Germany’s Grand Plan Has Some Doubters
Prediction from Mexico’s self-proclaimed “Grand Warlock”: Germany will win the World Cup soccer tournament, avenging its loss in the final four years ago to Brazil.
Reaction throughout Germany: Uh-oh.
Antonio Vazquez uses tarot cards and star study to make predictions of all sorts, but since about 2002 his record has been spotty. That was when he predicted that a European team would prevail in the World Cup.
Undaunted, he told reporters in Mexico City, “I see Germany and nothing more.”
Trivia time: Pete Maravich had scoring averages of 43.2, 44.2 and 44.5 points in three seasons at Louisiana State. Only two other basketball players in NCAA Division I history averaged more than 40 points. Who were they?
High-fiber offense: On the night Texas dethroned USC, Jay Leno had a field day with the previous night’s Orange Bowl: “You had Florida State coached by 76-year-old Bobby Bowden against Penn State coached by 79-year-old Joe Paterno. No wonder the game was played in South Florida.”
Leno continued: “In fact, when the game was over the players dumped a huge bucket of Metamucil over Paterno’s head.”
Another take: From comedian Jerry Perisho, on the Orange Bowl: “Oh, so those weren’t TV timeouts. Those were naps.”
Fore what it’s worth: Remember the many references last season to the Fab Four: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh -- or the Fab Five if you included Retief Goosen?
According to GolfWorld magazine, two of those players have been replaced. It ranks Woods and Mickelson Nos. 1 and 2, then rounds out the top five with Jim Furyk, Singh and Chris DiMarco. Goosen and Els are at Nos. 6 and 7, respectively.
The thought counts: Rookie Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins told the Toronto Star that Christmas was just like the others despite his recently becoming an 18-year-old millionaire. “My grandmother still gives me 20 bucks,” he said. “No matter how much money you make, some things never change.”
Given his line of work, he probably still receives visits from the tooth fairy as well.
A fish story: Joe Trgo of Huntington Beach reported to Shawn Arnold, publisher of Fish Taco Chronicles, that he was driving near Santa Ana River Lakes in Anaheim when a seagull flew overhead carrying a trout in its claws, and dropped the trout on his car.
Said Arnold on the magazine website: “I have fished with Joe a lot and realize that this is perhaps his best method of getting a trout.”
Trivia answer: Frank Selvy of Furman (41.7 points) in 1954 and Johnny Neumann of Mississippi (40.1) in 1971. Maravich’s run was from 1968 to ’70. His 44.5 average and 1,381 points in 1970 are NCAA records.
And finally: San Francisco Chronicle columnist Scott Ostler, who abhors cliches, joked in a New Year’s resolution column: “Whenever possible I will use the phrase, ‘You do the math.’ Especially if my son asks for help with his homework.”