Madden curse eyes Young

San Diego Chargers fans can take a deep breath and scrap those petition plans to keep LaDainian Tomlinson off the cover of EA Sports’ “Madden NFL 08� video game.

This year’s honoree/injury-waiting-to-happen will be Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, the Nashville Tennessean breaking the news Tuesday.

Last year, Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander appeared on the video game cover and became the sixth consecutive cover star to suffer an injury during the season.

Major Adams, Young’s agent, said that he and his client didn’t fear the “Madden curse.�

“We don’t believe in no jinx,� Adams told the Tennessean. “People said when they put Vince on the cover of Sports Illustrated [that] it was going to jinx him in the Rose Bowl game, and [Young’s Texas team] won the national championship.�

Trivia time

Which five other players have succumbed to the “Madden curse� since 2001?

Chargers fans

love Young

Before Tuesday’s news, some Chargers fans were so concerned about Tomlinson winding up on the Madden cover that they created a website and MySpace page called “Save LT From Madden.�

From the site’s FAQ section:

Question: “Why does it matter if he is on the cover of Madden NFL 08?�

Answer: “It is quite simple. The ‘Madden curse.’ Since 2000, Madden has claimed the lives of many NFL players’ careers. This site is aimed to try and stop this from happening to LT.�

Q: “What can be done to stop this from happening?� A: “I don’t know if anything can be done, because Madden is a very powerful man, but I will do what any other person does if they want to stop something. Start a petition. You can sign the petition.... Once a considerable amount of signatures have been obtained, I will forward it to the producers of Madden NFL 08, Electronic Arts.�

According to Sports Business Daily, the petition drew more than 1,100 signatures. But that was before Young stepped in to save the day and, using recent history as a gauge, the Chargers’ 2007 season.

Lords of the rings

Rings are very precious things to the athletes who win them, as Detroit Tigers pitcher Todd Jones learned after winning his first American League championship ring.

“I’ll never take it off,� he told the Oakland (Mich.) Press. “This is a family heirloom.

“When I go to eat with my wife, it’ll be dinner for three. I’m going to name it and give it its own plate.�

Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko got his ring in 2005 after winning the World Series, and he recently joked that his jewelry collection shouldn’t stop there.

After the White Sox won a series in Oakland for the first time since 2000, Konerko told the Chicago Tribune, “I heard we’re getting rings.�

Trivia answer

In chronological order, they are quarterback Daunte Culpepper (injured during the 2001 NFL season when he was with the Minnesota Vikings), former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk (2002), Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick (2003), Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (2004) and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (2005).

And finally

Skier Bode Miller told the Associated Press he wouldn’t compete in another Winter Olympics because, “There’s too much emphasis on winning.�

Miller prefers to concentrate on other career options, such as partying with his friends, where there’s never too much emphasis on sinning.

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