They teamed to bring drama to Tour

Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong finished first and third, respectively, at the Tour de France, but their positions on the victory stand were as close as the two competitors -- and Astana teammates -- were all race.

After returning to his hometown of Pinto near Madrid, Contador told reporters, “My relationship with Lance Armstrong is non-existent. Even if he is a great champion, I have never had admiration for him and I never will.

“It was a delicate situation, very tense, the two riders who had most weight on the team did not have an easy relationship and that puts the rest of the technical staff and the riders in an uncomfortable position.”

Armstrong fired back in a Twitter feed.

“Seeing these comments from AC. If I were him I’d drop this drivel and start thanking his team. Without them, he doesn’t win,” Armstrong wrote. “Hey pistolero (a nickname for Contador), there is no ‘i’ in ‘team’. What did I say in March? Lots to learn. Restated.”

Trivia time

Who is the only man to hit two grand slams in one inning?

Young whippersnapper

Claude Smith, the 1941 All-American Soap Box Derby champ, competed recently in the ceremonial Oil Can Derby, which preceded the 72nd annual Soap Box event in Akron, Ohio. Smith didn’t win, but he was pleased to note the race also included competitors aged 91 and 89.

Smith, 82, told the Associated Press: “My biggest thrill today was being called the kid in our race.”

No picnic for A-Rod

Making note of Alex Rodriguez’s 34th birthday on Monday, David Letterman quipped during his monologue that “If you are thinking you would like to get him a gift, by gosh, you can’t go wrong with clean urine.”

Letterman also mused about a Yankees’ gathering last Sunday: “The team had a family picnic for the Yankees, and Alex Rodriguez was there at the picnic and he’s kissing, making out with Kate Hudson. Yeah, here’s the sad part: Mariano Rivera had to close.”

Trivia answer

Fernando Tatis of the St. Louis Cardinals hit two grand slams in the same inning on April 23, 1999 -- both off Chan Ho Park of the Dodgers.

(Question and answer provided by reader Tim Stevenson of Burbank.)

And finally

Headline in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, on the minor-league Brooklyn Cyclones’ Salute to Pregnancy Night: “Get her some pickles and Cracker Jack.”

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mike.penner@latimes.com