Their other jobs weren’t the greatest

Today marks the 50th anniversary of “The Greatest Game Ever Played” -- the Baltimore Colts’ overtime victory over the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL championship game.

How long ago is 50 years?

To put it into perspective, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ran a list of off-season jobs held by players and coaches who participated in that game. In order to supplement NFL salaries that were far short of sufficient, Colts defensive tackle Art Donovan worked as a liquor salesman in the spring and summer. Teammate Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb was a greeter at a brewery and a professional wrestler. Colts running back Lenny Moore worked in community relations with the National Brewing Co. . . . and was a Saturday disc jockey for WSID radio in Baltimore.

Two assistant coaches with the Giants, eventually bound for the Hall of Fame as head coaches, had to make ends meet in 1958. So Giants defensive coordinator Tom Landry worked as an insurance salesman, and an offensive coordinator named Vince Lombardi worked in public relations for a bank.

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Trivia time

What was the winner’s share for the Colts in the 1958 championship game?

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Blast from the past

For those major league teams in the market for a power-hitting outfielder but looking for a cheaper alternative than Manny Ramirez, there’s always . . . Sammy Sosa?

Sosa, who turned 40 on Nov. 12, didn’t play last season but told the Associated Press he doesn’t consider himself retired and would like to play for the Dominican Republic this coming March in the World Baseball Classic.

“I still don’t have an offer, and I shouldn’t be looking for offers out there,” said Sosa, who has 609 homers.

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That’s so cool

American Todd Carmichael recently walked solo 700 miles across Antarctica from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole in 39 days 7 hours and 49 minutes, averaging about 18 miles a day. His time broke the existing record by nearly two hours.

After such a feat, what could possibly be Carmichael’s next challenge?

“He’s had a lot of time out there by himself to think,” his wife, Lauren Hart, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Too much time to think. He’ll come up with something.”

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Trivia answer

Each Colts player received $4,718.77.

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And finally

St. John’s (Minn.) football Coach John Gagliardi, 82, to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, about his job security: “The monks give me a lifetime contract because they figure I can’t last much longer. But there’s a clause in there that if we start losing games, they can give me the last sacraments and declare me dead.”

-- Mike Penner