A Golden Touch Is a Trait of Any Mogul

Australian Olympic gold-medal moguls skier Dale Begg-Smith started a computer software company at 13 in the Canadian city where he was born -- Vancouver.

When asked about his business by reporters at Turin, Begg-Smith, 21, appeared evasive.

“According to various reports,” wrote Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “he has a net worth of somewhere between $1 million and $17 million. Which, if true, makes him the only actual mogul in his sport.”

Trivia time: Who is the most recent NBA player to be named the most valuable player of the All-Star game, the regular season and the NBA finals in the same season?

Rev your engines: NASCAR, whose season-opening Daytona 500 is Sunday, figured it could expand its fan base of 30 million women with a new corporate partner: Harlequin romance novels. Wrote Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: “NASCAR is targeting the demographic of women who both love to read and enjoy popping that first can of Busch by 9 a.m.”

And a prediction from Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel: “The honorary starter for the 2007 Daytona 500 -- Fabio.”

Rolling along: On Monday, Lonnie Billiter Jr. of Colerain Township, Ohio, became only the eighth person to bowl a perfect United States Bowling Congress-sanctioned 900 series. That’s three perfect games in a row. By the time he got the 36th strike, the Fairfield Lanes crowd, which had swelled to about 200, went crazy.

“I got mobbed after I released that last ball,” Billiter, 24, told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I am not going to ever throw that ball again. Won’t use the shoes again, either.”

Dog-gone: A whippet waiting to be transported home to California from the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York escaped from its cage at JFK Airport on Wednesday and was reportedly on the loose in the area. “Rumor has it,” wrote Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times, “the dog intends to become a flea agent.”

Unconventional: Most probably think Chad Hedrick earned his nickname, “The Exception,” because of his exceptional skating skills. After all, he won the first gold medal for the U.S. of the 2006 Winter Olympics in the 5,000 meters in speedskating.

But the nickname was given to him by 2002 Olympic gold medalist Derek Parra, Hedrick’s training partner and friend, who explained: “He’s the exception to every rule. ‘Don’t drink before you skate,’ Chad will do it and he’ll win. ‘Don’t eat greasy food the night before,’ Chad will do it and he’ll win. Whatever the rule is, he’s the exception.”

Looking back: On this date in 1968, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on the campus of Springfield College in Springfield, Mass., where the sport was invented in 1891, officially opened to the public.

Trivia answer: Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-2000; he shared the All-Star MVP that season with Tim Duncan. .

And finally: NBC’s Jay Leno said, “What’s with this sport curling? With the broom thing? How do you turn pro in curling? Do you become a maid?”