Hope they’re not averse to a little ridicule

OLN, which started out as the Outdoor Life Network, began its new Monday life as Versus, an odd name for a television network but presumably chosen because “The Place To Turn for Bike Racing, Bull Riding, Fishing, Hunting, Sailing, Boxing, Billiards, Indoor Hockey, Indoor Football and Mountain West Football” was a tad bulky.

That’s not to say network executives didn’t consider other options before settling on Versus.

They thought about Curses, but the Chicago Cubs wouldn’t give up the copyright.

They thought about Nurses, but the Playboy Channel wouldn’t give up the copyright.

They thought about Purses, but Don King never gives those up.

So Versus it became, although an informal poll by SportsBusinessDaily.com and SportsBusinessJournal.com indicates that selling the brand could prove an uphill struggle.

In a polling sample of 435 readers, 11% thought Versus was “much better” than OLN, 20% thought it was “better,” 17% said it made “no difference,” 29% said it was “worse” and 24% went with “much worse.”

Reverses, anyone?

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Bikes ‘n’ Hikes didn’t make it, either

Top 10 names rejected before OLN opted for Versus:

10. The Outdoor But Sometimes Indoor Life Network

9. HBO EPO

8. River Deep Mountain West

7. Fox Hunting Network

6. The Satanic Versus

5. A&E; But No Gretzky

4. Icing, No Cake

3. Ducks Unlimited, Kings Have Issues

2. Still Easier To Find Than The Tennis Channel

1. All The Things ESPN Didn’t Want

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Trivia time

What do the America’s Cup, the National Lacrosse League and Holsten Premier League Darts have in common?

Take a flying lead

Here’s a new sport Versus might want to consider adding to its lineup: Full-contact stock car racing.

On the 112th lap of Sunday’s Great Lakes Chevy Dealers/Budweiser Glass City 200 at Toledo Speedway, driver Michael Simko completely lost it when his car hit the wall during a duel with Don St. Denis for position.

With both cars stopped on the track, Simko sprinted toward St. Denis’ car and jumped through the plastic windshield with both feet. Simko then threw his helmet at St. Denis before race officials ordered Simko to the infield.

There, St. Denis rushed Simko, with both drivers throwing punches before being separated and soon thereafter, not too surprisingly, suspended.

Not so fast

During an appearance on “Best Damn Sports Show Period” last week, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson had a scouting tip for fantasy league owners.

“I don’t play fantasy,” Johnson said. “I play for real.... But you should play me. You should always play me.”

Those owners who did received a bonus from the Panthers’ 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay: Johnson running for a touchdown on a four-yard end-around -- although it took a little time for him to get around the end.

Commenting on the play, NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said: “He never got a ticket for speeding in the secondary, I’ll promise you that.”

Trivia answer

All will be televised by Versus in 2007.

And finally

John Kundla, who coached the Minneapolis Lakers to four NBA championships during the 1950s, recently celebrated a significant birthday. Talking to the St. Paul Pioneer Press about the occasion, Kundla said, “I look like a million, but I’m only 90.”

mike.penner@latimes.com