Commentary

The Buzz

By Times Staff Writer
Published February 5, 2006

THUMBS UP

Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. As last weekend's efforts showed, the world's two most dominant athletes don't appear to be slipping.

Texas A&M, which is mad at the Seattle Seahawks for their use of the term "12th Man." The Aggies, who hold two trademark registrations on "12th Man," got a restraining order from a county judge that restricts the NFC champions from using the term. Instead of worrying about this, maybe Texas A&M should be trying to figure out why its football program is so incredibly average.

"In regular tournaments, players throw in the towel occasionally for one reason or another. Clearly Justine Henin-Hardenne was subpar (in the Australian Open final), but that doesn't matter. There are certain caliber events - Olympics, major finals, Daytona 500, the Masters, Super Bowl - where you just suck it up. Can you imagine how many of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks are going to have massive physical problems in the Super Bowl? And they are going to suck it up. I got to one Grand Slam final, and that's what you shoot for as a player. Henin-Hardenne just wasted one because her stomach was hurting a lot? Amelie Mauresmo could have turned an ankle, she could have choked terribly. She could have seized up and not been able to hit her forehand in the court. Matches have turned around in a lot more peculiar ways than what we saw. I think Henin-Hardenne's reputation is tarnished forever."

- PAM SHRIVER, former player and ESPN analyst

60: People who paid $400 each to take a photo with Jeff Gordon at a recent charity event in Las Vegas.

115: Jack Nicklaus' ranking on the PGA's list of career earnings.

$500,000: Amount in cash and jewelry reportedly taken during a burglary at the home of Los Angeles Clipper Cuttino Mobley.

90-MILLION: Toilets that will be flushed during halftime of the Super Bowl (using enough water to flow over Niagara Falls for seven minutes), according to Scott Tissue.

Compiled by Times staff writer Keith Niebuhr.

[Last modified February 5, 2006, 01:22:20]