That Name Might Not Rate Any Back Flips

Gold-medal gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner announced this week that they’re expecting a baby, a boy, due in July. It’s the first child for Comaneci, 44, and Conner, who turns 48 next month.

Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times, suggesting a name for the baby, wrote: “What could be more perfect than Ten?”

Trivia time: Which Boston Celtic Hall of Famer was chosen most valuable player of the 1955 NBA All-Star game?

A proud moment: In a game against Seattle on Dec. 8, 2000, the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal was 0 for 11 on free throws, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record 0 for 10, set in 1960. Reader David Macaray accurately recalled that two days later, O’Neal jokingly told reporters, “Any time you can replace a legend like Wilt, it’s an honor.”

Cooking class: Shannon Sharpe, on his Sirius Satellite Radio show, said: “Reggie Bush is a TV dinner. He’s already prepared. Just warm him up and let him go.”

Added Sharpe: “Vince Young is a Thanksgiving dinner. You’ve got to prepare it. Now, when he’s prepared? Ooh, boy, are you going to have something nice!”

A key prerequisite: St. Louis Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa, who had a .199 lifetime batting average as a major league infielder, was the featured speaker at the Iowa Cubs’ FanFest in Des Moines last month.

The Cubs were known as the Oaks until 1981, and La Russa talked about his becoming the Oaks’ manager in 1979.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, La Russa said he was given this introduction at a Chamber of Commerce function: “If you’ve ever heard that the worst players make the best managers, then this young man has a chance to be outstanding.”

A new trend: “There is a debate on whether to call the host city for the Winter Olympics ‘Turin’ or ‘Torino,’ ” said Bret Lewis of radio station 980. “Actually, the mayor has asked that it be referred to as ‘Los Angeles Turin of Anaheim.’ ”

An X factor: Reader Bill Littlejohn claims that Tampa Bay’s baseball team is considering dropping “Devil,” which would make them simply the Rays.

“So if a player gets traded from Tampa Bay, would we call him an X-Ray?” Littlejohn wonders.

Looking back: On this day in 1990, Mike Tyson lost for the first time when James “Buster” Douglas knocked him out in the 10th round at Tokyo to win the heavyweight championship in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

Trivia answer: Bill Sharman, who scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter of the East’s 100-91 victory.

And finally: In that 1955 All-Star game, Sharman threw a long pass to Celtic backcourt mate Bob Cousy. But Sharman overshot Cousy, and the ball, amazingly, went into the basket.

According to Sharman, Cousy, as he ran past him coming back down the court, yelled, “Why don’t you ever pass me the ball?”

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