Christmas Comes a Bit Too Early for One Bird

The mood is low at the Jacques Spur Junction Cafe in Culdesac, Idaho, where patrons had grown accustomed to being greeted by Rufus the wild turkey.

The gobbler made regular appearances outside the restaurant to peck at grain blowing from passing trucks, but was unaware of such a thing as opening day of hunting season.

A shot rang out and a man was seen wrestling a giant bird into an SUV. Rufus hasn’t been seen since.

“I know it’s hunting season, but I know we’re going to miss Rufus,� cafe patron Jean Ballard told the Lewiston Tribune. “I hope the [hunter] is proud of himself.�

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Trivia question: When Fly Till Dawn won the 1992 San Juan Capistrano Handicap by seven lengths, it equaled the largest winning margin in that race, which will be contested for the 67th time today at Santa Anita. Which horse shares that record?

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A duffer’s best friend: A country club in south Wales has awarded a dog named Deuce a lifetime membership because of his ability to find lost balls -- he has returned more than 3,000 balls hit into the deep rough.

The white terrier mix, owned by a Pontnewydd Golf Club member, is smarter than you might think: He picks up only white golf balls, leaving the yellow ones.

Said club secretary Carl Phillis to the Agence France-Presse news service: “I’ve been playing with the same ball for two years. I can’t get rid of it.�

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A feast for the eyes: Dolphin Coach Nick Saban was told by a Florida Today reporter that it seemed pointless, with Miami not picking until 16th in the first round of this week’s NFL draft, to be monitoring quarterback Vince Young’s workouts.

Saban’s response: “Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t look at the menu.�

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Mollycoddling: Portugal’s national soccer squad won’t do much eating out during the World Cup in Germany. Instead it will be fed generous portions of chicken soup, the team chef said, to ward off homesickness.

“It is a dish that warms and comforts,� Helio Loureiro told the newspaper 24Horas. “We are going to give them what they need physically, but also what they need spiritually.�

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Outnumbered: Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution flipped through the LPGA media guide recently and found “six Kims, three Lees, two Kangs, a Jang, a Yang, a Han and a Lim, but only one Smith -- a name Jackie Gallagher acquired by marriage.�

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Up in smoke: Utah State has kicked two players off its football team because they were caught smoking marijuana, prompting Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times to comment, “First kickoff is still 4 1/2 months away and the Aggies have already lost their first two on grass.�

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Trivia answer: Seabiscuit set the record in 1937, back when the race was 1 1/8 miles on dirt (it is now contested at 1 3/4 miles on turf). It was his biggest winning margin in 33 career victories.

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And finally: From Jay Leno: “According to ESPN the Magazine, NASCAR is coming out with their own line of meats. The meat will actually still have the tire treads right on it.�