Force to Be Reckoned With? Not Exactly

Jerry Glanville, the University of Hawaii’s new defensive coordinator, told the Honolulu Advertiser that his visit last year with U.S. troops in Iraq was what brought him back to football.

“Every 19-year-old kid in the cavalry asked me to come back and coach,” said Glanville, a former NFL coach. “I knew that if I got home, I was going to coach -- not pro football, but college football. This is the greatest generation of kids who ever lived.”

His enthusiasm may wane after a few games: Hawaii was 116th out of 117 Division I-A teams in total defense last year.

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Trivia time: On this day in 2001, Boston’s Hideo Nomo shut out the Baltimore Orioles, 3-0, and became the fourth pitcher to throw a no-hitter in both the National and American leagues. Who are the other three?

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Not high on the hog: Enough about what players have been putting into their bodies. How about fans? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has unveiled its top-10 list of “vegetarian-friendly ballparks” and the Bay Area’s SBC Park and McAfee Coliseum are Nos. 1 and 2. Veggie dogs, vegetarian sushi, soybean pods, mushroom sandwiches and tofu burgers are some of the top choices.

Dodger Stadium, home of the Dodger Dog, and Angel Stadium are not on the list.

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Want to get away? John Michael Montgomery’s rendition of the national anthem before a recent NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was one for the ages. He was off-key, stopped during an Air Force flyover and was booed for failing to remove his cowboy hat. If that weren’t enough, he stumbled often and eventually fell from the stage.

The country music singer later apologized on his website, saying he was suffering from acoustic neuroma, a condition that affected his hearing and equilibrium.

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Sensible old salts: Transpac sailing officials are offering defibrillator training seminars for competitors in this summer’s 2,225-mile race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, and at least one crew will attend.

“We’re going to be miles from anywhere out there and it’s just the right thing to do,” said Lloyd Sellinger, 72, skipper of the Cal-40 Bubala, pointing out that his youngest crew member is 66.

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“Dangerous” and fat: Tennessee boxing authorities say they’ve made strides toward improving the state’s reputation for being an easy place to get a fight, but one look at the recent “Music City Mayhem” card says otherwise.

Five boxers were 35 or older and three had career winning percentages of less than 20%. In one corner in the featured bout was “Dangerous” Danny Wofford, 43, standing 5 feet 7 and weighing nearly 300 pounds, with a record of 17-99-2. In the other was former champion Tony “TNT” Tubbs, 47, at 45-10-0.

Said the Nashville Tennessean’s John Glennon of Wofford: “He looked as if he’d spent more time in the buffet line than in the gym preparing for the bout.”

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Trivia answer: Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan.

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And finally: PGA Tour veteran Tim “Lumpy” Herron was asked by Golf World magazine to name his favorite workout. Herron’s response: “I like to fish, but it’s the fish who gets the exercise.”