LAUGH RIOT: It was a sign of the times, I guess. When the Olympic torch relay came through San Francisco recently, demonstrators gathered to protest China's human rights record. One person held up a placard that read, "Would we have allowed Nazi Germany to host the Olympics?" Well, actually, we did. Berlin. 1936. Hitler. Jesse Owens. Does any of this ring a bell?
Add Olympics People who actually learned a little history in school will immediately jump to the conclusion that the protest sign represents an indictment of our educational system. But, hey, at least the words were spelled correctly.
Sidebar The torch relay was first incorporated into the Olympic Games by the Nazis, who weren't unfamiliar with political propaganda. The Nazis took the flame through Eastern European countries they would later invade. Considering what followed, the torch relay might have been a scouting mission.
Age gauge Larry Brown is 67. Is the Stanford coaching job on his bucket list?
Keeping count If you're scoring at home, Brown's next head coaching job will be his 12th.
Name game Said to have declined Stanford's overtures are Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt, Davidson's Bob McKillop, Villanova's Jay Wright and Gonzaga's Mark Few.
Wondering Now that she has won her first IndyCar race, when do we start hearing rumors that Danica Patrick is ready to make the move to NASCAR?
Lucky man Chad Johnson is fortunate - for now - that the Bengals turned down an offer to trade him to the Redskins. In general, highly publicized veterans who join the Skins, especially on offense, tend to underperform.
Chess pieces If reports of the Dolphins wanting to trade defensive stalwart Jason Taylor are true, Miami should have used its first pick on Chris Long - not Jake - to bolster its pass rush.
Funny money When the market requires the Dolphins to give $30 million in guarantees to Jake Long, a blocker who will never touch the ball or sell a ticket, you can see why the NFL might try to impose a rookie salary cap.
Isn't it rich The draft wonks who question whether Darren McFadden's character issues make him too much of a risk must not have noticed that the Cowboys just traded for Adam "Pacman" Jones, who has been arrested six times. If the player is good enough, NFL teams just wink at the character issue. We all know that, right?
Futurewatch Not sure which teams will reach the NBA Finals, but the green-clad Boston Celtics are the environmentally friendly choice.
Letter drop The Lakers jumped out to an easy 2-0 lead in their series with the "Enver" Nuggets. There is no "D" in Denver.
Quick hit The San Antonio Spurs can be beaten. They just never beat themselves.
Rooted Tyler Hansbrough, who's returning to Chapel Hill for his senior season, has a chance to win back-to-back national Player of the Year awards. With the best talent in a hurry to turn pro, a two-time Player of the Year is harder to find in college basketball than a Rhodes Scholar.
Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com