Kept under wraps for too long

A season ticket is always a thoughtful birthday gift for a loved one, provided the giver first picks up a pocket schedule.

In England, the wife of a Manchester United fan presented her husband with a season pass when he turned 40 this month.

One problem: The English soccer season kicked off in August.

The wife bought the ticket -- worth $1,082 -- last year, planning to surprise her husband on his birthday. He was surprised, all right. With more than half the 2006-07 season gone, he missed United’s first 11 matches.

A fellow United fan who sits near the man at Old Trafford told the Sun newspaper, “A few of us noticed the seats were empty. His wife mustn’t know much about football. He must be gutted.”

And she must be stopped, before she buys him those Beatles concert tickets for his 41st birthday.

Trivia time

The Los Angeles Rams were also-rans throughout the 1960s, but three of their former quarterbacks won NFL championships with other teams during that decade. Their names?

Old-look preferred

The NHL has made much ado about its new Reebok-designed uniforms, which made their debut at Wednesday night’s All-Star game. The outfits are tighter and sleeker but not altogether popular with the players assigned to wear them.

Calgary Flames right wing Tony Amonte, to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “It doesn’t sound like a hockey player to me. Tight doesn’t necessarily mean better. I don’t know if that’s going to fly.”

Boston Bruins defenseman Brad Stuart, to the Boston Globe: “I’m not really a big fan of them, but like everything else, I guess we’ll get used to them.”

Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, also to the Globe: “They are different, for sure, and I like them.”

Worth noting: Bergeron is a Reebok endorser.

Casual observers have noticed one thing wrong with the new uniforms.

None of them says

GRETZKY on the back.

Just drop it, already

Terrell Owens doesn’t know when to quit, not counting the occasional tough pass thrown over the middle.

After spending his first season with the Dallas Cowboys tormenting Coach Bill Parcells, Owens didn’t apologize -- he told the media that it was time for Parcells to move on.

On the “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” Keyshawn Johnson and Jerry Rice analyzed Owens’ performance.

“T.O. is at it again,” Johnson said. “He’s just got to get on TV, he can’t let the Mannings outdo him.

“I don’t think he knows what he’s saying. He can’t help himself. He’s like a bucket, where the water just keeps flowing. Someone needs to plug him up.”

Johnson also said Owens “needs serious help.”

Rice and Owens were San Francisco 49ers teammates when Owens first broke into the NFL.

“After Terrell started having some success, you saw a different side to him,” Rice said.

“This year was a different year for him. He led the league with 18 drops. I felt like I should have come out of retirement.”

Trivia answer

Norm Van Brocklin won the NFL championship with the 1960 Philadelphia Eagles, followed by Bill Wade with the 1963 Chicago Bears and Frank

Ryan with the 1964 Cleveland Browns.

And finally

Rice, discussing his running speed as a player: “I was clocked at 4.5, but when I had people chasing me, I ran a 4.2.”

mike.penner@latimes.com