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Now you can frame Bonds

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Times Staff Writer

Honestly, sometimes it’s hard to believe these things aren’t fake.

For sale on EBay, complete with certificate of authenticity, a signed Barry Bonds promotional poster from the earlier days of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, emblazoned with BALCO’s logo and the slogan, “Creating Champions.”

Starting bid: $10,000.

Number of bids when we checked: Zero.

Exit poll

San Jose Mercury News columnist Ann Killion, in the wake of Bonds’ late surge to make the All-Star team with the help of a San Francisco Giants campaign to get him elected: “Who knew the Giants had added Katherine Harris to their front office?”

A team official shrugged it off.

“There are no hanging chads in online voting,” Giants executive vice president Larry Baer said.

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Trivia time

What former major league pitcher is playing in the U.S. Senior Open this week?

Maybe they’d had a few

We’re still trying to figure out what officials at Miller Brewing Co., which paid big bucks for the naming rights to the Milwaukee Brewers’ Miller Park, could have been thinking.

A Miller Lite billboard visible from inside the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field seemed to tout the Cubs at the expense of the Brewers during their recent series, reading, “We prefer a pennant chase to a sausage race.”

Sausage races are standard fare at Brewers’ games, with mascots such as a bratwurst and a Polish sausage dashing around the field in a promotion for a local sausage-maker.

Milwaukee fans’ reaction to the billboard?

They told Miller to stuff it.

For Pete’s sake

Pete Sampras, the retired seven-time Wimbledon champion, said as the pace of this year’s Wimbledon slowed to a trickle that he doesn’t miss rain delays, but allowed they are part of what makes Wimbledon special.

He’s no fan of the plans for a Centre Court roof that will be ready for the 2009 tournament.

“Everyone was in the same boat, that’s why I don’t want to rain on the parade of the roof, but I am not that much in favor of it,” said Sampras, who will dabble in World TeamTennis again this summer, playing one home match and three road matches for the Newport Beach Breakers.

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“I just think ... the rain is part of the charm of Wimbledon. It rains and you have to step off the court for two hours or six hours. You know, it is a mental sort of test. It is not a physical test. Just waiting to play ... what time do I eat? You know, it is really a challenge.

“So I don’t miss those days at all. But I will say I still miss Wimbledon. Today I miss it. I will miss it when I am 45 and 55. It is still of a big part of my life.”

No Bull, he’s an original

Joakim Noah, the Chicago Bulls’ irrepressible first-round pick -- and a guy with his own peculiar sense of fashion -- didn’t make it from New York to Chicago for an expected Friday news conference that was delayed until Monday.

Five reasons for Noah’s tardiness, from Mike Nadel, a columnist for GateHouse News Service:

“1. As usual, flights from New York to Chicago were scarce.

“2. He had second thoughts when he heard Bozo wanted his hair back.

“3. He’s very shy, as he demonstrated with the conservative outfit he wore to the NBA Draft.

“4. He kept missing every time he tried to toss his keys into the little basket at airport security.

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“5. Taking a cue from Billy Donovan, he decided his heart was still at the University of Florida.”

Trivia answer

Rick Rhoden, 54, made the U.S. Senior Open field as an alternate. It is the third appearance for the former Dodger, who failed to make the cut in 2003 and finished tied for 30th in 2005.

And finally

Bulls Coach Scott Skiles on Noah in the Chicago Tribune:

“There are certain guys in the league people think have a lot of energy because they have a certain false bravado after they dunk a ball. From everything we’ve learned, there’s nothing false [with him.] It’s real.”

--

robyn.norwood@latimes.com

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