‘Curse of Colonel’ lifted?

Most baseball fans are familiar with the "Curse of the Bambino" and the "Curse of the Billy Goat," but few outside of the Far East know about the "Curse of Colonel Sanders."

And, no, it has nothing to do with the fare served at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In 1985, delirious Hanshin Tigers fans, while celebrating the team's first Central League title in 21 years, tossed a statue of KFC's Colonel Sanders into the Dotonbori River in Osaka, Japan.

But the Tigers haven't won the title since then, a fact attributed by some to the "Curse of Colonel Sanders."

After Hanshin fans decided the statue resembled Tigers slugger Randy Bass, they tore it off its base in front of the Dotonbori KFC franchise and gave it a victory toss into the river, where several searches failed to find the statue.

But it appears the curse soon might end for Tigers fans. On Tuesday, divers checking for unexploded bombs as part of improvement work on a riverside pedestrian walkway discovered the statue.

The Colonel's upper body, minus the hands, was found Tuesday night, and the figure's legs and right hand were discovered Wednesday morning, the Mainichi Daily News reported.

Although the figure's feet, left hand and glasses have yet to be found, Tigers fans consider the curse lifted.

"We'll be No. 1 in Japan this year for sure," one unidentified fan said.

• STEINBRENNER HELPED HARDING -- George Steinbrenner inadvertently helped pay for the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, a new biography of the New York Yankees owner claims.

In "George," due out in May, author Peter Golenbock writes that Steinbrenner generously supported young Olympians, such as figure skaters Nicole Bobek and Tonya Harding -- whose former husband, Jeff Gillooly, hired a thug to crack Kerrigan's knee to help Harding's chances at the 1994 Winter Games.

"After (Steinbrenner) gave money to Harding, it turned out that some of the money was used for the 'hit,' " Golenbock writes. "When George heard that, he wanted to hunt down Harding and get his money back."

But a spokesperson for Steinbrenner told the New York Post that "George's people have no recollection of giving money to (Harding) and have found no records."

• FREENEY ON DR. PHIL -- Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney posed as a limousine driver Monday on a "Dr. Phil" show featuring two women with gold-digging natures.

Freeney, who makes $12 million per year, asked about going out with them after the show, but the women didn't realize he was rich.

One woman said it defeated the purpose when looking for a rich man to go to a club with a man, and the other asked if Freeney wanted to be a bodyguard.

When introduced on the show, Freeney said he's wary of women attracted only to money.

"As a guy, you want to go out there and find someone who's genuine, somebody who likes you for you," he said.

COMPILED BY TODD DEWEY LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL