Caught on the fly

Sporting News, The, Dec 9, 2005

Paul Tagliabue's announcement that the NFL wants to return a team to L.A. Feels like New Year's Eve. You know, because there will be a dramatic countdown, followed by a bunch of blackouts.

FAST FACT

The Honda Civic has been named Motor Trend's Car of the Year. Finishing a distant 19th was the No. 8 Chevrolet.

NOW THAT WOULD BE A DETERRENT

A Hamilton County prosecutor is pushing for jail time for the Bengals fan who ran on the field at Paul Brown Stadium earlier this season, though it's more likely the sentence will be in the neighborhood of 30 hours of community service and a pair of Browns tickets.

Hey, didn't you used to be Nate McMillan's sanity?

Is it getting blustery in here, or is it just me?

Agent Scott Boras has prepared an information kit for teams interested in signing free agent Johnny Damon. The titles for just some of the sections: Best Leadoff Man in Baseball, Most Durable Active Player in the Major Leagues/Deserving of a 7-Plus-Year Contract, Better Than Future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson and Just an All-Around Humble Guy.

THE OL' SOX SALUTE

The Red Sox may have landed a star pitcher who will be the cornerstone of their rotation for years, but there are plenty of concerns because of Josh Beckett's persistent blister problems. In fact, there figures to be so much talk about a pitcher's middle finger at Fenway that it will be just like the Byung Hyun-Kim days.

The Trojans know all about Dubyas

The argument thrown out there most often as to why Reggie Bush shouldn't win the Heisman: When USC needs a tough yard, it gives the ball to LenDale White. So in other words, Bush may be perceived as the leader, but it's his running mate who has the power.