Dumb questions start early

Usually, the dumb questions asked of the Super Bowl participants come at Tuesday's Media Day.

Not this year. According to profootballtalk.com, the first stupid question of the week came Monday as someone asked Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner about being older than both head coaches in the Super Bowl and how it is to play for a head coach younger than him.

Warner, 37, is a year older than Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin but nine years younger than his coach, Ken Whisenhunt. But Warner diplomatically answered the question.

It could have been worse. Someone could have asked Warner how long he's been a white quarterback.

• COLTS CUTS -- Add the Indianapolis Colts to the growing list of job-cutting sports companies.

The team announced its decision Tuesday, issuing a two-sentence statement one day after some employees were informed of the decision.

Team officials declined to say how many jobs were cut, but the Indianapolis Star reported the number is approximately 25.

• BATTLE OF SEXES -- In Iran, the first mixed soccer game -- females versus males -- since the 1979 Islamic revolution led to swift punishment Monday, as an Iranian soccer club said it had suspended three officials involved and handed out fines of up to $5,000 after a male youth team beat an adult women's team 7-0 Jan. 20.

Iran's strict Islamic rules ban any physical contact between unrelated men and women, and Iranian women are banned from attending soccer games when male teams play.

The officials -- a coach and two managers -- first denied the game took place, but video clips on cell phones were used as evidence against them, the Vatan-e-Emrooz daily newspaper reported.

Esteghlal, one of Iran's top two soccer clubs, said its disciplinary committee suspended two officials for a year and a third was suspended for six months. A fourth official was fined, a report posted on the club's Web site said.

The game between the club's female team and its youth male team in Tehran was the first time in the 30 years of Iran's Islamic establishment that males and females played soccer together, observers said.

• VOODOO ELECTRONICS -- Mexican soccer fans are turning to voodoo to beat the United States, with help from an American electronics company.

The teams will meet Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio, in the first game of the final round of regional qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Mexico has not beaten the United States on American soil in 10 years.

An advertisement in the sports newspaper Record on Tuesday invited fans to clip coupons and redeem them at Radio Shack stores for voodoo-doll likenesses of U.S. players. The hope was that black magic might help Mexico break its decade of futility.

"Help end the losing streak so Mexico advances," the ad read.

Daniel Paz, marketing manager for the newspaper, told The Associated Press the promotion was a lighthearted attempt to make next month's rivalry game more enjoyable for fans.

"It's a toy," Paz said. "There's no intention of being anything serious."

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL