Text messages from press row...

If Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, why can’t he make free throws? . . .

Dwight Howard might hear about it from Shaquille O’Neal, the original brick-tossing Superman, who actually shot slightly better from the foul line than Howard did this season. . . .

To paraphrase an old country song, Lakers fans don’t love Derek Fisher anymore, but they don’t love him any less. . . .

Not after Game 4. . . .

Next time, Pau Gasol might want to dribble out the clock at the end of a game rather than rise up for a meaningless dunk and leave himself vulnerable to a cheap shot from a frustrated, unthinking opponent such as Mickael Pietrus. . . .

As Phil Jackson might say, this latest NBA fine is bogus. . . .

Mitch Kupchak and Ned Colletti, take a bow. . . .

John Daly should be suspended again -- for those pants. . . .

Now that Sidney Crosby is a four-year veteran and the youngest Stanley Cup-winning captain in NHL history, maybe he has outgrown his “Sid the Kid” moniker. . . .

He’ll turn 22 in August. . . .

Baylor left-hander Aaron Miller, the Dodgers’ top pick in last week’s amateur baseball draft, is no relation to the former Kings defenseman of the same name. . . .

That Aaron Miller won a silver medal with the U.S. hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. . . .

Scott Boras, representing top draft pick Stephen Strasburg, is an agent baseball fans love to hate, but there’s nobody you’d rather have in your corner if you’re a hot prospect. . . .

Andruw Jones says Frank McCourt let him down? . . .

He’s punchy and paunchy. . . .

Reader Andrew Oshrin of Long Beach, responding to a suggestion that Steve Lavin would be an outside-the-box hire as USC basketball coach: “Some Bruins would prefer to see this scenario unfold than to have the NCAA grant Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett four years of eligibility and deliver their signed letters of intent to Ben Howland’s office.” . . .

It’s great to see that UCLA fans are still pulling for Lav. . . .

T-shirt spotted last week: Kobe diem. . . .

In an interview posted on the Cincinnati Bengals’ website, flighty Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson says visits with Bryant and Denzel Washington at a Lakers game convinced him to return to the Bengals with a new attitude and his old swagger. . . .

Says Johnson of his meeting with the actor, “He’s so real, I was wondering if he was serious or in character.” . . .

Some wonder the same of Johnson. . . .

Or is it Ochocinco? . . .

If Cy Young’s record of 511 wins is not the most unreachable in sports, readers Dennis Smith and Michael Axelrod suggest in separate e-mails, one of these might be: Young’s 316 losses or Walter Johnson’s 110 shutouts. . . .

George Halas was named player of the game in the 1919 Rose Bowl and later was an outfielder for the New York Yankees. . . .

Yes, that George Halas. . . .

Speaking of the Yankees, they did something in 1966 they hadn’t done since 1912 and have done only once since: Finished last. . . .

Look-alikes: Eric Gagne and actor Seth Rogen. . . .

Five women -- Margaret Smith Court, Steffi Graf, Helen Wills Moody, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert -- won more Grand Slam singles titles than Roger Federer or Pete Sampras, who share the men’s record of 14. . . .

Smith Court won 24. . . .

The late Morton Marrow, of Sherman Oaks, owned a vanity license plate -- 6HLSIN1 -- that was a gift from sons Dan, Joel and Andy, who believed six holes in one were worth celebrating. . . .

Why is North Carolina and not South Carolina or East Carolina the only school ever referred to simply as “Carolina”? . . .

After honoring Rafer Johnson on Saturday at a “Breakfast With Champions” salute, the Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games continue today at Long Beach State. . . .

Soccer star Christiano Ronaldo reportedly celebrated his transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid last week by cavorting with Paris Hilton in Hollywood. . . .

Hilton’s suddenly ex-boyfriend, former Angels farmhand Doug Reinhardt, then issued a statement saying he wished the socialite “and all of her future boyfriends” the best of luck. . . .

Ain’t love grand!

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jerome.crowe@latimes.com