These Olympians Just Dive Right In

Ah, the hours of sacrifice, missing out on life experiences just to train for the Olympics.

For these wannabes, it all starts shortly after birth, and with any luck, they will cross the finish line first -- whether it’s on land or in the water.

But you won’t hear shouts of joy from the winners. Just this: “Oink!”

Apparently, the recent “Pig Olympics” were a big hit in Shanghai, drawing large crowds, according to the Shanghai Daily newspaper. Associated Press photos showed the Thai-raised miniature pigs “diving,” swimming and jumping through hoops.

It gives new meaning to bringing home the bacon.

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Trivia time: Who won the mixed doubles tennis title at the 2004 French Open?

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Webster’s whiz: Thirteen-year-old Finola Hackett of Tofield, Canada, became the national spelling bee champion in Canada after an intense competition in Ottawa.

Interestingly enough, the word that elevated her to first place was one that you would not use to describe any of the ambitious youngsters. The winning word?

Otiosity. Which means, among other things, idleness.

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Orange crush: The mobile communications company Orange let competitors in Sunday’s London Marathon select a sticker to wear, enabling them to spread an individualized message, or in some cases, a question.

According to BBC Sports’ website, the leading choice by the runners was “Show Me the Way to Amarillo.”

How could “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” possibly fall short?

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Hey ... thanks: In the aftermath of the latest New York Yankee-Boston Red Sox flap -- the incident involving a Red Sox fan and the Yankees’ Gary Sheffield -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell remembered a particular “correspondence” from an angry fan from out of state.

“Once I received a mocking e-mail from a Philadelphia sports fanatic who criticized me for ripping their [boorish] behavior,” Burwell wrote. “He retaliated by sneering at the behavior of the folks who come to Busch Stadium, mockingly calling the fans of Cardinal Nation ‘Stepford fans.’ ”

“At the time, I laughed at his wicked humor. In hindsight, I now understand it for what it really was. The ultimate compliment.”

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Trivia answer: The French team of Tatiana Golovin and Richard Gasquet. Last week, 17-year-old Golovin upset Venus Williams in the third round of the Family Circle Cup at Charleston, S.C., on her way to the semifinals.

The 18-year-old Gasquet also had a very good week in reaching the semifinals as a qualifier at Monte Carlo. He stopped the 25-match winning streak of Roger Federer, defeating him in the quarterfinals.

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And finally: Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson, on those wanting to manage his soccer team in Scotland, told reporters: “We have had dozens of applications, ranging from the top end of the scale to an unknown 25-year-old whose only selling point is that he owns a tracksuit.”