Colorado student buffaloes roommates

At first glance, it looked like something straight out of "The Godfather." But after further review, it was more reminiscent of the scene from "National Lampoon's Animal House" in which Bluto, Flounder and D-Day steal Neidermeyer's horse and put it in Dean Wormer's office.

Two University of Colorado students returned home early Sunday to find a buffalo head propped up on a large rock in front of their house.

Assuming it was a mean-spirited prank from a rival school, Patrick Burke and Aaron Woodruff called police around 1 a.m., and officers launched an investigation, ruling out the head as that of renowned Colorado mascot Ralphie.

But Monday, another resident of the house contacted police to tell them the head was his -- and he was drying it outside so he could display it on a wall.

He told police he was given the head as a souvenir after visiting a family friend's buffalo ranch in Nebraska and that his roommates didn't know about it when they called police.

Guess they didn't see his note: "Don't touch my Doritos or Keystone Light. P.S. You can thank me later for the awesome buffalo head I'm gonna hang on our wall."

"It's pretty funny," Burke said. "I think he was trying to mess with us."

In a related development, the odds of any of the housemates hooking up with a girl this year have dropped from slim to none.

■ ABSENT-MINDED MARATHONER -- In the "Seinfeld" episode "The Parking Garage," Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer vainly search for hours for Kramer's car in a parking garage, but can't remember where he parked it.

Charles Petraske can relate. After finishing the recent New York City Marathon in 3 hours, 16 minutes, Petraske couldn't remember where he had parked his car. For two days.

Petraske, 34, parked his car in a midtown Manhattan garage the morning of the race before boarding a bus to the Staten Island start line. After completing the course, he took a cab back to midtown, but nothing looked familiar.

"I was completely disoriented," he said. "I had no idea where the heck I was."

The only thing Petraske remembered was parking near a scrolling billboard displaying ads for Coke Mini, New York State Lottery and MasterCard.

After calling the police and many garages, Petraske contacted Cemusa, the firm that runs the ads displayed on city bus shelters.

Based on his description of the ads he remembered, Cemusa quickly located his garage, which was near Madison Square Garden.

Based on the way the Knicks have played there in recent years, it's hard to fault Petraske for blocking it from his memory.

■ GREEN BAY WITH ENVY -- Undeterred by Monday's 45-7 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Packers, two Vikings fans held up signs at Lambeau Field reading, "Hey Green Bay where's ur WNBA title?"

For the few fans out there who don't follow the WNBA, the Minnesota Lynx won this year's championship.

COMPILED BY TODD DEWEY
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL