In This Case, the Correct Date Becomes Most Moot of Points

In an interview with Stanford wide receiver Justin Armour, Lowell Cohn of the San Francisco Chronicle writes:

“Then (Armour) recalled the sign someone had tacked to a fence at the practice field. It read 1/1/95. That’s the date of the Rose Bowl.”

The sign and Cohn were off a day. The Rose Bowl will be played on Monday, Jan. 2--probably without the Cardinal, which is winless in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Trivia time: What is the record for most points scored against a USC football team?

So what: Unbeaten Auburn is on NCAA probation, but that doesn’t faze defensive back Chris Snelling, who wears a T-shirt that reads:

“No TV. No Bowl. No Problem.”

Pioneer: Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres told Robin Miller of the Indianapolis Star that he has bought a home in Indianapolis.

That news prompted this response from Miami Dolphin quarterback Dan Marino: “Man, guys on the Colts don’t even live there.”

How do you spell it?At a news conference in Barcelona, Spain, Golden State’s Tim Hardaway didn’t know the team the Warriors were playing on Thursday night.

So he asked teammate Chris Mullin. Still, Hardaway found the team’s foreign name difficult to pronounce.

The team that stumped Hardaway is Joventut Badalona, the European champion, which couldn’t make Hardaway remember its name, losing to Golden State, 122-104.

College spirit: Security has been tightened at the University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium during the slumping Hawkeyes’ football games because fans have been throwing coins, marshmallows, bottles, eggs and at least one dead chicken onto the field.

“I guess they have to have some way to to express their emotions,” said Coach Hayden Fry, “other than painting their faces, bodies, and wearing practically no clothes.”

Wicked WAC: Western Athletic Conference teams are flexing their muscles this season. Colorado State and Utah are unbeaten, and WAC teams have won six of eight meetings with Pac-10 teams.

Asked if the WAC is the best it has been from top to bottom, Hawaii Coach Dick Wagner said, “I sure hope so, because we’re at the bottom.”

Even so, the 2-5 Rainbows’ only victories are against the Pac-10’s Oregon and California.

Death wish?How determined is England’s Herbie Hide to retain his World Boxing Organization heavyweight title in his fight with Tommy Morrison on Sunday--it will be tonight here--in Hong Kong?

“Tommy Morrison will have to kill me to beat me,” Hide said. “There is no way I am going to walk out of the ring a beaten man.”

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Looking back: On this day in 1950, the Rams beat the Baltimore Colts at the Coliseum, 70-27. It’s still a Ram record for most points scored in a game.

Trivia answer: California beat USC, 52-30, in 1991.

Quotebook: New Chicago Cub General Manager Ed Lynch on one of the perks of his new job: “Sixty-three day games. I’ll be like Ward Cleaver. Home every night at 7 o’clock.”