Truck Fun Leads to a Major Overhaul

Freestyle motocross star Brian Deegan, taking a break after crashing and losing a kidney, began dabbling in truck racing and planned on making his debut at a Championship Off-Road Series event in Chula Vista on Sept. 24-25.

But after two days of testing over a bouncy track, he began to rattle -- previous hospital handiwork coming loose -- and doctors ordered a tune-up. They removed a plate from his upper leg bone, took screws from his ankle, operated on his shoulder, then advised him to rest awhile.

Alas, Deegan is not the type to rest. Vowing to be racing by next spring, he said of the trucks, “That was some sick fun.”

Trivia time: Kelly Slater, among the competitors in the Boost Mobile Pro surfing event this week in San Clemente, is vying for an unprecedented seventh world title. If successful, at 33 he’ll become the second-oldest surfer to win the championship. Who is the oldest?

The Greatest: Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic writes that Wayne Gretzky, in his inaugural season at the helm of the Phoenix Coyotes, is sure to become the NHL’s coach of the year for 2005-06: “Broadcasters vote on the award, and Gretzky’s got more friends in the media than the guy running the free buffet.”

A familiar look: According to Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote, Denver Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan was agonizing so visibly during last Sunday’s 34-10 loss to the lowly Dolphins that by late in the fourth quarter he “was sporting a full Wannstedtian mustache.”

The reference was to the previous Dolphin coach, now at the University of Pittsburgh and struggling there too.

“Poor Dave Wannstedt, huh?” Cote continued. “He’s now 0-2 at Pitt after losing 16-10 on two interceptions returned for TDs. Who even knew Dave brought A.J. Feeley with him?”

WAC-y: The Western Athletic Conference has a new marketing campaign called “Play Up,” but its football teams aren’t cooperating: they’re 0-12 against Division I-A opponents.

WAC Commissioner Karl Benson downplayed the embarrassment, telling the Idaho Statesman “Play Up” means “the investment our schools have made into getting better.”

Must be a long-term investment.

Pandemonium in paradise: University of Hawaii defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville, quoted by the Honolulu Advertiser, on Coach June Jones’ absence this week because of personal reasons: “He’d better get back here or we’ll have this so screwed up nobody can fix it.”

Horse play: Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, on a report that two Olympic equestrian horses failed drug tests and were stripped of gold medals: “So much for ‘Just say neigh.’ ”

Trivia answer: Australia’s Mark Occhilupo, who is still on tour, won the 1999 world title when he was 34.

And finally: From comedian Jay Leno: “You know Shaq is a cop. He works as a police officer. He got a degree in law enforcement. Shaquille O’Neal witnessed a man commit an assault and then helped police make the arrest.... At the time, Shaq was disguised as an apartment building.”