O’Brien hops his way to a world record
Ever wonder what happens to the World’s Greatest Athlete after he wins the Olympic decathlon gold medal?
Dan O’Brien, 1996 Olympic champion, has moved on to eclipsing new heights in . . . hopscotch.
This week, O’Brien set the world hopscotch record, according to Guinness World Records, by completing a game in 1:21.63 at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Which answers the question: Do they keep speed records for games of hopscotch?
Less clear: Why?
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Trivia time
How many times did O’Brien win the decathlon competition at the track and field world championships?
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When texting goes bad
Hundreds of Pittsburgh Penguins fans received text messages saying they had won free tickets to an upcoming playoff game, only to be told shortly after: Never mind.
Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said the text messages were mistakenly sent to 460 fans who entered a contest before a recent game. Each of the fans received an automated phone call explaining the mistake plus a grab bag of consolation gifts: a $25 gift card, a Penguins cap and T-shirt and two tickets to a regular season game next season.
Penguins playoff tickets could become very valuable because of scarcity, considering the way Pittsburgh has started its series against the Washington Capitals.
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When Twitter goes bad
Shaquille O’Neal has a Twitter account, and apparently an interest in Los Angeles sports. After he heard the big news in baseball on Thursday, O’Neal posted the following tweet: “Dam manny ramirez, come on man Agggggggggh, agggggggh, agggggh.”
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Avoid the temptation
As the Minnesota Vikings pondered their interest in pursuing Brett Favre, Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune warned them to exercise caution.
“Sign Favre, watch the fireworks, and understand that this January, Favre might wind up looking all too much like a cross between Brad Johnson and Tarvaris Jackson,” Souhan wrote. “Favre is the supermodel who maxes out your credit cards. He is the sports car that wipes out your bank account. He is enticing, and he is captivating, and he is trouble.”
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Trivia answer
Three, in 1991, 1993 and 1995.
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And finally
From Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald: “A new ‘Star Trek’ movie opens soon. It takes place so far into the future the 2009 NBA playoffs are almost over.”
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Go beyond the scoreboard
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