England Walks the Line to Get a Victory

Members of England’s cricket team credit a recent victory over India to the late Johnny Cash, according to ananova.com.

“We went in the dressing room, had our lunch, then played a bit of Johnny Cash, ‘Ring of Fire,’ ” Andrew Flintofff, the team’s captain, told BBC Sport. “It got the lads going and we came out afterwards with a spring in our step.”

Apparently, the Man in Black’s music was courtesy of teammate Matthew Hoggard.

“I’m the only guy that’s sad enough to have Johnny Cash on his iPod,” Hoggard said. “We had a rousing rendition, and that seemed to do the trick.”

Trivia time: Offensive lineman Larry Allen was released by the Dallas Cowboys this week. But when he was chosen in the 1994 draft, Allen became the only player from his college ever selected by an NFL team. Name the school.

Fits like a boot: Comedian Argus Hamilton on the Cowboys’ signing of controversial receiver Terrell Owens: “He’s egotistical and bombastic and combative and quite possibly out of his mind. No one will even notice him in Texas.”

Slick picks: How have NCAA basketball fans fared in ESPN.com’s “Men’s Tournament Challenge”? Reported analysis of the more than 3 million entries revealed that no brackets correctly picked all 16 of the remaining teams heading into Thursday’s Sweet 16 games.

Conversely, 533 brackets managed to include none of the remaining teams.

De-fense! De-fense! Daunte Culpepper, charged along with three former Minnesota Viking teammates with a misdemeanor in connection with a boat party sex scandal, testified that he spent his entire time shooting dice during the party and rejected offers from lingerie-clad dancers.

Wrote Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: “If we have this right, Culpepper turned down barely dressed women in favor of a circle of guys rolling dice? I believe there is a legal phrase for that.

“Insanity defense.”

Short list: On former pitcher Dwight Gooden facing up to five years in prison after violating his probation, Dan Shanoff of ESPN.com wrote: “If you’ve got the first pick in a ‘Cell Block D’-only fantasy league, he’s a top choice.”

Trivia answer: Sonoma State, which dropped football in 1997. Allen was also a starter for four high schools, beginning as a freshman at Compton Centennial and finishing as a senior at Napa Vintage.

Looking back: On this date in 1962, Cincinnati beat Ohio State, 71-59, to win the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

It was the second year in a row the Bearcats had beaten the Buckeyes in the final, and neither Cincinnati team included Oscar Robertson, who graduated in 1960 without a national championship. The 1962 Ohio State team included Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek ... and Bob Knight.

And finally: Wrote Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “The World Baseball Classic’s top hitter -- with a .524 average, three homers and 10 RBIs -- was none other than Ken Griffey Jr. Or, as he’s now known around the batting cages, Mr. March.”