Coaches Get Shaken, and Stirred, by Spying

As football season draws close, college and pro coaches are growing increasingly paranoid about spies.

Bill Parcells ordered a virtual shakedown recently of a high school coach taking notes at the Cowboys’ camp. Many college coaches have closed practices to the public for fear of secrets getting out.

This is understandable in the hand-held Internet and camera-phone age, but it’s nothing new. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram recalled the time George Allen, while coach of the L.A. Rams, hired a former police officer to patrol the camp perimeter.

His nickname: “Double-0,” in reference to agent 007, or James Bond.

“George knew you couldn’t plug every hole,” said Jack Pardee, who played for Allen. “That’s why he hired Double-0. And that’s why he brought Double-0 along with him to the Redskins when he left the Rams.”

It seems to have helped. Allen’s overall regular-season record was 116-47-5.

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Trivia time: Which major league pitcher recorded the most strikeouts spanning a decade, and how many did he have?

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A tour of his own: Golfer Harlan Lane, 78, told the Houston Chronicle that he shot his age or lower 58 times last year. He first did it after turning 65, when he carded a 63. His best round this year is a 70.

“It’s fun” trying to shoot your age, said Lane, a former club champion in the Houston area. “It’s like being in a tournament every day.”

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For Pete’s sake: Pete Rose told FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period” that the dark cloud over his head might have something to do with his April 14 birthday.

“I was born the day Lincoln was shot and the Titanic sank,” he said.

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Visual aids: Ricky Williams told the Miami Herald he had his first tattoo etched onto his left arm at Venice Beach when he was 16. Mighty Mouse caught his eye and he chose green and gold because they were the colors of his high school team.

“They way I look at them, it’s somewhat of a map,” Williams said. “You look down and you see a tattoo and it brings you back to a time in your life.”

In other words, it helps you remember where you’ve been, in case you forget.

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A scoreless tie? Soccer players from the Ingram Futbol Club in Centerton, Ark., played nonstop for 26 hours 15 minutes last weekend, hoping to make “The Guinness Book of World Records.”

The recognized record is 25:35, set in Berkshire, England.

Ingram’s two teams, Tyson and Snickers, played in consecutive 45-minute segments and the 35 members divided their field time to ensure they had enough food, water and sleep.

Afterward, player Kelly O’Connor stated the obvious: “The hardest 45 minutes were the last ones.”

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Trivia answer: Nolan Ryan had 2,678 from 1970 to ’79. Randy Johnson is second with 2,538 from 1990 to ’99.

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And finally: Bob Hille in the Sporting News on the return of college football: “The kids are on campus, getting ready for the season. I know because there’s a big ‘Back to School’ sale at the local bail bondsman’s.”