Farina hopes to stay hot in picking world champs

Dennis Farina is pushing his luck.

The star of television's "Law and Order" was the only one of 100 participants in this year's Scripps Howard Celebrity Super Bowl Poll to pick the Patriots and exact 24-21 score, but his prognosticating perfection is already in jeopardy.

"(The Cubs) have a great pitching staff," the Chicago native told Scripps Howard News Service. "I'm confident. I'm one of those guys — I think this is our year."

Political muscle

Seven current and former baseball stars have been subpoenaed to testify about steroids before a congressional committee, and there won't be an accelerated-growth subject unturned.

Heck, even Alan Greenspan is slated to give a lecture on the evils of inflation.

Hold that line

A North Carolina study claims that 56 percent of NFL players would be considered obese by some medical standards, but fat chance you will find many sportswriters to second the motion.

"While the media is quick to take exception to any operation of an NFL team, from quarterback controversies to third-down play selection," wrote Mike Lopresti of USA Today, "they must tread softly when it comes to the matter of weight control.

"Too many of us have been in too many pregame buffet lines."

One less no-name

Now that the NFL has allowed "Gay" to be sewn on its personalized replica jerseys, the league's list of no-no names is now down to 1,158.

Wrote Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "No word on whether the NFL intends to hire George Carlin to help pare down that list of banned words to avoid further embarrassment."

Just hitting their spots

Just two weeks into spring training and there's already a threatened grievance — by those collecting players' drug-testing samples.

Seems the pitchers refuse to quit working the edges of the specimen jars.

Pass the Geritol

"For a professional football team, the Cardinals run a wonderful retirement home," wrote Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic. "Say hello to Kurt Warner, who is toting his Super Bowl ring, his MVP trophies, his million-dollar smile and an enormous chip on his shoulder.

"He will find plenty of room for all of it in Emmitt Smith's old locker."

They said it

• NBC's Jay Leno, on L.A. Marathon winners getting $25,000 in addition to a new car: "Do you know what the 25 grand is for? Gas money!"

• PGA Tour veteran Tim "Lumpy" Herron, to Golf World magazine, on his idea of a workout: "I like to fish, but it's the fish who gets the exercise."

• Seattle Times copy editor Mark Akins, on NBA assist king John Stockton naming one of his sons Houston: "Pardon me, but shouldn't his name be El Paso?"

Coincidence?

Q: Should we read any karma into the fact that Mount St. Helens blew a gasket just one day after the Rick Neuheisel trial ended in a settlement?

A: No, not really. One has produced a lot of steam, blown the lid off a local landmark and run up a damage tab in the millions — and the other is merely a mountain in southwestern Washington.

Dwight Perry: 206-464-8250 or dperry@seattletimes.com