Taking Aim at Critics of the Sport

ESPN is televising the World Series of Darts, which was taped in May.

Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun, for one, sees nothing wrong with dart throwing being on a sports network.

“It’s certainly more of a sporting event than the World Series of Poker or the National Spelling Bee,” he wrote. “You try hitting a half-inch circle from eight feet after six pints of Guinness.”

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A “Lite” workout: “So now ESPN is trying to sell us darts as a pseudo sport,” wrote Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. “Makes sense except that you burn more calories pressing the remote than those guys do tossing the darts. Here I thought I was just drinking beer the last time I played poker and tossed a few darts. Little did I know I was in serious training.”

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Trivia time: In 1993, for the first time in baseball history, the top three hitters in the American League played for the same team. Who were they?

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One way to kick the habit: Charles Barkley is thinking about running for governor of Alabama in 2010. Tommy Tuberville, the football coach at Auburn, Barkley’s alma mater, sees a side benefit.

“He thinks if he gets into politics he might be able to stop playing golf,” Tuberville told Fox Sports radio. “He’s terrible at golf.”

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One possible problem: Randy Hill of Foxsports.com noted that Barkley might wind up not running for governor. “The notion of actually running may be more of a commitment than he’s willing to make,” he wrote.

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All or nothing: In only two months, lacrosse defenseman Michael Culver has gone from playing for 17-0 Virginia, the NCAA champion, to the 0-10 Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse.

Culver told the Baltimore Sun, “I’m working on back-to-back perfect seasons.”

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Whatever works: Ron Gardenhire, manager of the Minnesota Twins, while on Fox Sports radio was asked what “pick-up” line he used when he met his wife Carol.

“I asked her if I could buy her a drink -- or if she just wanted the cash,” he said.

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New marketing ploy: Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, on the special-edition Wheaties box featuring Alex Rodriguez: “So now you can get up and boo your breakfast.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1967, the New Orleans Saints played their first exhibition, losing to the Los Angeles Rams, 16-7, at Anaheim Stadium. The expansion Saints cut a 10-0 halftime deficit to 10-7 on the passing of Bill Kilmer.

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Trivia answer: John Olerud (.363), Paul Molitor (.332) and Roberto Alomar (.326) of the Toronto Blue Jays.

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And finally: The NCAA will now allow football coaches to challenge the officials, but only one call per game. “But,” wrote David Thomas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “the NCAA turned down Pete Carroll’s request to make the rule retroactive to Jan. 4.”

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