A political football in New Jersey

The Statue of Liberty is within New Jersey’s state line. Yet it’s on the New York state license plate. So New Jersey politicians, unable to obtain pink slips on what they perceive to be state property, want to leave no doubt about where Rutgers is.

Last week, the state assembly’s higher education committee approved a resolution urging (begging?) Rutgers to consider adding “N.J.” to its logo, a large red blocked “R.”

This hardly seemed to be a big issue when the football team went 1-11 in 2002, but after the Scarlet Knights went 11-2 last season, interest among lawmakers seemed to grow.

Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan came up with the idea during an NCAA basketball tournament game at the Meadowlands in March, telling the Newark Star-Ledger, “There was a big ‘R’ in the middle of the court. People are saying, ‘Rutgers, where is that located?’ Rutgers embodies all we are proud of in New Jersey.”

Still, this is a slippery slope. Rutgers might do what all major football teams do in the state -- slap “N.Y.” on the helmet.

Trivia time

Who are the only two pitchers to win 20 games with both the Angels and the Dodgers?

It must be the shoes

Anthony Gonzalez, the Indianapolis Colts’ first-round draft pick, was told by the NFL he could not participate in a team minicamp this weekend. His crime? Gonzalez was one of a few players who turned down an invitation to the Reebok NFL Player Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles.

The NFL Management Council fired off a memo siding with -- big shocker here -- the sponsor.

“Gonzo is distraught,” Mike McCartney, his agent, told the Indianapolis Star. “He wants to play football.”

Instead, the NFL told him to just do it (oops, wrong shoe).

Getting ahead in life

The Portland Beavers reached deep into the novelty bag for their latest blockbuster promotion. The face of a man named Bob L. Head will appear on (you guessed it) bobblehead dolls the team will give away on Aug. 18.

The field has been narrowed to three finalists, with the winner to be chosen by fan voting on the team’s website. One of the three, Robert Leroy Head, a 68-year-old man from Maquoketa, Iowa, told the Associated Press his entry essay read, “I grew up as a country boy. I pitched hay and manure, so I thought I could pitch a baseball, too.”

Moving up a notch on the wacky-promotion-alert list: anyone named Bat Day or Cap Knight.

Go, go Gophers

The University of Minnesota has dangled a carrot on a stick in front of new football Coach Tim Brewster. Of course, it is a really, really, really long stick.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Brewster would receive $200,000 for winning the Big Ten title, $300,000 for playing in the national title game and another $50,000 for winning the national title.

Still, he should wait before buying that new power boat. The Golden Gophers haven’t won the Big Ten championship since sharing the crown in 1967 and haven’t won the national title since 1960. So university officials are probably safe if they spread that cash around the science department for now.

Belated thanks

Reader H. Anthony Medley provided the trivia question last week, “Where have the Dodgers resided longer, Ebbets Field or Dodger Stadium.” The answer: Dodger Stadium.

Trivia answer

Bill Singer and Andy Messersmith, who were part of the same seven-player trade in 1972.

And finally

J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, explaining why he was considering pit crew changes: “The thing we’ve kind of noticed is that it’s not one person, though. It’s inconsistency across the board and it has to get better.”

Gibbs’ father could say the same thing about his Washington Redskins football team.

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chris.foster@latimes.com