SHAQ’S STILL GOT IT
I apologize if you have read this before, but my one personal encounter with Shaquille O’Neal came early in his Orlando Magic career. I went to Indianapolis to interview former Illini Nick Anderson, then with Orlando. During the interview, O’Neal playfully came after Anderson, shouting “Shaq attack” as he did a shark motion with his arms. It cracked me up. All these years later, O’Neal is still bringing the fun. He recently recreated some memorable scenes from “Elf,” “Christmas Vacation,” “Home Alone” and “Love Actually.” Hysterical.
THEY ALL GET A’S
B.O.B. is fairly notorious at The News-Gazette for being positive about most sports hires. That is certainly the case with the Oakland A’s, who promoted Mark Kotsay from third-base coach to manager. He replaces Bob Melvin, who took over the San Diego Padres. Kotsay was a star player at Cal State Fullerton who then spent 17 years in the majors with six teams. His numbers were solid, not great. He seemed to be the kind of guy who made the most of his talents. The good thing is the A’s now know who is in charge. The bad news: No idea when the season will start. Or if it will start.
SPUR-ED TO VICTORY
It’s been a rough year for fans, especially in the NBA. In late November, you had the guy throwing up courtside at a Sacramento Kings game, causing a delay. Then, on Monday in San Antonio, a Spurs fan got into it with Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson wouldn’t repeat what the fan said to him, but offered that he “crossed the line.” Thankfully, security in San Antonio removed the fan. Clarkson got the last laugh, hitting a pair of free throws to clinch the win for the streaking Jazz, who were playing without star Donovan Mitchell. One more nugget: Clarkson, who finished with 23 points, is from San Antonio.
Bob Asmussen can be reached at 217-393-8248 or by email at asmussen@news-gazette.com.
