Rumors the Source of Baker’s Irritation

San Francisco Giant Manager Dusty Baker has reacted strongly to a report in the Chicago Tribune from unnamed sources, two of them current managers, that Baker is interested in a potential opening with the Chicago Cubs.

“Who are these cowards,” Baker said. “That’s a cowardly act, not to put your name with what you’re saying. I challenge those cowards to come see me.”

Sorry, Dusty, but “unnamed sources” sometimes don’t even exist.

Trivia time: The Associated Press football poll was inaugurated in 1936. Which school finished first that year?

Curious: Basketball coach Abe Lemons, who died recently, is remembered for his snappy one-liners. Commenting on the high cost of room service in New York, Lemons once quipped, “If it’s $12 for eggs, I want to meet the chicken.”

Rooting: Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle: “President Bush says National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice is ‘constantly telling me to watch out for the Irish.’

“No, no, we’re not considering attacking Dublin. She’s talking about Notre Dame football’s rise under her former Stanford pal, Tyrone Willingham.”

Mocking Martz: Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post, commenting on the Broncos’ 23-16 victory over the St. Louis Rams: “Denver beat St. Louis, not because the Broncos had the better team, but because the Rams were stuck with the far dumber coach.... The substance between [Mike] Martz’s ears is 75% ego and 25% air.”

Night and day: Penn State’s game against Nebraska on Saturday has an 8 p.m. kickoff. So how does Nittany Lion Coach Joe Paterno feel about that?

“I hate 12 o’clock games, I hate 3 o’clock games, I hate night games,” he said. “I love 1 o’clock games. And if it wasn’t for the darned television, we’d play 1 o’clock games. That’s the way I think you ought to play it, every week the same time.”

FYI: Bruce McNall, former owner of the L.A. Kings who spent four years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of bank fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy, has finished work on his autobiography, which is scheduled to be released next July by Hyperion Books.

The working title? “Fun While It Lasted.”

Dominating: “Serena and Venus Williams now have faced each other in four of the last five Grand Slam finals,” says Richard Burkhard of Laugh-Line.com. “If this keeps up, the other women on the tour are going to demand they pay a luxury tax.”

Looking back: On this day in 1982, UCLA opened its football season by routing Cal State Long Beach, 41-10. The Bruins went on to a 10-1-1 record, defeating Michigan in the Rose Bowl game, 24-14.

Trivia answer: Minnesota, followed by Louisiana State and Pittsburgh.

And finally: Bill Scheft of Sports Illustrated says he just got the John Madden 2003 football video game. He adds, “There’s a warning on the side of the package: ‘Randy Moss may decide not to be included.’ ”