Jay Greenberg, referring to Brown’s overhand left, wrote in Sunday’s Post: “He should have used a bat, since for the second straight game his teammates found no practical use for them.”

Who was that? Fans of Petros Papadakis’ daily radio show on KMPC might have wondered who that fellow was working as the game commentator on Fox Sports’ coverage of Sunday’s Fresno State-Washington game. The guy on TV sounded normal.

Looking back: On this day in 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive major league game, surpassing Lou Gehrig’s 56-year-old record. Ripken received a 22-minute standing ovation and later homered in Baltimore’s 4-2 win over the Angels.

Trivia answer: Los Angeles High. According to reader Doug Hays of Glendale, LaBrucherie’s last loss in the prep ranks was in 1942 to a Fremont team with Gene Mauch at quarterback.

And finally: UCLA alumni cheerleader Geoff Strand, trying to fire up the Bruin fans at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, yelled, “Come on, you haven’t done anything all day.”

A voice far up in the stands replied: “Neither has the defense.”

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