Rodman Requires a Wife for This Party

Dennis Rodman turned up recently in, of all places, Sonkajarvi, Finland.

He claimed to have been vacationing but ended up as a guest of the Wife-Carrying World Championships, which were won by Estonia for the eighth consecutive year.

Rodman didn’t compete, he said, because he had no wife, which might explain why he was really there.

According to Finnish legend, wife stealing was once commonplace in the region, hence the contest.

The former NBA player could certainly have picked up a few pointers from winner Margo Uusorg, who with his better half draped over his shoulders, completed the 800-yard obstacle course in 59 seconds.

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Trivia time: Paul Lawrie won the 1999 British Open. What was significant about his triumph?

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Realistic: Former NBA star Charles Barkley on playing in this week’s 16th annual American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe:

“I understand that if I were any good, I’d be over in Scotland right now, getting ready for the British Open.

“My No. 1 goal is to win money in the casino.

“My No. 2 goal is to not hit anybody.”

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Tight-lipped: Clipper owner Donald Sterling was in Las Vegas last week, watching his team in a summer-league game. At halftime, he was asked by the Las Vegas Review-Journal whether Vegas was ready for its own franchise.

Sterling said he didn’t do interviews and hinted that he wouldn’t for a very long time.

“When we win the championship, I’ll talk,” he answered.

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Not meant to be: An unidentified fan bucks long odds by correctly picking a baseball player to homer on eight consecutive nights.

He needs only one more to win $10,000 and picks Miguel Cabrera of the Florida Marlins, who blasts a shot that just clears the home run stripe.

But the umpire blows the call and rules the ball still in play. After viewing replays, MLB.com, which sponsors the contest, realizes it should have been a homer but considers the umpire’s ruling final. Out of sympathy, a contest spokesman says, “a gesture of some kind” will be made to the fan.

Translation: Tough luck, kid.

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Reel of fortune: Pro bass angling, like NASCAR, is growing and branching out. Ten years ago FLW Outdoors, which runs one of two major tours, awarded $863,750 in prize money. This year, it is awarding $30 million to anglers competing in 214 events that will draw 70,000 participants.

The Forrest L. Wood Championship, which begins Wednesday in Hot Springs, Ark., will award $500,000 to the angler catching the heaviest five-fish limit. That will work out to $1,500-$2,000 per ounce, which makes one wonder whether they’re fishing for bass or goldfish.

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Trivia answer: Lawrie overcame a 10-stroke deficit in the final round, the biggest comeback in major championship history.

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And finally: Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Look, none of us wants Kenny Rogers at [tonight’s] All-Star game, but who’s going to tell him?”