Imaginative Elves Were at Work This Year

Not on everyone’s holiday gift list, but available to sports fans worldwide, are the following:

* The likenesses of hockey legends Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau and Guy Lafleur on the face of a watch, superimposed over a photograph of the Montreal Forum. About $1,200.

* From the organizers of the Sydney Olympic Games, a pin featuring DNA obtained from a lock of hair from Australian Olympic swimmer Murray Rose. A pin set honoring the genetics of the four-time gold medalist costs about $150.

* A “tennis waiting coat”: a quilted, waterproof three-quarter-length coat specifically made for Japanese tennis players who routinely wait one or more hours in the cold for an outdoor court. The American manufacturer says the coat is “Asian-sized,” sold only in Japan, and costs the equivalent of $250.

Makes cologne in a race-car bottle and a football-phone look like pretty good gifts.

Trivia time: Which professional sports team retired a microphone?

Love-love: Jimmy Connors will never spring to mind when international diplomacy is being discussed. His latest goodwill tour to Australia left much to be desired in the hands-across-the-water department.

His senior tennis tour played in Sydney to a less-than-full house and his behavior was not well received.

One local columnist called Connors’ crotch-grabbing, swearing and banter with the crowd “hideous” and referred to him as a “mega-brat and clown.”

Meanwhile, John McEnroe’s performance in London in another senior event--complete with cursing the umpire and code violations--has grown thin. Even McEnroe jokes that it’s in his contract that he throw a tantrum and appear to lose his temper.

The London Times described McEnroe’s outbursts as “utterly contrived.”

Baby boom: Seattle Seahawk defensive end Phillip Daniels is losing his head over his newborn daughter. Daniels’ girlfriend gave birth to a 4-pound 7-ounce daughter. The baby was born prematurely, and, although Daniels missed her birth, he saw his daughter before the Seahawks played at Oakland on Sunday.

The experience had a profound impact on Daniels.

“I was lightheaded all day,” he said. “I’m still lightheaded. But I knew the team needed me so I had to come back and try to make some plays.”

Daniels had five tackles and two sacks in the 22-21 victory.

“Sometimes I had to come out of the game because I was dizzy,” he said. “At times I felt like I was floating out there.”

The baby will be in the hospital for at least a month.

Trivia answer: The Boston Celtics retired a microphone to honor longtime announcer Johnny Most.

And finally: Retired auto racing driver Skip Barber, who operates a professional racing school, is getting involved in high school drivers’ education programs.

Instructors at Barber’s school speak to teen drivers about safe driving techniques. The program is called “Crashing is a Bummer.”