Bolt ready to play for Packers or Patriots
Retired sprinter Usain Bolt, who still holds the world record for fastest 100-meter dash (9.58 seconds) and won eight Olympic gold medals in track, could have a new sport in his sights: Football.
Bolt, 33, told TMZ Sports: “If the Patriots or Aaron Rodgers call me. If they call me, I’m ready!”
As if the New England Patriots or Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers don’t have enough weapons.
Could he do it? Bolt is 6-foot-5 and ran a 4.22 40yard dash at this year’s Super Bowl NFL Experience fan event. Plus, who’s going to tell the fastest man in the world no? He’d just run off before he could hear you.
Interview is over
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield abruptly ended his weekly news conference Wednesday after being asked what he deemed “the dumbest question” he could have possibly been asked at that moment.
While discussing a stalled drive during the Browns’ 27-13 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, Mayfield became irritated with ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi, saying things such as, “Stop saying ‘but,’ ” and “You don’t play, you don’t know it” to the longtime local reporter.
But Mayfield decided he’d had enough after Grossi asked if he was happy with that drive.
“Was I happy with the drive? No, we didn’t score points,” Mayfield answered without even attempting to hide the disgust in his voice. “That’s the dumbest question you could ask.”
He then paused and exclaimed, “What?” before walking away from the group of reporters while muttering about Grossi under his breath.
Top sports moment
What is your all-time favorite local sports moment? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com and tell me what it is and why and it could appear in a future daily sports newsletter or Morning Briefing.
This moment comes from Bob Oppermann of Sylmar:
“Sept. 27, 1973, was going to be a big night for me! Nolan Ryan was pitching for the Angels, and if all went well, he would set the singleseason strikeout record. And in honor of the occasion, the game was even going to be televised! This was going to be a big night for a 15-year-old Angels fan!
“But then Dad stepped in and ruined my plans. He said that he had to make an emergency service call in Santa Ana. Somebody’s chairlift had broken and he was going to need help lifting the unit. He was only going to need my help for a minute, but he wouldn’t be able to do it without me. (He was only going to need me for a minute, but my entire night was going to be ruined is how I saw it!) I looked pleadingly at my Mom, begging her to let Dad know how important this night was! She just shrugged and gave me a look that said, ‘Sorry, I can’t help. You need to help your Dad.’ So Dad put his tools into the box on the back of his Honda 750, and off we went. Heading south on I-5, I remember getting off at Katella, and seeing the Big A right in front of us! How I wish we were going to the game!
“Well, to my surprise, we were going to the game! Dad had gotten some tickets from a friend of his. Ryan was going to need 15 strikeouts to tie Sandy Koufax’s single season record of 382, 16 to break it. By the sixth inning it seemed that breaking the record was imminent, as Ryan was just mowing them down. As I recall, he tied the record in the eighth inning. But as luck would have it, he couldn’t get a strikeout in the ninth or the 10th. He finally got his 383rd strikeout of the season, in the top of the 11th inning, and history was made! Fortunately, the Angels scored a run in the bottom of the inning to make it a complete-game victory.
“What a big night it was, indeed!
“Nolan Ryan’s awesome, record-setting performance was made even better by the best prank that Dad ever pulled on me.”