Juicy Conversation a Bad Talking Point for ESPN

I don’t know about you, but when I turned on the TV for the Sunday Conversation to find O.J. Simpson discussing jokes made about dropped gloves and slicing when he plays golf, I wondered if ESPN had lined up alleged murderers, alleged crooks or Michael Irvin to speak in his place in the event a player from Penn State, Iowa or Miami had won the Heisman Trophy a day earlier.

I know all about unwatchable TV, appearing regularly on “Around the Horn” on ESPN, but this goes one ESPN step further, because I’m not sure there’s ever going to be a good reason again to put Simpson on TV unless he’s hooked up to a polygraph.

It’s one thing to televise the Heisman Trophy ceremony for a wandering hour just so you can run almost a dozen promos for the ESPN movie “The Junction Boys,” but there’s something odorous about linking Carson Palmer’s Heisman win with the former Trojan Heisman winner’s appearance on center stage a day later.

ESPN said it had no idea Palmer would win the trophy and said the interview with Simpson had been set earlier, but it was all part of the Heisman weekend hype and, even if a coincidence, very unbecoming.

On Saturday everyone was treated to pictures on ESPN of a disbelieving, innocent young man cradling his Heisman with joy, and on Sunday we heard on ESPN about a guy who couldn’t care less if he ever gets back the trophy that was sold to some anonymous East Coast phone caller for $230,000 to help pay damages in the civil suit he lost following the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.

On Saturday the kid talked about the priceless thrill he felt in receiving such an honor, and on Sunday the other guy told us that for the right price he’d allow himself to be the butt of some kind of murder-related joke in a movie.

On Saturday the winner struggled to find just the right words to live up to the moment, and on Sunday the loser said one stupid thing after another.

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USC AND Palmer each receive a Heisman Trophy, and while the school’s trophy will be sent via Federal Express on Wednesday, officials hope to “unveil” the new Heisman in the Heritage Hall lobby shortly after the team returns from its loss in the Orange Bowl.

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YOU NEVER know with the Clippers, so when I heard Lamar Odom was practicing without limitations, but won’t return to the court until Dec. 28 -- even though the Clippers are also playing on Dec. 27 -- I figured it had something to do with owner Donald Sterling saving money.

There’s also the question of Odom’s problems off the court earlier in his career, and so one wonders if there is some sort of NBA suspension at work here, or some other roadblock keeping him off the court Dec. 27 in Phoenix -- if the team knows he’ll be healthy enough to play Dec. 28 here against Golden State.

“To me he’s doing everything he needs to do in practice to play right now, but there is a projected date which has come right from the trainer,” said Clipper Coach Alvin Gentry, while obviously none too happy about having to wait.

Did you ask the trainer why not Dec. 27?

“I didn’t really get a clear-cut answer,” Gentry said. “Why don’t you ask him?”

Both the trainer, Jasen Powell, and Odom said they mutually set Dec. 28 for his return, and Powell explained it’s a building process in allowing Odom’s confidence in his healing ankle to grow, and it will be a boost to his confidence to make his return in front of a home crowd.

There is no conspiracy here, Clipper executive Andy Roeser said from his perch on the grassy knoll. “It’s 100% medical, and absolutely nothing more than that.”

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GENTRY, IN the final year of his contract, with the Clippers holding the option to keep him for another season, opened practice to the media recently so reporters could see Odom was ready to play. It caused some friction within the organization.

Gentry’s future is tied to Clipper success, and Clipper success is tied in part to how much Odom, who has been sidelined almost 11 months now, can contribute to the cause this season.

Odom, who oozes charisma and who has the talent to establish himself as one of the league’s stars if he can avoid failing another drug test, said, “I have taken care of what I need to take care of off the court and have stayed out of the negative spotlight. I’ve done what I need to do to stay in the league and not become a distraction to this team.

“We set Dec. 28 for my return and we’re going to stick by it to make sure my body is right. I want to make sure I’m here to help come March and April, and so I will probably come back a patient player, and poise will have to be my friend.”

It’ll be interesting now to see how the Clippers fare in Phoenix on Dec. 27.

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THE TEMPORARY Clipper signage on the scorer’s table -- running the length of the Staples Center court between the home and visiting benches Monday night -- read, “Natural Male Enhancement,” while also providing a phone number, which I didn’t see any reason to write down.

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THE CHARGERS are on the verge of missing the playoffs again and are now feuding with city officials, while threatening to invoke the escape clause in their stadium lease. Ah, the good old days when we had a pro team making our lives miserable.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Greg Parvin:

“In your face, loser. Carson Palmer won the Heisman. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.”

I can’t believe he got more votes than I did.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at [email protected]