Hoopster obama hopes he’s ‘got next’

Gerald Ford was a lineman for Michigan, and George H.W. Bush played first base for Yale. The two are among the former athletes, both collegiate and recreational, who became president of the United States.

Now is the time for a president who is a "point-guard-in-chief," according to San Francisco Chronicle columnist Scott Ostler.

"Everything you need to know about being president of the United States you learn in basketball," Ostler wrote.

"I'm not saying Barack Obama, who still plays ball, is going to be our next president. I'm no political pundit, so I can't be writing off the chances of John McCain or Ralph Nader.

"All I'm saying is that if we wind up with a basketball player as our president, it's about time. Basketball is our national game and, better than any other sport, it develops the skills and values a person needs to thrive in the world's toughest job.

"(Disclaimer: I am not advocating the appointment of Dennis Rodman for secretary of defense.)"

• Ramon Castro, a backup catcher for the New York Mets, had been scheduled to start Sunday against the San Diego Padres, but was removed from the lineup because he hadn't arrived at Petco Park an hour before the 1:05 p.m. PDT game.

According to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, Castro claimed he thought the game started at 4:05 p.m. local time because it said 4:05 on the Mets' pocket schedule he carries with him.

• Kids in the 1970s who once spent their allowance on -- and got major league brain freezes from -- Slurpees sipped from collectible cups featuring baseball players have grown up.

For those who now pine for a more mature beverage featuring a ballplayer on the container, Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Brooks Robinson have launched their own wine labels for charity.

The "Eddie Murray 504 Cabernet Sauvignon" and "Brooks Robinson Chardonnay," are produced by a Paso Robles, Calif., vineyard and available in Maryland at a suggested retail price of $18.99.

Proceeds will support the Baltimore Community Foundation.

• High school sports fans in Wisconsin will have to keep their shirts on if a recommendation banning bare or painted chests from indoor games is approved.

Tom Shafranski, assistant director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, told The Associated Press the proposal was not intended to take the fun out of high school sports. But students cannot bare their chests in class, so there is no reason for them to do it at indoor sporting events, he said.

High school students modeling fans at college and professional games have led to more of the behavior, Shafranski said.

"Many times we get some cross-dressing, when boys are wearing bikini tops that some people find to be offensive," he said.

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