Now, About That New Stadium in Moscow

A meeting in Russia of American business executives and Russian President Vladimir Putin this past weekend included Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.

According to Russian news reports, Putin asked Kraft if he could look at his 2005 Super Bowl ring. Putin then put it in his pocket and left. It was initially unclear if Kraft intended to give Putin the ring.

The Boston Globe reported Wednesday that “it could be an international incident of sorts, a misunderstanding of Super Bowl proportions -- or it could be a very, very generous gift.�

Kraft confirmed later in the day that it was a gift, saying in a statement: “It touched me to see President Putin’s reaction to the ring and I felt emotionally that it was the right way to conclude an exceptional meeting.�

Now, at the end of every business meeting, Kraft, who still has rings from two other Super Bowls, will certainly be hearing this question: “Mind if I look at that ring?�

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One way to gauge it: Kraft’s 2005 Super Bowl ring is 4.94 carats, has 124 diamonds and, according to a Patriot spokesman, is valued at “substantially more� than $15,000.

Kraft once showed The Times’ Sam Farmer the ring from the 2004 Super Bowl and described it as a “three-barstool ring.�

Kraft said by that he meant someone sitting as far as three barstools away was likely to come over and ask about it.

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Trivia time: Utah is the first school to produce the No. 1 draft choice in the NFL and the NBA in the same year. What school came closest to doing the same thing, and in what year?

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A huge thank you: An eight-foot high thank-you card for Lance Armstrong, to be signed by fans throughout the country, will be unveiled on CBS’ “Early Show� in New York today before it travels to other cities.

The card, an initiative spearheaded by Outdoor Life Network, is scheduled to be in Southern California at a site to be determined on July 21. It will end up in Austin, Texas, on July 25, the day after the conclusion of the Tour de France, which begins Saturday.

“When Lance was a teenager and first competing in triathlon, we used to have to beg for free products,� Armstrong’s mother, Linda, said from New York on Wednesday. “Whenever we got something, I always made him send a thank-you note. Now it will be Lance getting the all-time best thank-you card.�

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Looking back: On this day in 1994, Tonya Harding was stripped of her national title and banned for life from the U.S. Figure Skating Assn. because of her role in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 Olympic trials in Detroit.

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Trivia answer: According to former Utah sports information director Norm Sheya, it was Michigan in 1966. The Los Angeles Rams drafted Tom Mack No. 2 and the New York Knicks selected Cazzie Russell No. 1.

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And finally: So how bad are gas prices? Said Dodger announcer Rick Monday: “I stopped at a service station on the way to the stadium just to get an estimate.�

Larry Stewart can be reached at [email protected].