A 100 at 100? He Made Time Stand Still

An attempt by a South African man to make it into the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest 100-year-old to run 100 meters was foiled by a power failure that stopped the electronic clocks timing the event.

Associated Press reported that Philip Rabinowitz, 100, made his run Sunday at the Mandela Park Athletics stadium in Khayelitsha, outside Cape Town. He said he completed 100 meters in 28.7 seconds, beating a previous record of 36.1.

However, since a power outage stopped the official electronic clock, the time cannot be recognized, the South African Broadcasting Corp. reported. And none of the figures could be confirmed independently.

“I feel absolutely wonderful. I never thought I’d be able to do it,” said Rabinowitz, who turned 100 in February and already holds the record for world’s oldest competitive walker.

He participated in the South African leg of the Olympic torch relay earlier this year.

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Looking back: On this day in 1934, Carl Hubbell struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in succession in the All-Star game, but the American League came back to win, 9-7.

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Trivia time: Fernando Valenzuela, who will manage the World team in the All-Stars Futures game on Sunday, equaled Hubbell’s feat in the 1986 All-Star game. Which five AL stars did the former Dodger left-hander strike out in order?

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Getting even: Ex-Chicago Bull (and Laker and ... ) bad boy Dennis Rodman recently took part in the running of the real bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

Tom Fitzgerald of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “Rodman survived unscathed, but if he had been gored, doctors were prepared to give the bull a tetanus shot.”

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Deal ‘em: Patrick McEnroe on the fading popularity of tennis, as told to the Detroit Free Press:

* “This sport needs personalities, like my brother [John] and Jimmy Connors. Everyone keeps saying we need an American star. We really need two, who can play against each other.”

* “There is an attitude permeating American sports journalism that tennis isn’t cool. It’s become cool to bad-mouth tennis. I see guys writing that they’d rather watch poker than tennis. It irritates the heck out of me.”

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Hairy tale: “Now that Steve Nash has a $65-million deal with the Phoenix Suns,” wrote Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “will he finally be able to afford shampoo?”

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Trivia answer: Don Mattingly, Cal Ripken Jr., Jesse Barfield, Lou Whitaker and Teddy Higuera. The AL won that game, too, 3-2.

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More trivia: In the 1984 All-Star game, Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets combined to strike out six in a row -- an All-Star game record -- in the NL’s 3-1 victory.

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And finally: Even amid the off-season turmoil, Laker owner Jerry Buss should rest easy, according to John Salley, co-host of “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” who said, “People are going to buy the season tickets and the luxury box and go to the game whether or not you’ve got anyone playing.”