The NFL Taught Him a Lot About Basketball

Ahmad Rashad, the host of “NBA Access,” has been reporting on the NBA for so long it is often forgotten he was an NFL receiver for 10 seasons, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings.

Rashad said recently that his daughter once came home from school and said, “The kids at school say that you played pro football. Is that true?”

Trivia time: Rashad was a running back at Oregon, but under a different name.

What was his name before he changed it in 1972, his rookie year in the NFL?

Not the answer: TNT’s Reggie Miller, on rumors of the New York Knicks trading for Orlando’s Steve Francis: “The Knicks could not win the NCAA tournament with the Steve Francis trade. They would not beat Gonzaga. Villanova would give them a run for their money.”

A team of dogs: Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, after former Knick Antonio Davis described the Knicks as a circus: “Personally, I was thinking more along the lines of the Westminster Dog Show.”

Saying thanks: On Friday, 14 billboards went up around Southern California, courtesy of Matt Leinart, with this message: “USC fans and Southern California -- thanks for the memories.”

How things change: Sammy Sosa, according to his agent, will retire rather than accept a one-year, $500,000 offer from the Washington Nationals. “In the olden days,” wrote Randy Hill of Foxsports.com, “500K was Sammy’s corkage fee.”

Another hit: Reader Janice Hough, on Sosa’s probable retirement: “I guess the official announcement will be: ‘Put a cork in him, he’s done.’ ”

Two good: A recent Morning Briefing item about former Dodger Bill Russell being asked by Walt Alston to move from center field to shortstop in 1972 reminded reader Michael Dudnikov of Union, N.J., of what Gene Mauch said at the time.

Mauch, then managing in Montreal, was asked his opinion of the National League’s center fielders. As Dudnikov recalls it, Mauch said: “The Dodgers have the best center fielder in the league -- actually the two best. But unfortunately one of them is playing shortstop.”

Willie Davis was then the Dodgers’ starting center fielder.

Looking back: On this day in 1954, Art “Golden Boy” Aragon won a controversial decision over Chuck Davey at the Olympic Auditorium.

A hearing was conducted the following week on the scoring of the bout by the referee and two judges, but the State Athletic Commission upheld the verdict.

Trivia answer: Bobby Moore.

And finally: Retired Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis, who has expressed an interest in working in television, was a recent guest on Tony Danza’s syndicated talk show. Bettis suggested maybe working with Danza on a remake of his old show.

“You know,” Bettis said, “ ‘Who’s the Boss?’ ‘Who’s the Bus?’ ”

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