He senses Belichick is a winner

Front-runners for the presidential nomination weren’t the only ones stumping in Manchester, N.H., early this week. So was a supporter of New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick.

“We’ve already beaten Washington once, we can do it again,� the unidentified supporter said to anyone who would listen as he held aloft a “Belichick for President� banner on the sidewalk.

Belichick is “the true patriot� and “proven leader� with three Super Bowl victories, the supporter said on a video clip that the Boston Globe noted is listed on YouTube.com.

“Strong on defense, not afraid to use surveillance,� the supporter chanted.

And while all the candidates claim they’re the best hope for change in America, this Patriots fan argued, “If Coach Belichick can change Randy Moss into a team player, imagine what he can do for our nation.�

Trivia time

Who was the U.S. president when the Patriots played their first game?

More stumping

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton is the new campaign chairman for Rick Metsger, who is running for the Democratic nomination to become Oregon’s secretary of state.

The two have been friends since 1977 when Walton was leading the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA championship and Metsger was a TV sportscaster.

“I have known Rick for over 30 years, and he is the right person to help lead Oregon forward,� Walton said in a statement issued by Metsger’s campaign.

Missing in action

Word to the wise: If you have only six players on your basketball team, try to avoid double-overtime.

Only two players were left on the court for the University of Arizona women’s basketball team Thursday night for the final minute when the team lost to Oregon State, 94-88, in the second overtime.

Arizona dressed only six players in Corvallis, Ore., because two players were injured, one had academic obligations and another missed the game for personal reasons, the Associated Press noted.

By the closing minute, all but two of the Wildcats had fouled out, and the Beavers reeled off an 11-1 run to seal the win. Arizona, meanwhile, suffered its fourth consecutive loss.

Golf is green

Tiger Woods is on course to reach $1 billion in career tournament winnings and endorsements by 2010, according to Golf Digest.

Woods earned $122 million, including $99.8 million off the golf course, in 2007 alone, the magazine noted.

That got Briefing to thinking about Ben Hogan, the golfing great who doggedly pursued his dream of becoming a professional in the 1930s despite the Depression.

As the late Times columnist Jim Murray once noted, when Hogan played in the Pasadena Open, sponsors gave each contestant a bag of oranges. Hogan lived off them for a week.

Six years later, he still had only nine cents in his pocket when he arrived for a tournament in Oakland. But he finished fifth, collecting $380.

Personality check

Roger Federer is trying to break Pete Sampras’ record for major championships in tennis. The two also share a reputation for being considered dominant but dull players.

But don’t tell that to Sampras.

“I’m so tired of that . . . ,� Sampras, using an expletive for emphasis, said this week during a conference call with reporters. “It’s nauseating.�

Federer heads into next week’s Australian Open needing three Grand Slam titles to break Sampras’ record of 14.

Trivia answer

Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Patriots played their first game as part of the new American Football League on Sept. 9, 1960, losing to the Denver Broncos, 13-10.

The team’s name, incidentally, was chosen from thousands of entries submitted by fans, including 74 who suggested the name Boston Patriots, their official name until 1971.

And finally

NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon plans to again co-host the daytime talk show “Live with Regis and Kelly� on Jan. 18.

It would be the 11th appearance on the show for the four-time driving champion, who many believe is eyeing a possible Hollywood career when his driving days are over.

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