Talking his way out of a corner

Some sports announcers readily admit to a mistake and correct it immediately. Others don’t.

The legendary Bill Stern, calling a football game on radio, once misidentified a runner several times as he proceeded toward a touchdown. Noticing the error just before the player crossed the goal line, Stern had him lateraling to the correct player.

In broadcasting lore, there is a story about Howard Cosell announcing a tennis match with Arthur Ashe. Cosell kept identifying Roscoe Tanner as Chuck Tanner, who at the time was manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ashe initially was afraid to point out the mistake but eventually told Cosell, “It’s Roscoe Tanner.”

Said Cosell: “I know that, but his friends call him Chuck.”

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Trivia time

Who coached Phil Jackson in college at North Dakota? (Hint: He became an NBA coach.)

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Clear-cut favorite

Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times, noting that registrations are now being accepted for the Notre Dame Football Fantasy Camp next June, wrote: “In a related story, the Fantasy Camp all-stars -- sight unseen -- have been installed as 7 1/2 -point favorites to beat the Irish football team.”

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Babies add value

A caller from South Carolina to Tony Stewart’s NASCAR show on Sirius Satellite Radio last week asked, “Would you consider dating a woman who had a child?”

Said Stewart: “Absolutely. Are you kidding me? That’s like a value meal. That’s like getting fries and a drink with your sandwich.”

The really weird thing: the caller was named Jack.

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Popular class

An English prison for inmates ages 8-21 has about 30 enrolled in its latest physical education offering: Pole vaulting.

Mike Lee, who owns a nearby taxi service, told the London Daily Mail Express: “Let’s hope they don’t get too good at it.”

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Throwing down the Gauntlet

There figures to be a lot on the line when UCLA and USC meet in football at the Coliseum on Dec. 1. One thing may be Karl Dorrell’s job. A Rose Bowl bid could be another.

Then there’s the Lexus Gauntlet trophy, which each year goes to one of the schools, signifying athletic superiority over the other.

USC’s recent victory over UCLA in women’s volleyball left the competition tied at 12.5 points apiece. The football game is worth 10 points.

In the six years the trophy has existed, USC and UCLA have each won it three times.

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Typo personalities

From Bill Simmons’ ESPN.com blog: “Do you think Jhonny Peralta and Dwyane Wade ever thought about starting a Birth Certificate Bloopers’ support group?”

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Trivia answer

Bill Fitch, who concluded his 25-year NBA coaching career in 1998 with the Clippers. Fitch also coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and New Jersey Nets.

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And finally

On HBO’s “Inside the NFL,” Dan Marino said a 40-year-old fan named Scott sent along a photo of himself standing in front of Marino’s childhood home in Pittsburgh and asked him to autograph it.

According to Marino, he signed it: “Scott, Get a Life, Dan.”

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larry.stewart@latimes.com