Just the guy to influence our youth

Famous children’s authors through the years: Lewis Carroll, L. Frank Baum, C.S. Lewis, J.K Rowling ... and now T.O.

Publishers Weekly reported this week that the initial print run of “Little T Learns to Share,” co-written by Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens and Courtney Parker, will be 10,000 copies with a publicity budget of $20,000.

“Little T is a boy who doesn’t want to share his new football; he is afraid that his friends might mess it up,” reports the description on amazon.com.

“When he tries to play by himself, however, he realizes that football isn’t any fun alone. Thanks to his mother’s good advice, he wins back his friends, and learns the virtue of sharing and the importance of being fair.”

Irony alert!

Briefing can only imagine what Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb might say to T.O. on Sunday after shaking hands before the Eagles-Cowboys game at Philadelphia, “I’ve got a children’s book coming out too, “Little Donovan Gets the Last Laugh.”

Almost heaven West Virginia (not)

Maybe the rule adopted by high schools in Connecticut -- a coach is suspended for a game if his team wins by more than 50 points -- is in need of geographic relocation.

Last week in West Virginia, Paul McCoy scored all 10 of his team’s touchdowns and rushed for 661 yards, as Matwan High trounced Burch, 64-0.

“Why should there be any guilty feelings?” asked Matwan Coach Yogi Kinder, in an Associated Press report. “Our school is smaller than they are. Why should I punish my kids for having a pretty good team? We were going to score 60 points if Paul doesn’t even get on the bus.”

Trivia time

What is Pitt’s football rivalry with West Virginia called?

Preps from the north country

Mike Bass, senior editor/sports for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota, listened to the community and decided to put an end to a new regular feature in paper, high school fantasy football.

It wasn’t going down well at all. Some schools quit reporting statistics, which is sad, because Morning Briefing heard there was a particularly good running back at Henry Sibley in Mendota Heights.

Bass said, via e-mail Friday, that he’d received about 100 e-mails in two days when he asked for reader response on the issue. He wrote a column appearing in Friday’s paper, announcing the decision and received “a couple dozen or so,” e-mails and calls in support, including some from coaches.

Now, high school fantasy hockey might have been OK.

Trivia answer

The Backyard Brawl, a nod to the proximity of the schools. Pitt leads the series, which began in 1895, 59-36-3. Brawl 2006 is scheduled Nov. 16 at Pitt.

And finally

British boxer Joe Calzaghe alienated just about everyone across the pond when he suggested to BBC sports’ website that only losers are supported:

“Look at people like Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman, have they ever won Wimbledon, what have they won?

“It seems like the country gets behind losers. The football team loses, the cricket team loses. Listen, I’m a winner, I’m a champion. I don’t need no award or recognition, I’m proud of my achievements.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com