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Cue Rod Serling and the music

Here's a look at the goofiest moments of 2006.

By TOM JONES
Published December 29, 2006

BY TOM JONES Times Staff Writer

Of course, we had great games and great performances in 2006. But, of course, we had our moments when sports seemed to slip into the Twilight Zone. Old men being stalked by young women. A player stabbing a teammate. And the time-honored tradition of parents acting like idiots. So now we look back at some of the more bizarre, weird, funny and downright goofy sports moments of 2007:

PARENTS GONE WILD

Reach for the sky

A 40-year-old Philadelphia man was arrested after pulling a gun on a youth-league coach because his son wasn't getting enough playing time.

It takes a village

More than 60 parents, players and coaches were involved in a brawl during a football game for seventh- and eighth-graders in Oakland, N.J.

Because a camera looks like a gun

A parent videotaping a middle-school game from a school rooftop in Utah was arrested because fans thought he was a sniper.

Does this guy still take steroids?

Former NFL player Bill Romanowski, who once punched a teammate and spit on an opponent, was nearly suspended from coaching in a youth flag-football league after getting into a verbal confrontation with a 12-year-old kid.

Let's go to the videotape

The father of a high-school quarterback in Pennsylvania posed as a college recruiter to get into the practice of an opposing team and tape its defense. Two days later, his son, who swears he did not see the tape, threw for a school-record 457 yards.

BAD BUSINESS

What do you have in a recliner?

The owner of a furniture store in Plano, Ill., offered customers free furniture up to $10,000 if the Bears shut out the Packers on opening day. The Bears did, and the owner ended up giving away $300,000 worth of free stuff.

Dumb and dumber

Fox's Tony Siragusa and Daryl Johnston got in hot water when they said they were going to give away a car, then handed one fan a toy car. Fox was flooded with e-mail complaints, and CEO David Hill gave the fan a Ford F-150 pickup.

Maybe the 7-foot guy gave them away

Heat center Shaquille O'Neal went on a pornography raid with the Bedford County (Va.) Sheriff's department. One problem: authorities searched the wrong house.

Do we get a free Slurpee, too?

The Chicago White Sox signed a sponsorship deal with 7-Eleven, and all evening home games next season will start at 7:11 p.m.

FAMILY MATTERS

Why you should bring a glove to the game

The Orioles' Jay Gibbons hit a foul ball that injured a fan: his wife, who suffered bruised ribs.

Bad timing

Tank Carter, the brother of Steelers safety Tyron Carter, had his jail sentence for reckless driving increased from six months to five years because he didn't report on time. Why didn't he report on time? He went to see his brother play in the Super Bowl.

Good timing

Former teammates and now archrivals Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant welcomed new babies six minutes apart on May 1.

Overboard dad

A baby in D'Iberville, Miss., was given the name ESPN Montana (pronounced Espen) in honor of his dad's favorite two things: ESPN and former NFL quarterback Joe Montana.

RABID FANS

Two bits, four bits ... shut up

Victoria Caldell, a University of Tennessee season-ticket holder, was called by the athletic department to ask her not to cheer so much during games.

This is just weird

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, Brewers announcer Bob Uecker and former Packers coach Bart Starr all filed complaints in 2006 about being stalked by females.

Be like Mike

An Oregon man sued Michael Jordan and Nike for $800-million because he kept getting confused on the street for being Jordan. When he was being interviewed for his story, the man was wearing a pair of Air Jordans.

BAD BEHAVIOR

Bet he got charged late fees

Timberwolves center Eddie Griffin crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a parked car because he was drunk and watching a pornographic DVD on his dashboard DVD player.

Don't do what I do

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was cited for reckless driving one day after appearing at an educational program called "Focus on Driving."

Not the way to get a leg up on the competition

The second-string punter for the University of Northern Colorado was charged with stabbing a guy in the thigh. Who was the guy? The team's starting punter.

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[Last modified December 29, 2006, 00:17:09]