Maybe leprechauns will buy it

It hasn’t been the best time to release the paperback version of the book Charlie Weis wrote with veteran NFL scribe Vic Carucci, “No Excuses: One Man’s Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame.”

The hardback sold well last year, when Notre Dame went 10-3.

The Irish are 0-3 this season, and as Times reader Thomas Reynolds pointed out, the paperback edition notes that “Weis was expected to miraculously turn around his alma mater’s once-storied but hopelessly stumbling team. And he did.”

For two seasons, anyway.

The good news for Weis: Previous sales of the book have in part benefited the nonprofit foundation Hannah and Friends, named in honor of his developmentally delayed daughter and dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and adults with special needs.

Trivia time

Who was the last Notre Dame player to win the Heisman Trophy?

More awkward timing

OC Weekly’s new “Best of OC” issue includes some local figures who list their “7 favorite things” about the county.

Looks as if UC Irvine-turned-Cal State Fullerton baseball Coach Dave Serrano caused a little trouble on deadline.

Among his seven favorite things are University Hills, a community for UC Irvine faculty and staff, as well as UC Irvine itself, “a great institution for athletics, but we want to make an impact on our players’ lives for a long time.”

Give or take a few weeks.

Serrano then accepted the Fullerton job he had previously disavowed, so OC Weekly editors added No. 7a:

“[Though we couldn’t get back to Serrano by press time, we assume the same quote, or something very much like it, applies to Cal State Fullerton.]”

And one more needle: “OK, now let’s get this to print before he heads to Cal State Long Beach.”

And speaking of awkward …

The Galaxy announced Friday the club is offering current season-ticket holders the opportunity to renew their season tickets at 2007 prices for the 2008 Major League Soccer season.

David Beckham played 310 minutes. Our take: Where’s the refund?

In other news

Reader Janice Hough on the University of Colorado’s banning alcohol sales at basketball games at the Coors Events Center:

“Guess it’s not that odd, the Florida Marlins used to play at Pro Player Stadium.”

Not his best surface

Here’s everyone’s chance to beat Roger Federer. He has been sculpted . . . in clay.

The ATP commissioned a sculptor to create so-called terracotta warriors in the images of the eight tennis players who make the Masters Cup in Shanghai in November.

The figures are symbolic of the Terracotta Army, the 8,000-odd figures created in China more than 2,000 years ago that were rediscovered in 1974.

“I think being sculpted as a terracotta warrior is an honor,” Federer said.

Proving that most tennis players are princes, the contenders sat for measurements with calipers and tape measures at the recent tour stop in Montreal.

We’re just waiting to see how Rafael Nadal looks in clay.

Trivia answer

The most recent was Tim Brown, in 1987.

And finally

Tennis player James Blake, on being measured for his prospective terracotta likeness:

“It was more weird than anything else, [to] have someone measure your scalp and stuff. It wasn’t the real inspiration to get there.”

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robyn.norwood@latimes.com