Coaching Rodman inspired Jackson
Phil Jackson’s calm demeanor on the bench during Lakers games is the result of having coached a certain player more than decade ago. Yes, Dennis Rodman can have that effect on a coach.
Last week, Jackson told Conan O’Brien that he used to be “a pacer” before the Chicago Bulls obtained Rodman in 1995. “Dennis fed off the coach,” Jackson said, “and you know how volatile he could be. He could be really excitable.
“I just said, ‘I’m going to sit down and be quiet and just see if that cools him down.’ ”
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Trivia time
How many times did Rodman lead the NBA in rebounds?
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It’s in the shirts
Sometimes, sports news can be broken by observing what’s on a team’s jersey rack.
According to the website profootballtalk.com, the Minnesota Vikings have reached a deal with Reebok to start producing Brett Favre No. 4 jerseys, meaning the Vikings are on the verge of signing the veteran quarterback.
And at Dodger Stadium, Manny Ramirez jerseys have moved from the back of the racks to the front, suggesting Dodgers fans are forgiving when it comes to Ramirez.
“We buried them inside the racks for a while, but now they’re back out front,” a salesperson told the Boston Globe. “And I have not heard one person say one bad word about Manny.”
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Stalkers
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is looking for a mascot, and 400 nominations have ranged from a feathered horse to an asparagus stalk.
For decades, William & Mary teams were known as the Indians, but the school changed its nickname to Tribe in the 1980s.
Then in 2006, the NCAA ruled that the college could keep the Tribe nickname but its feathered logo was demeaning to Native Americans and had to go.
But Asparagus? The fan who nominated the vegetable notes that when served with cheese, asparagus represents the school colors -- green and gold.
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Trivia answer
Seven.
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And finally
From David Thomas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “The Texans became the latest NFL team to partner with a state lottery, attaching their logo to an instant-win game. Because it’s the Texans, the game will have a maximum of eight wins per year.”
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