This Trojan More Dinosaur Than Horse

Clay Matthews, at 40, is the oldest active player in the NFL. To get the proper perspective on his age, Matthews’ teammates at USC included Pat Haden, Anthony Davis, Charles White and J.K. McKay.

“To be honest, it’s like I entered the league yesterday,” the Atlanta Falcon linebacker says. “When you’re doing something you enjoy, the time flies by.

“A lot of people enjoy specific parts of the game. They enjoy the Sundays, the paydays, the notoriety, or the six months off. I enjoy the whole thing. I enjoy working at it, practicing. I enjoy getting better. Sunday is a bonus for me.”

*

Trivia time: Miami Dolphin Coach Jimmy Johnson attended high school in Port Arthur, Texas. What famous entertainer was a classmate?

*

Hog heavies: Five Denver Bronco linemen, all weighing at least 280 pounds, ride to practice on Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Says 6-foot-5, 290-pound Broderick Thompson: “We’ve gotten some strange looks from people. They see us and think it’s this new steroid gang.”

*

Talking back: After New York football writers criticized Giant Coach Dan Reeves for staying with backup quarterback Tommy Maddox despite a poor performance against the Baltimore Ravens, Reeves shot back:

“Personally, I think you guys write great articles during the week, but your stuff on Sundays is bad. But you don’t lose your jobs.”

Maddox was released a short time later.

*

Imagine that: The Seattle Mariners have never swept a series in New York, Boston, Minnesota or Oakland.

*

Go Big Green: Blackie Sherrod in the Dallas Morning News: “Florida State’s Bobby Bowden sez receiver Randy Moss might have surpassed Deion Sanders in talent and headlines, if he could have stayed off the police blotter. Three strikes and he was out, according to Bowden’s patience. Moss will transfer to [Division] I-AA Marshall.”

*

Look-alikes: Quarterback Boomer Esiason, who played for the San Diego Chargers’ Bobby Ross at Maryland and now plays for Vince Tobin with the Arizona Cardinals, compared the coaches for Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“They’re like twins out there--their size, the way they walk, the way they hold their clipboard to their chest, their whistle around the neck, the way they’re so quiet.

“And they both wear long pants. They might not be too happy with their legs.”

*

For the record: Ted Williams fans report that he also had 100 or more runs batted in for his first eight major league seasons, joining Al Simmons, Joe DiMaggio and Hal Trosky in accomplishing that feat for at least six years. Williams did it from 1939-1942, then missed three years in the service, and came back with four more, 1946-49.

*

What’s in a name? The new Big 12 Conference, which combined the former Big Eight with half of the former Southwest Conference, uses the Roman numeral XII on its stationery.

Then there is the Big Ten, which since the addition of Penn State is really the Big Eleven, with or without Roman numerals.

*

Trivia answer: The late Janis Joplin.

*

And finally: Patriot Coach Bill Parcells after cutting Matt Bahr: “He’s the best kicker I ever had, but that’s only incidental how I feel about him personally.”