Duncan’s rings should be duly noted

Text messages from press row ...

If Shaquille O’Neal is the Most Dominant Ever, as he once loudly proclaimed, how is it that another player of his era -- Tim Duncan -- will soon own a collection of championship rings equal in number to O’Neal’s? ... And Duncan, 31, is four years younger than the fading MDE....

The Detroit Pistons believe they were good enough to have won four consecutive NBA championships, including this year’s, but they might not have won any if Karl Malone hadn’t been slowed by a knee injury in the 2004 Finals....

The NFL is returning to the Coliseum, but only for a Rams reunion July 14....

BTW, collegefootballnews.com is predicting a UCLA-Wisconsin matchup in the Rose Bowl, but USC fans need not fret.... The site ranks USC No. 1 and forecasts the Trojans taking on Louisiana State for the national title Jan. 7 at New Orleans, which means it also sees USC avenging last year’s 13-9 loss to the Bruins on Dec. 1 in the Coliseum....

Won’t NASCAR driver Carl Edwards feel like an idiot if he executes a celebratory back flip, lands on a grease spot and throws out his back? ...

Unfortunately for actress Elisabeth Shue, who reportedly is training for a professional tennis career as her 44th birthday rapidly approaches, she got started about 25 years too late and is fooling herself if she believes she’ll make even the slightest impact on the WTA Tour....

Bald and wiry 6-foot-9 beach volleyball star Phil Dalhausser, A.K.A. “The Thin Beast,” could be the Beast of the Far East at the Beijing Olympics, where he and partner Todd Rogers figure to rank among the favorites....

Wasn’t it only yesterday that Michelle Wie was the hottest name in golf? ...

If you don’t believe that carrot-topped action-sports icon Shaun White might someday be the most recognizable name in sports, consider this: Action-sports trailblazer Tony Hawk’s various brands reportedly gross about $400 million a year....

Baron Davis, mentioned by Kobe Bryant as a player the Lakers should have pursued in a trade, took part in only 66% of

his teams’ games over the last three seasons because of injuries, 8% fewer than oft-injured and oft-maligned J.D. Drew appeared in over the last three major league seasons....

The Clippers, who will pick 14th in the NBA draft June 28, squandered their last lottery pick, taking Yaroslav Korolev at No. 12 two years ago, but at least they were kind enough to pass out miniature bottles of vodka at the Russian teenager’s introductory news conference....

Here’s a stretch: Surfing icons Kelly Slater and Rob Machado voice characters named Kelly and Rob in the new animated feature, “Surf’s Up.” ...

Believe it or not, there is a link between the first team to bring the Stanley Cup to the Southland and the first to bring an NBA title to the region....

Mark O’Neill, equipment manager for the newly crowned Ducks, is a son of Frank O’Neill, who was the trainer for the 1971-72 Lakers team featuring Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich....

The closest the Kings ever got to hoisting the Cup was when Luc Robitaille, their former All-Star and new president of business operations, brought it to Dodger Stadium five years ago after winning it with the Detroit Red Wings....

BTW, the Cup is expected to alight in Angel Stadium after the 2002 World Series champions return home from their current trip....

At the new Bay Area stadium Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff is planning to build in Fremont, about 15 minutes northeast of San Jose, some 3,000 townhouses will be incorporated into the development, meaning that A’s fans literally will be able to live and die with their favorite team....

Also at the fully digital ballpark, which will be called Cisco Field, fans will be able to buy tickets with their cellphones, upgrade to better seats on game day through their cellphones, enter the stadium by swiping a bar code that will be sent electronically to their cellphones and, in a nod to simpler times, also be able to actually speak to one another through their cellphones....

If you’re looking for a Father’s Day gift and your old man is a Dodgers fan -- don’t worry, you’ve got another week to shop -- you might consider team historian Mark Langill’s new book, “Game of My Life,” in which Steve Garvey, Maury Wills, Vin Scully and 16 others describe their favorite day in Dodger blue....

Billy Donovan could spend the next 30 years at Florida and never coach a player as gifted as the Orlando Magic’s wondrous Dwight Howard....

O.J. Mayo is due to arrive this week for his year at USC....

If manipulating the results of sporting events were as easy as conspiracy theorists would have us believe, horse racing surely would have manufactured at least one Triple Crown winner in the last 29 years instead of sitting on its hands while the “Sport of Kings” dies a slow, painful death....

Look-alikes: Mike Dunleavy and actor James Gandolfini.... Speaking of which, ciao, T....

Thanks to reader Rich Perelman for suggesting the “text messages” title for this space, sort of a Cisco Field-ready update on “Notes on a Scorecard.” ...

WTG.

--

jerome.crowe@latimes.com