By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Sept. 26, 2004
In a new location, Rants &Rambles returns to have a little fun in the world of sports.
OK, it's not exactly a new location, we really just moved the desk over about half a foot to get a little more space between the door and our seat, but still, it's a move.
Anyway let's dig into a few things in the sporting world that has tickled our funnybone over the last few weeks.
So that's why…
Forget the goat; leave Bartman alone, the Chicago Cubs have proven why they haven't won a World Series in nearly a century by a clerical error.
It seems a former paper delivery man, who just happens to share the same name with Cubs reliever Mark Guthrie, was recently paid like a big leaguer.
The non-pitching Guthrie, who worked as a delivery man for the Hartford Courrant, had more than $300,000 deposited into his checking account by the Tribune Company, which owns the Cubs.
Originally the delivery man, who was recently laid off, was more than willing to give back the money, but he has since frozen his account in fear that Uncle Sam will be looking for its cut of the thousands that were temporarily in his account.
The Tribune was able to remove more than $200,000 before the account was frozen, but the two parties appear to be heading towards litigation over the last $26,000 that is assumed to still be in Guthrie's account.
It hard to image an organization that would pay a delivery man hundreds of thousands of bucks can't get it together in October.
Silent ice
It's going to be a long winter for us puck heads.
Somehow the National Hockey League Players Association has gotten it into their heads that they need to take a hardline stance against their employers with the latest labor agreement.
NHL owners have subsequently locked the players out, threatening a late start to the 2004 season or no season at all.
It has been a week since the union dispute has forced the lockout, and the only impact is a few dentists wondering how they will make up the lost income of player dental work.
Really, what do you think?
It seems the Raiders' Frank Middleton believes sure-fire Hall of Famer Jerry Rice still has something to prove after playing in the NFL since Jimmy Carter was president.
After Rice's record of 274 consecutive games with a catch was broken last week, Middleton said, "It's easy to go out and play football every week when you're playing for something. He was playing to keep his record alive. Now the record is dead. Now we really get to see what kind of character he has. If he comes out and does great because the record is not on the line anymore, that's just going to make him look better as a player. If he shuts it down and gets mad because it's broke, that's going to say something about him, too."
Apparently, Rice's four Super Bowl rings, numerous Pro Bowl trips and virtually every receiving record known to man doesn't say enough to the Oakland offensive lineman.
Now there's a team player.
If only?
Here's a dandy little news item that could have come in handy a month ago.
Too bad the U.S. Olympic basketball team couldn't use the same excuse to send Iverson home from Athens.
Let it go big guy
Shaquille O'Neal demanded to be traded from the L.A. Lakers presumably because he was just tired of sharing the same coastline with Kobe Bryant.
Fine, but dude, get over your little feud with the guard.
After blasting Kobe in his latest rap album, soon to be in a bargain bin near you, O'Neal had this to say about his former L.A. running mate.
Heck, O'Neal's rants don't even make sense anymore.