They Ought to Consider Sanity Clause

Kobe Bryant is expected to explore the free-agent market during the off-season. One rumor is that he may end up playing for the Clippers.

“I have no idea if Bryant is guilty or innocent,” writes Mike Downey in the Chicago Tribune of Bryant’s pending sexual assault trial.

“But if he is willing to be a Clipper, his lawyers could argue temporary insanity.”

A Clipper perspective: Bryant might want to take note of how Elton Brand views the difference between playing for the Chicago Bulls and the Clippers.

“They love you in Chicago,” he once said. “It’s ‘Come right in, Mr. Brand.’ In L.A., you pull up to a nice restaurant and it’s ‘Are you a Laker?’ You say, ‘No, a Clipper,’ and it’s, ‘Move that car. There’s no valet here. Take it around back.’ ”

Trivia time: Who has won the most NBA regular-season MVP awards?

No fun, no gun: Steve Spurrier’s high-octane offense at Florida didn’t exactly translate to the NFL, where he sputtered for two seasons before resigning as coach of the Washington Redskins this week.

“ ‘Fun ‘n’ gun,’ ” mused Gavin McDougald of couchmaster.com. “Try ‘crash ‘n’ burn.’ ”

Unpopular everywhere: Spurrier hasn’t been forgotten by Southeastern Conference fans.

The Washington Times points out that Spurrier has been voted “Enemy of the State” three times in Sports Illustrated’s year-long profile of all 50 states.

Residents polled in Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama all picked Spurrier as the least-liked sports figure in their home state, and the magazine hasn’t polled Georgia yet.

Don’t tell Patriot fans: New England quarterback Tom Brady went to the same high school as Barry Bonds and Lynn Swann -- Serra High in San Mateo, Calif. Asked by Dan Patrick for ESPN the Magazine where he would be on a list of the school’s greatest athletes, Brady said, “I’m not an athlete, I’m a quarterback.”

Horse racing fan: Brady told Patrick he has been to the Kentucky Derby the last two years. “Very exciting,” Brady said.

Patrick: “The most fun two minutes in sports.”

Brady: “After about 12 mint juleps, a lot of stuff is fun.”

Back-handed knock: Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times: “Good news for San Francisco 49er Terrell Owens on his cracked collarbone: Doctors now theorize it may be just a repetitive-stress fracture from patting himself on the back too much.”

Trivia answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with six. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan are next with five each. Wilt Chamberlain won four, and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson three each.

And finally: From Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post and America Online: “Having been rebuked in his attempt to escape Texas, Alex Rodriguez reportedly is considering buying the players’ association and making up his own rules.”

Larry Stewart can be reached at [email protected].