LEFTOVERS: Dunking banned … in the NFL

It appears Tony Gonzalez got out of football at the right time.

The future Hall of Fame tight end retired at the end of the 2013 season after spending his 17-year career celebrating touchdowns by dunking the ball over the crossbar of the goalposts. Gonzalez, who was a basketball player in college at California, had no problem elevating to celebrate.

But those days are over. For everyone.

The NFL has decided that beginning with the 2014 season dunking a football will be considered unsportsmanlike conduct because the ball is not meant to be used as a prop, an existing rule from a couple of years ago when the league tightened up its rules regarding end zone celebrations.

So while you’ll no longer be able to throw a football over a crossbar, you’ll still be able to jump into the stands and celebrate. But make sure you hand the football over to the officials before you leap.

■ THE ‘STAR WARS’ LOOK — Add the Durham Bulls to the list of sports teams looking to cash in on “Star Wars.”

The Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, announced the team will wear jerseys meant to look like the Star Wars robot R2-D2 on May 4. The team will also auction off those jerseys to benefit the Autism Society of North Carolina.

According to ESPN.com, the Bulls aren’t the first team to don “Star Wars”-inspired jerseys. Last week, the Tulsa Oilers wore hockey jerseys that included the faces of Star Wars creator George Lucas, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. The U.S. Under-18 men’s national hockey team wore jerseys featuring Darth Vader in January. And last year, the Toledo Mud Hens (the Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A team) wore jerseys that resembled Chewbacca. The San Francisco Giants have had Star Wars Day for years. This year, the team will give away an R2-D2 beanie hat.

Maybe some team can have an Antonio Cromartie-“Star Wars” Day and have Cromartie, the NFL defensive back who has fathered 10 kids, tell some fan in his Darth Vader voice, “I am your father.”

■ SCOUT FROM HOME — San Diego State’s basketball team arrived home in plenty of time Sunday for the Aztecs’ coaches to scout Arizona in person as the Wildcats played Gonzaga at Viejas Arena in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs were going to play the winner in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday in the Sweet 16.

There was nothing against the rules to show up in person and watch. Just buy a ticket. But coach Steve Fisher elected to have the staff at his house to scout the game rather than show up at their home court. Of course, it helped that San Diego State had already played Arizona in November, so Fisher and Co. were familiar with the Wildcats.

“In the spirit of things,” Fisher told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “They didn’t have an opportunity to watch us play. If you start trying to sneak a camera in to watch a guy practice or try to get an extra look, it serves no purpose and it probably shouldn’t happen. So we just decided that would serve everyone, including ourselves, best.”

It might be a karma thing too on Fisher’s part. Perhaps by taking the high road the basketball gods will smile kindly upon the Aztecs come Thursday.

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL