What Better Gift for Coach of the Bengals?

Attempting to reach out to frustrated Cincinnati Bengal fans, new Coach Marvin Lewis has been making the rounds of organization meetings and social gatherings, trying to drum up support.

“When you see our players on television, I want you to be proud to say you’re from Cincinnati,” Lewis recently told such a crowd. “That’s important to me.”

Lewis’ enthusiasm and his willingness to rub elbows with fans have made him a popular figure, but he knows his approval rating will tank fast if the Bengals start losing again.

He has run into some skeptics.

Take the other day when, after his speech, an official with the host organization presented him with a disaster kit as a gift.

The organization?

The Red Cross.

“You can never be too prepared for a disaster,” local Chairman Ron Brown told Lewis.

Then Brown took back the microphone.

“We’ll see if he needs it at the end of the season,” he told the crowd.

Trivia time: Name the golfer who produced the greatest final-round comeback victory in the U.S. Open.

When it rains ... : Hooters today will end its sponsorship of Brett Bodine’s NASCAR Winston Cup racing team, at the conclusion of the Sirius Satellite Radio 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Bodine has not finished in the top 20 this season, and his sponsor didn’t mince words.

“We respect and like Brett and really want to see him succeed,” Mike McNeil, Hooters’ vice president of marketing, told Sports Business Daily. “[But] it does not make business sense to continue to pour money into a marketing venture that is not getting exposure on race days.”

Bodine’s luck continued to run sour as he crashed in practice Saturday and broke his collarbone. He won’t race today.

Toast of the town: The San Jose Giants of the Class-A California League have figured out a way to inspire their fans to cheer for an opposing player. Sort of.

Each home game, the team’s promotional staff selects a visiting hitter to be the “beer batter.” If he strikes out, beer is half price for the next 15 minutes.

Stockton Port player Patrick Boyd was recently the toast of the town after, as “beer batter,” he whiffed three times.

“Last time I was the beer batter I struck out three times, too,” Boyd told the San Jose Mercury News. “They love me here.”

Scanner: The top cop in San Antonio’s Schertz-Cibolo-University City school district is in hot water for allegedly reselling NBA playoff tickets he confiscated illegally. According to the arrest warrant, the officer flashed his badge to intimidate the scalper into handing over the tickets.

Like that has never crossed your mind.

Trivia answer: Arnold Palmer. In 1960, his final-round 65 brought him from seven shots back and gave him a two-stroke victory over an amateur named Jack Nicklaus.

And finally: Noting that the NBA playoffs could finish on Father’s Day, comedian Argus Hamilton cracked, “It’s only right. Father’s Day is the day when NBA players traditionally kick back after a huge breakfast and take telephone calls from all over the country.”