Series Win by Sox Made His Life Complete

Al Lopez, the manager of the 1959 Chicago White Sox team that lost to the Dodgers in the World Series, died Oct. 30, four days after the White Sox won the World Series by sweeping the Houston Astros.

Mike Downey, in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune, reported that, according to Al Lopez Jr., his 97-year-old father was very much aware on his deathbed in Florida that the White Sox had won the World Series and he was very happy.

“I don’t know if there is such a thing as a timely death, as opposed to the untimely ones of which we so often hear,” Downey wrote. His conclusion: “I doubt if anybody really dies happy, but some do go happier than others.”

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Trivia time: What baseball Hall of Famer was drafted out of college by four teams in three sports?

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Colorful analogy: TBS commentator Charles Davis, during the first half of USC’s 51-21 rout of Stanford on Saturday night, said: “Let’s say you were contracted to paint all the seats in this stadium. You would say, ‘Where on earth do I begin?’ That’s what defensive coordinators think when they look at game tape of USC’s offense.”

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No objectivity here: Matt Leinart, who as a Heisman Trophy winner gets to vote this year, told TBS’ Davis in a taped halftime interview, “I get a first-, second- and third-place vote. I can promise that there will be three USC players on those ballots.”

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No help: Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets, who played the Lakers on Sunday night, was on the USC sideline Saturday.

“Carmelo Anthony can throw up his average to Stanford’s score,” said TBS play-by-play announcer Ron Thulin, “and they’d still be trailing USC.”

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Same teams, different looks: When Stanford was trailing, 37-0, in the first half, USC radio announcer Pete Arbogast said, “Can that be the same team that led UCLA, 24-3?”

Yes, and the UCLA team that lost to Arizona, 52-14, Saturday was the same team that came back to defeat Stanford, 30-27 in overtime, to remain undefeated.

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Ouch: Fox’s Jimmy Johnson, on Tampa Bay quarterback Chris Simms: “He’s a sack waiting to happen. ... He throws too many little dink passes.”

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Public turning off: Even before the weekend developments, the public was pretty much fed up with Terrell Owens. An ESPN.com survey that came out Friday asked this question: “Are you tired of Terrell Owens?”

Of 62,470 votes, 82% were yes, 18% no.

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Looking back: On this day in 1991, Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for the AIDS virus and was retiring from the Lakers.

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Trivia answer: Dave Winfield, a first-round pick by the San Diego Padres in 1973, also was drafted by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, the ABA’s Utah Stars and the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.

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And finally: Of the Clippers’ 3-0 start, reader Joe Kevany says, “If they keep it up, Jay Leno might have to fire one of his writers.”

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.