Only One Person Can Unify California

While sports fans from Northern and Southern California disagree on almost everything, they agree on this, according to Sports Illustrated: Al Davis is the No. 1 enemy of the state.

In a poll in the magazine’s current edition, which has a section featuring sports in California, the Raider owner earned 37% of the vote in NorCal and 36% of the vote in SoCal.

California is the fourth state to choose Davis enemy No. 1. The others are Kansas, Colorado and Idaho.

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Another hit: Davis seems to be an easy target. Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle recently wrote:

“The Olympics could wind up costing Greece $12 billion and plunging the country deep into debt for decades. Fiscal experts say the only way the situation could have been worse is if, instead of hosting the Olympics, the Greeks had lured the Raiders to Athens.”

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Trivia time: Who won the first Cy Young Award -- given for both leagues -- in 1956?

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Self analysis: Mike Tyson, asked by Tim Smith of the New York Daily News whether he ever considered a career as a boxing commentator: “It’s hard for a guy like me with my stigma to be involved with television.... I’ve been to prison, in street fights and I’ve led a hooligan’s life for a long time.”

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Getting the boot: Ukraine soccer commentator Dmitro Dzhulia reportedly was suspended from working any more Euro 2004 games after he criticized England’s David Beckham for missing a penalty kick by saying, “Lord, what a dunce!”

Says Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel: “If Johnny Miller worked over there, they’d shoot him.”

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Not very super: Jacksonville, Fla., the host of the next Super Bowl, has hired a public relations firm to help find a new slogan for the city, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Early submissions have included “Mayberry, Only Bigger,” and “Jacksonville. It’s Not That Bad.”

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He likes this place: Eli Manning made it to San Diego after all. He attended a rookie symposium this week at the La Costa Resort in nearby Carlsbad.

Manning did not go into specifics about why he didn’t want to play for the Chargers, but he did tell Jerry Magee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, “Obviously, it is nothing against the city. I had never been to the city. This is my first time, and it’s beautiful.”

Must have been the team.

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Looking back: On this day in 1912, Rube Marquard of the New York Giants ran his season record to 19-0 with a 2-1 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers.

His winning streak ended five days later against the Chicago Cubs.

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Trivia answer: Don Newcombe. The Brooklyn Dodger pitcher was also the National League’s most valuable player in 1956.

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And finally: Randy Hill of Foxsports.com, on the working title of a film co-starring Tom Hanks and Kobe Bryant as himself: “Coach Me If You Can.”

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Larry Stewart can be reached at [email protected].