Look for ZZ Top to Cover It in the U.S.
The infamous head butt by French soccer star Zinedine Zidane during last month’s World Cup will live forever in video clips and Internet downloads. And now, it has also been immortalized in song.
“Coupe de Boule,” or the “Head Butt,” takes a humorous shot at Zidane for ramming his dome into the chest of Italian midfielder Marco Materazzi during the championship game July 9. Zidane was given a red card for his actions and sent off the field. France lost on penalty kicks.
Two French record producers wrote the song in 30 minutes. It has sold 60,000 copies in France and reached the top of the pop charts there.
The rap version should be out any day now.
West among the least: California cities didn’t do very well in the Sporting News’ recent survey of the 2006 best sports cities. Among the criteria: fan fervor, franchise ownership, playoff and bowl appearances, marquee appeal of athletes and stadium quality.
No. 1 was Chicago. L.A., which ranked fifth last year, dropped to eighth and was the lone top 10 entry from California. Anaheim, tied with L.A. for fifth last year, tumbled to 19th.
San Diego came in 22nd. San Jose was 24th, Oakland 26th. San Francisco barely registered a pulse at 43rd. Sacramento? Even worse at 47th.
But cheer up Sac-town. You beat Fresno, which was 92nd.
Trivia time: The NFL Hall of Fame game is Sunday. When was the first game played and what was the result?
Free at last: According to columnist Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune, Greg Maddux should be happy the Cubs traded him to the Dodgers this week.
“There’s nothing to do but roll your eyes at what the future Hall of Famer had to witness in almost three seasons here,” Morrissey said. “The inability of management to fill holes. The botching of defensive plays covered in ‘Baseball for Dummies.’ The meltdown of the 2004 Cubs. The realization that 2004 was the highlight of his stay here.”
On this day: In 1985, Hall of Fame right-hander Tom Seaver, then with the Chicago White Sox, became the 17th pitcher to win 300 games when he beat the Yankees, 4-1. And Hall of Fame infielder Rod Carew, playing for the Angels, got his 3,000th hit in a 6-5 victory over Minnesota. It’s the only day on which two players reached these milestones.
No sympathy: If Oklahoma quarterback Rhett Bomar is looking for understanding after getting thrown off the team for breaking the rules, he won’t get it from columnist Berry Tramel.
“With a little patience, Bomar could have been en route to the NFL or the state capitol or a television studio chair, just like so many Sooner QBs before him,” he said, writing in the Oklahoman newspaper.
“Instead, he lived reckless. Knuckleheads often do.”
Trivia answer: Aug. 11, 1962. The New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals played to a 21-21 tie.
And finally: From Tom Timmermann in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Brett Favre says that this year’s Packers team is the ‘most talented’ of the Green Bay teams he has played with. That clinches it. He should have retired.”
