A Bay Area Favorite Comes to a Close

The “Open Season” column in the San Francisco Chronicle has gone by the wayside. Tom FitzGerald, who wrote the column for 15 years, has been reassigned to sports features.

In his final “Open Season” column Tuesday, FitzGerald thanked many people, including the late Harley Tinkham of The Times, who originated Morning Briefing. FitzGerald said it had served as a blueprint for his column and others like it around the country.

Added FitzGerald: “Tinkham was a huge help to me in the early years of this column. Our family beagle, Harley, now 12 years old, wasn’t named for a motorcycle.”

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Trivia time: What USC high jumper tied for first place in the 1943 Coliseum Relays with a height of 6 feet 2?

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Titan power: It was noted in Monday’s Morning Briefing that Cal State Fullerton has produced the Canadian Football League’s all-time leading rusher, Mike Pringle, as well as the CFL’s all-time leader in passing yardage, Damon Allen.

Reader Erik Schuman of Fountain Valley points out that the CFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards, Allen Pitts, also played at Fullerton. Pitts, 40, who spent 11 seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, finished his career in 2000 with 14,891 yards receiving. He ranks second in receptions with 996.

“Not bad for a program that dropped football in 1992,” notes Schuman.

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Attention big eaters: There’s a hot dog eating contest held every Fourth of July in Coney Island, N.Y., and tonight at 7:30 on the shopping plaza stage at the Los Angeles County Fair is the Winchell’s World Donut Eating Championship.

A news release says “the winner will receive $1,500 and the ultra-prestigious title of Winchell’s World Donut Eating Champion.”

Ultra-prestigious?

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Frankly speaking: From baseballsavvy.com: “The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council reports that Americans will eat 24 million franks this year, enough to link them from Dodger Stadium to Camden Yards.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1927, in a fight known for its long count, Gene Tunney won a unanimous, 10-round decision over Jack Dempsey at Chicago’s Soldier Field. In the seventh round, Dempsey knocked down Tunney, but Dempsey didn’t immediately go to a neutral corner. The referee didn’t start counting until four of five seconds later, which gave Tunney time to recover. He went on to win the fight.

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Trivia answer: Harley Tinkham, who died in 1990 at 67.

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And finally: Shannon Sharpe, on Sirius Satellite Radio, had this to say about New York Giant Coach Tom Coughlin: “I went and played for the guy at the Pro Bowl, and it was the worst Pro Bowl I ever experienced. The worst! Ask anybody that went that year -- Junior Seau, Cortez Kennedy ... the guys that are the best players in the entire world and [he’s] yelling and screaming like they’re [his] kids.”

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.