NFL aide makes pal great deal on used car

Former Pittsburgh Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton had one last stop to make at team headquarters in February before leaving to start his new job as the Arizona Cardinals' defensive coordinator.

Horton walked into the cafeteria where he found worker Maurice Matthews, who serves the Steelers' players and coaches and was befriended by Horton during his stay in Pittsburgh.

Horton said to Matthews: "Hey, I need a favor from you. How much money do you have in your pocket?" When Matthews replied, "$20," Horton said, "Sold for $20!"

Matthews was confused. Sold? What had he just bought?

As it turns out, Matthews had become the new owner of a red 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL500 convertible roadster. In an act of kindness and generosity, Horton had passed on his fancy car to a friend.

"Ray said, 'Hey, you always liked the car, you're a good dude, I know you'll take care of it. It's yours,' " Matthews told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I'm still in shock. I look out the window when I bring it to work and I just go, 'Man, that's mine.' "

■ R-RATED HOOPS -- First there were women playing football dressed in lingerie. Now there's a women's lingerie basketball league.

What's next, lingerie lacrosse?

The Lingerie Basketball League recently held a doubleheader in Venice Beach, Calif., with teams nicknamed the Starlets, the Divas, the Glam and the Beauties. The rules are essentially the same as women's college basketball with a couple of tweaks.

Videos on the league's website show the players have some talent. They can dribble, pass and shoot. But it's a far cry from the WNBA and -- while the players may take themselves seriously -- their "uniforms" aren't going to make people forget the L.A. Sparks.

Let's just say this league could give new meaning to the term "bounce pass."

■ CHILD'S PLAY -- Child labor takes another plunge into soccer and this time it has nothing to do with kids manufacturing balls for the sport.

Real Madrid has signed a 7-year-old prodigy from Argentina who goes by the name Leo -- just like Lionel Messi.

Leonel Angel Coira signed with the Spanish club and will begin training Sept. 6, a Madrid spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday. The little guy's training regimen will be stopped in the afternoon so he can enjoy a juice box and an Oreo before his nap.

The youngster told the Argentine sports daily Ole last week that his idol is Messi, the Barcelona forward who is also Argentine and goes by the name Leo. Coira also said he prefers to pass rather than score and idolizes SpongeBob SquarePants.

Little Leo already has a Facebook page featuring photos of his visit to Real Madrid.

Madrid reportedly made the push to sign Coira because Spanish league rival Atletico Madrid also was pursuing the youngster.

The Spanish team is seeking its next recruit by urging pregnant women to submit sonograms of their unborn males.

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP AND JEFF WOLF
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL