He’s One of NFL’s Most Fluid Players

The Seattle Seahawks’ Shaun Alexander, a weekly guest on FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” was asked by host Chris Rose if he was going to put “one of those spit shields” on his helmet today when he will be facing the Washington Redskins’ Sean Taylor.

“Yeah, with the windshield wiper,” Alexander said.

Trivia time: Mike McCarthy, who this week was named coach of the Green Bay Packers, was on Paul Hackett’s staff at the University of Pittsburgh in 1991. According to Steven Vanderpool of Stats LLC, two other current NFL coaches were on that staff. Who are they?

Unscripted: John Daly made a guest appearance on “Best Damn Sports Show Period” this week to promote his new reality series, “The Daly Planet,” which makes its debut on the Golf Channel tonight.

Co-host Rodney Peete told Daly, “Your whole life has been a reality show. What took you so long to film it?”

Horse talk: TNT’s Steve Kerr, on this week’s Kobe Bryant-LeBron James matchup: “I feel like I’m watching the Kentucky Derby -- two thoroughbreds running up and down the floor.”

More horse talk: TNT’s Doug Collins, after play-by-play partner Kevin Harlan said Richard Hamilton of the Detroit Pistons never tired: “I used to call him Secretariat. He can run all day.”

Real horses: Santa Anita publicist Jack Disney points out an interesting trend regarding Stevie Wonderboy’s running in today’s San Rafael Stakes.

Stevie Wonderboy, in his last race, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in October, but since 1992 only one Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion won his next race -- Favorite Trick in 1997. Seven of the Juvenile champions were defeated as odds-on favorites, and Stevie Wonderboy is heavily favored today.

Another trend: Greg Cote of the Miami Herald points out that in the 15 years since the NFL’s 12-team playoff format took effect, the four teams coming off byes are 49-11.

Cote adds that No. 1-seeded teams are an even better 25-5.

Interesting possibility: The Washington Redskins had only 120 yards on offense in their 17-10 victory over Tampa Bay last weekend, so Ron Rapoport of the Chicago Sun Times wrote that he was disappointed the Bears aren’t playing the Redskins on Sunday -- “Just to see if they could hold them to no yards.”

Looking back: On this day in 1990, John Elway passed for 385 yards and three touchdowns as the Denver Broncos defeated the Cleveland Browns, 37-21, in the AFC championship game.

Trivia answer: Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis and Tampa Bay’s Jon Gruden.

And finally: Reader Bill Littlejohn, on the Packers’ hiring of McCarthy, the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator, to return them to a championship level: “Isn’t that like a slumping Kevin Costner hiring Sylvester Stallone as his acting coach?”

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Larry Stewart can be reached at [email protected].