Think he uses a windmill windup?
The Netherlands’ World Baseball Classic entry featured a 7-foot-1 pitcher named Loek van Mil.
Not to say he’s tall or anything, but his 12-to-6 curveball starts at noon and ends at 6 the next day.
———
NCAA headlines
—At SportsPickle.com: “North Carolina offering players three Study Abroad credits for spending Sweet 16 weekend in Memphis.”
—At TheKicker.com: “Sea levels rising rapidly after Sean Miller wrings shirt out.”
———
Case clothed
Tom Brady’s stolen Super Bowl jersey has finally been found — in Mexico.
So it looks like Vladimir Putin will have to remain shirtless a little while longer.
———
Sports quiz
The most stunning interception in Super Bowl history was pulled off by:
a) Malcolm Butler
b) James Harrison
c) Martin Mauricio Ortega
———
Wrong turn
The third-place runner wound up winning the Wuxi International Marathon in Shanghai last Sunday when the only two competitors in front of him somehow took a wrong turn and went off course just 100 meters from the finish line.
On the bright side, though, the pair are odds-on favorites to share this year’s Jim Marshall Award.
———
Sports poll
If March Madness marketers wanted to tout “The official airbag of the NCAA tournament,” it would undoubtedly be:
a) Autoliv
b) Dick Vitale
c) LaVar Ball
———
Check his equator
NBA players Kyrie Irving, Wilson Chandler and Draymond Green all claim the Earth is flat.
But all is not lost. At least they still believe Charles Barkley is round.
———
Killer B’s Dept.
The Chicago Bears just signed free-agent QB Mark Sanchez.
In other words: Butkus, meet Butt-Fumble.
———
Talking the talk
—Brad Rock of Salt Lake City’s Deseret News, after Travel plus Leisure ranked Salt Lake City as the second-most-friendly city in America: “Clearly the magazine didn’t visit on the week of the Utah-BYU game.”
—Cubs president Theo Epstein, to MLB.com, after Fortune magazine anointed him No. 1 in its “world’s greatest leader” rankings: “Um, I can’t even get my dog to stop peeing in the house.”
—Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg, after golfer Cody Gribble tapped a resting alligator’s tail, sending it scurrying into a water hazard: “Pretty sure that is how Captain Hook got his start.”
—Brad Dickson of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, on NCAA Tournament office pools providing Americans’ No. 1 March passion: “Except in Alaska, where they fill out Iditarod brackets.”
———
Nair Club for Men
The Bald Men Club of Tsuruta City, Japan, held its annual one-on-one, no-hands tug-of-war tournament, using suction cups stuck to the top of contestants’ heads instead.
Which certainly puts a whole new spin on “head-to-head competition.”
———
Das booted
Ever hear of a soccer player earning two red cards at the same time?
Mohammad Anas, playing for South Africa’s Free State Stars, won a Man of the Match award after scoring two goals and, in the faux pas of the year, told reporters on camera he wanted to thank “my fans … my wife and my girlfriend.”
———
Check the fine print
According to a survey, one in 10 Americans say they will die in debt.
But not one in 10 NFL owners.
———
Mustn’t-see TV
“If we ever have an Oregon/Baylor game,” wrote Jack Finarelli of SportsCurmudgeon.com, “I must go to my TV settings and turn down the color intensity. Baylor alone is bad enough; match them against Oregon, and it might be seizure-inducing.”
———
More headlines
—At SportsPickle.com: “Colin Kaepernick announces he’s also willing to stand for the Canadian anthem this season.”
—At TheKicker.com: “LaVar Ball challenges LeBron to 1-on-1 parenting contest.”
———
Stat of the Week
If underhanded-shooter Rick Barry — No. 4 on the NBA’s career free-throw accuracy list — had gone another 7 for 7, his 89.98 career percentage would have been even 90.
———
Quote marks
—Eric Kolenich of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, on The Citadel registering wins of 146-84 (basketball) and 34-8 (baseball) in the past five months: “Time to check what’s in the Gatorade down there.”
—Janice Hough of LeftCoastSportsBabe.com, after commissioner Adam Silver called resting star players an “extremely significant issue” for the NBA: “Lakers fans are going, ‘What star players?’ “
—TBS’s Conan O’Brien, on last Sunday’s L.A. Marathon: “Actually there wasn’t supposed to be a marathon — people on the 405 freeway just gave up and got out of their cars.”
—Blogger Chad Picasner, after South Carolina ousted second-seeded Duke: “One good lesson from this is that Duke’sGrayson Allen now knows what it’s like to be tripped up.”
—Jim Barach of WCHS-TV in Charleston, W.Va., after Tom Brady’s missing Super Bowl jersey was found in Mexico: “Although authorities are still searching for the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive line.”
—RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com, on reports that tours of the Titanic will soon be available for $105,000: “For the wealthy wanting to see a shipwreck in progress, there’s always Lakers tickets.”
———
(c)2017 The Seattle Times
Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
