Chiefs star caught in ‘Net

Speedy reactions are vital to an athlete's success -- except when it comes to posting on social networking sites.

The latest to put the "twit" into Twitter is Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, whose knee-jerk reaction to his team's loss to San Diego on Sunday has led to his banishment from the team.

Johnson posted messages after the game that demeaned coach Todd Haley and used a gay slur in another post. He used the slur again a day later when telling reporters in the Chiefs' locker room that he wasn't in the mood to answer their questions.

The Chiefs reacted by telling Johnson to stay away from the team until he receives a tweet inviting him back.

Johnson, 29, issued an apology Tuesday for his comments.

• OZZIE LIVE -- Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, whose mouth can be as foul as a popup behind a dugout, will be an analyst for Fox during the World Series broadcasts beginning tonight.

A Fox spokesman said it has never used a seven-second delay in its telecasts to guard against bad language and won't start now.

The colorful Guillen said the network should not be concerned.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'm not going to curse. I only curse when the Chicago media is around me."

• SEMI-NUDE HOCKEY -- A junior hockey team in Boise, Idaho, has been temporarily banished from a city rink after players engaged in a game of "strip hockey" -- shedding a piece of their uniform every time a practice shot missed its mark.

The Idaho Junior Steelheads were not permitted to use Idaho Ice World for four days last week, and a 17-year-old player who shed his underwear briefly was suspended until next week, a city official said Tuesday.

An adult whose young daughter was on an adjacent rink saw the 17- to 20-year-old Steelheads skating in their skivvies and complained to a city hotline.

• D.C. DIVIDED -- Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth blasted his Redskins teammates after Monday night's 27-17 home loss to Philadelphia dropped Washington to 2-5.

Haynesworth said the Redskins are "lacking a lot of stuff right now," including urgency, heart and "want-to." He bemoaned that his teammates are going their "separate ways" and that is why the team keeps "getting slaughtered."

But on the positive side, at least Haynesworth, who signed a seven-year, $100 million free-agent deal to leave Tennessee in the offseason, isn't still with the 0-6 Titans.

• IRON CURTAIN -- With nearly 85,000 fans packed inside Wembley Stadium for Sunday's game between the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the NFL considered its annual foray into the England market a success -- and more evidence that an NFL team would fare well in London.

Hall of Famer Mike Ditka isn't sold. "Football doesn't belong over there. It's a stupid thing," he said. "It's an American game. It's not a European game."

COMPILED BY JEFF WOLF LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL