She should don black tennis wear

Is Martina Hingis the professional tennis version of the Madden Curse?

In its January-February issue, Tennis magazine describes Hingis as “the black widow of tennis,” chronicling the career woes that have stricken a string of ATP players who have dated Hingis.

The roster, so far:

Justin Gimelstob: Since briefly dating Hingis in 1997, has struggled with chronic back injuries.

Julian Alonso: The 1997 ATP newcomer of the year was ranked No. 30 in the world in 1998, the year he began a relationship with Hingis. A series of physical ailments followed and by 2001, Alonso was out of the sport.

Magnus Norman: In 2000, he was ranked No. 2 in the world, reached the French Open final and, said the magazine, “squired Hingis about town. The following season he developed a left hip problem, and he hasn’t been heard from since 2003.”

Such research might prove useful to Radek Stepanek, the Czech player who reached No. 8 in the world in 2006 and recently became engaged to Hingis.

As the magazine article put it: “Is the curse over? Not quite. A late-season back injury had him on the shelf indefinitely. Good luck, Radek!”

Trivia time

Which popular women’s tennis player frequently played doubles with Hingis from 1999 to 2002, before lower-back injuries prompted her 2003 retirement?

Runner-up was Purple Hayes

Dead Schembechlers update: The Michigan-hating punk band from Columbus, Ohio, which considered disbanding after the Nov. 17 death of former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, has announced it will play on under a new name: The Bastard Sons of Woody.

Lead singer Bo Biafra said on the band’s website: “We were as shocked as anyone to learn that Woody Hayes is our genetic father. Renegade OSU scientists working off campus had taken gray hairs swept up from the floor of the barbershop where Woody had his hair cut. The DNA was extracted from the gray hairs and was used to create a new form of life based on the perfection that is Woody. We are those life forms.”

The band is also changing the name of its annual “Hate Michigan Rally” to “Woody-stock.”

When outsourcing goes bad

The career of a fast-rising chess player from India hit the wall after he was caught using his mobile phone’s wireless device to win games.

Umakant Sharma was banned for 10 years when chess officials discovered that the player had stitched a Bluetooth device into the cloth cap he always pulled over his ears during tournaments.

Indian chess federation secretary D.V. Sundar told Reuters that Sharma had accomplices positioned outside the tournament hall in New Delhi and they used a computer to relay moves to him.

Sharma, 25, aroused suspicion among officials and opponents by climbing the rankings way too quickly during the last 18 months and qualifying for the national championship.

Details remain fuzzy, but it is believed Sharma was caught when that cellphone guy showed up and said, “Can you hear me now?”

Trivia answer

Anna Kournikova.

And finally

The Detroit Lions were so inept in 2006 that they couldn’t even get losing right.

With a chance to clinch the No. 1 selection in the draft this year, the Lions slipped and fell into the end zone a few too many times in Dallas, scoring enough points -- 39 -- to defeat the Cowboys and let the Oakland Raiders sneak past them for the top pick.

But that wasn’t the worst news Lions fans received during the last week. This was the topper: “I’ll never quit,” General Manager Matt Millen said. “I can’t do that. I don’t even consider that.”

mike.penner@latimes.com