Rockies Not Exactly on Road to Glory

The Colorado Rockies have a 4-26 record away from home. Not since 1916 has a major league team -- the 3-25 Philadelphia Athletics -- started with a worse road record. The Denver Post’s Troy Renck adds perspective:

“Woodrow Wilson presided over the United States. ‘Down Honolulu Way’ was a popular song. Fortune cookies were invented by a California noodle maker [and] Babe Ruth was a player, not a candy bar.”

More lore: The Athletics went 36-117 in 1916, with players such as Nap Lajoie, Stuffy McInnis and Rube Oldring. Writes Renck: “Baseball was like that back then, laced with cool nicknames. At least they sounded good when they played bad.”

Trivia time: The 2,225-mile Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu is celebrating its centennial in July. Where was the race’s original start and why did it change?

For what they’re worth: The 2005 “Forbes’ Celebrity 100” issue hits newsstands today. Taking the top spot among athletes was Tiger Woods, whose $87 million in earnings helped place him second overall to Oprah Winfrey ($225 million).

The top female athlete was Maria Sharapova ($18 million) at 57th overall. Serena Williams (No. 62), Venus Williams (81) and Lindsay Davenport (87) finished ahead of the lone golfer, Annika Sorenstam (89).

Twenty-five male athletes qualified, including Shaquille O’Neal (5), Lance Armstrong (15), Michael Jordan (16), Kobe Bryant (19), David Beckham (26), Phil Mickelson (47) and LeBron James (53).

Tough call: When Thursday’s earthquake struck, racetrack announcer Vic Stauffer was in the middle of calling the day’s second race at Hollywood Park.

“We are in the midst of an earthquake,” Stauffer suddenly announced before adding, “By the way, folks, I want you to know that I love you all and horse racing was my first love.... I better make this my greatest race call.”

When Dark Beauty, the eventual winner, neared the finish in a close duel with runner-up Pleasant Thunder, Stauffer said, “These two come to the wire in a shaker. It’s a photo. I don’t know who won nor do I care.”

Sub-par performance: A golfer was charged with driving while under the influence after flipping his cart on the 16th hole of River Golf Course in Keystone, Colo. His blood alcohol level was .077, prompting Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times to write, “Or, as defense lawyers prefer to call it, .003 under par.”

Trivia answer: San Francisco was the site of the first biennial race in 1906, but when founder Clarence MacFarlane of Honolulu sailed his 48-foot schooner into the Bay Area port he found the city in ruins after the now-infamous earthquake. Los Angeles became the new starting point.

And finally: Scouring online newspapers in search of quirky news and amusing anecdotes for Morning Briefing, there is no escaping the relentless barrage of popup ads, which usually contain a clue about the communities served by the publication.

For example, you know what kind of rural haven you’ve reached when logging onto Wyoming’s Casper Star-Tribune earns you a $25 gift certificate -- for Bullwinkle’s Bait & Tackle.