Rookie isn’t thinking long-term

Dennis Miller lasted two seasons. So did Eric Dickerson. O.J. Simpson held on for three.

Less than halfway through his rookie season as part of the “Monday Night Football” broadcast team, Tony Kornheiser could be headed the way of Lisa Guerrero and Joe Namath -- one and done.

“At the moment, in my mind, I always thought I signed up for one year,” Kornheiser was quoted in Friday’s edition of the New York Post.

“This is the one year. I have no plans at the moment, but I don’t think anyone should be stunned or shocked or surprised or blow their brains out if I just say, ‘That was fun. Thanks a lot. See ya.’ ”

Kornheiser says he hates the traveling the job requires, plus the fact that the job is a job.

“It is work for me,” he said.

If 2006 is it for Kornheiser, ESPN might want to rethink its entire “Monday Night” booth and promote from within. The network’s “B team” of Brad Nessler, Ron Jaworski and Dick Vermeil, assigned to the San Diego-Oakland game for the Sept. 11 doubleheader, delivered what was easily the best “Monday Night Football” telecast of the season.

Trivia time

How many regular season games did Fred “The Hammer” Williamson work as a “Monday Night Football” commentator?

Where was the

Oracle when P.J.,

Sprewell needed it?

Top Five Reasons the Golden State Warriors Are Better Off Now That They Renamed Their Arena “The Oracle”:

* 5. Better drafts. The Oracle foresees lottery picks for the next 10 years.

* 4. Better headlines. “Big Aristotle Dunks, Debunks the Oracle.”

* 3. Better scouting. If they’d done this earlier, the Oracle could have told Warriors before they hired him, “You might want to rethink this Mike Montgomery thing.”

* 2. Better media guide entries. “The Delphic Oracle dates back to the 8th century B.C., same as Don Nelson.”

* 1. Better fantasy basketball. “Miracle AT THE Oracle! Warriors Win Playoff Game!”

Eight Super Bowl

losses are enough

The Buffalo Sabres (8-0) and Minnesota Wild (7-1) are off to fast starts this season, making them early contenders to meet in the Stanley Cup finals, which is one advantage the NHL has over the NFL.

In the NHL, a championship matchup between Buffalo and Minnesota might actually produce a winner.

Winning lousy

Excerpts from Penn State Coach Joe Paterno’s news conference after his team’s game against Illinois on Saturday:

Q: “What happened with the offense today?”

A: “We were lousy. You saw what happened, we were lousy. We have some guys that just haven’t gotten any better. We’ve got to think out a few things.”

Q: “Is it mental things or is it physical things?”

A: “We were just lousy. I don’t want to get into an examination of why. We were lousy today. I’ve got to go home, take a look at some tapes, look at some things and evaluate some people. We were lousy, OK? I mean, what else can I say?”

Q: “Speaking of your [offensive] line, do you think some defenses are doing different things?”

A: “No, we’re just lousy. Can I get that across? It’s spelled l-o-u-s-y.”

Footnote: Penn State won the game, 26-12.

Trivia answer

None. Williamson was hired for the 1974 season but was cut after a very rough preseason.

And finally

Newcastle United striker Michael Owen does the math on his rehabilitation from knee surgery: “If I’m injured for six months, I’ll be out until April, and if it’s nine months, it will be the end of the season.”

mike.penner@latimes.com