Sports card collection multiplies after Review-Journal article

It took Paul Jones 12 years to build a collection of about 450,000 sports cards.

Within five days of a story about the 23-year-old's collection appearing in the June 7 issue of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, readers responded by donating so many cards that his total has grown to nearly 1 million.

"Paul's been up every morning counting and putting the cards in alphabetical order," said Barry Jones, his father.

Paul Jones was born with a genetic disorder that affects his ability to process information. He might not be able to tell you which president is on a $1 bill, but he can rattle off baseball statistics like a savant.

Readers said they were intrigued with his passion and by the fact that he's never sold a card.

• MIDEAST LAKERS FANS? -- When the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship on Sunday, celebrations quickly got out of hand.

Shortly after the game, thousands started bonfires and rioted in the streets of Los Angeles and Tehran.

Who could have imagined the Lakers had so many fans in Iran?

• FAST ON GRASS -- Speedy Ohio State football recruit Jamaal Berry was arrested last week on drug possession charges in his hometown of Miami.

The 18-year-old -- listed as the No. 5 running back prospect in the country by Rivals.com -- was charged with possession of about an ounce of marijuana that was in a bag on the back seat of his car when police stopped him for allegedly running a red light at 12:10 a.m. Thursday.

The charge is a third-degree felony and is punishable by up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine. He faces arraignment July 2 in Miami.

Coach Jim Tressel said Sunday he's waiting for more information about the case before evaluating his recruit's status at the school.

Buckeyes supporters, look on the bright side: At least Berry didn't have a gun in his car. And he wasn't stopped in Michigan.

• MORE SPEED -- Despite the turmoil over one of his top recruits, Tressel spent time Monday riding around the Columbus campus in a two-seat IndyCar racer with top driver and Central Ohio resident Graham Rahal.

"People always talk about 'What's the toughest sport?' And I was telling Graham that my belief is that the toughest sport is where there might be bodily injury," Tressel said. "I think football is a little bit tough, but going 230 (mph), crashing into walls, no thanks. You admire people that do extraordinary things like that.

"We preach team speed here at Ohio State, and today is all about learning about speed."

• UNHOOKED -- A Canadian man fishing in Alaska's Kachemak Bay on Thursday reeled in a tagged halibut -- meaning it would have been worth $10,000 if he had purchased a $10 Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby ticket.

The fisherman -- whose name and IQ were not disclosed -- would have had a better story had it gotten away instead of explaining why he didn't buy a ticket. "Yeah, he didn't really say much," Jackpot boat captain Art Morris told the Anchorage Daily News.

COMPILED BY JEFF WOLF LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL