Live on the Internet, a Weight Will Be Lifted

USC football fans remember Anthony Davis as a 175-pound running back. Today, Davis is 53, weighs 280 pounds and on March 11 will have gastric bypass surgery at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.

Davis says he is in relatively good health, although he suffers from sleep apnea, which is connected to his weight problems.

“Reggie White had sleep apnea and was overweight, and when he died, that was a wake-up call for me,” Davis said.

Davis, saying he wants to help educate people about the surgery, has agreed to allow a website, liteandhope.com, to cybercast his 90-minute procedure.

Singer Carnie Wilson, whose bypass surgery in 1999 was the first shown on the Internet, will narrate the cybercast of Davis’ surgery.

Davis, who still enjoys seeing replays of his football exploits, was asked whether he would be interested in seeing a replay of his surgery.

“No,” he said with a laugh, “I don’t think so.”

Trivia time: Davis was drafted in the second round by the New York Jets in 1975. Why didn’t he ever play for the Jets?

One-upped: Bill Weber, who will call today’s Daytona 500 for NBC, was amazed with the attention Dale Earnhardt Jr. was getting last week.

“The only one getting more attention was Oswald the Rabbit,” Weber said.

There is a connection: Bob Hille of the Sporting News, on the Daytona 500: “It’s the Super Bowl of NASCAR, which means two things will be deafening: the roar of the engines and the whine of Seattle Seahawk fans.”

A definite possibility: David Thomas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on NBC’s referring to snowboarding as “NASCAR on snow”: “I’m sure that has nothing to do with NBC airing the Daytona 500.”

Idol chatter: Pete McEntegart of SI.com, offering ideas on how NBC might generate better ratings for the Winter Olympics, has this one: “Don’t run from ‘American Idol,’ learn from it.”

McEntegart suggests that “figure-skating judges start giving their critiques out loud and on camera,” and adds: “Then we’ll really see some tears in the kiss-and-cry room.”

Looking back: On this day in 1996, Charles Barkley, a finalist this year for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, became one of 10 NBA players with 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds when he grabbed 14 rebounds to help the Phoenix Suns defeat the Vancouver Grizzlies, 98-94.

Trivia answer: Davis, along with USC teammates Pat Haden and J.K. McKay, signed with the Southern California Sun of the World Football League.

And finally: “In 1979, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn banned Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle from working in major league baseball because they had taken jobs as greeters in an Atlantic City casino,” noted Ron Rapoport of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Next year, just to show how different things are today, the NBA All-Star game will be played in Las Vegas, which is actively seeking a team of its own.”

*

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