Bowwow factor is off the charts

Cleveland Browns fans once again are denied the pleasure of tossing dog biscuits at opponents during an NFL playoff game, so NBC is offering a consolation prize -- the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge, which showcases the talents of canine athletes. It will be shown before Sunday’s games.

The promotional tie-in opportunities with the NFL are irresistible:

* Can’t teach an old dog new tricks. San Diego Chargers Coach Marty Schottenheimer’s playoff game plan.

* Our bark is worse than our bite. The Dallas Cowboys take the field.

* Dog spelled backwards is G-O-D. Rex Grossman in Chicago Bears-speak is I-N-T.

Promoters of the 90-minute dog challenge say it gives “football enthusiasts who are dog lovers a chance to watch the canines compete before the football playoff games get into full swing that day.”

Of course, those who want to see canines and football at the same time can tune in as the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles battle for worst in show Sunday afternoon.

Arf.

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Trivia time

Who was the last quarterback to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to an NFL championship?

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His next uniform may have stripes

Detroit Lions guard Ross Verba may have zoomed to the top of the Cincinnati Bengals’ free-agents-we-want list. He has been arrested, giving him something in common with a number of Bengals players.

A Wisconsin state trooper making a traffic stop discovered that Verba, who was in the passenger seat, was wanted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police for writing bad checks.

Still, the Bengals may lose interest. Verba spent the night in jail, then was released when Las Vegas officials said that the matter had been resolved with a “Las Vegas establishment.”

One thing is certain. Verba didn’t use a playoff share to cover the debt.

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Gator-aid?

Maybe there’s more than meets the burger about Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith’s shunning of Wendy’s, founded in Columbus, in favor of In-N-Out as his fast-food favorite.

Reader David Reid of Hollywood points out that Mary Lou “Wendy” Thomas, the daughter of Dave Thomas and the namesake of his fast-food chain, attended Florida, Ohio State’s opponent in Monday’s BCS national championship game. Furthermore, Dave Thomas once dumped a wad of cash on the Gators to build a weight room.

So buying a bacon cheeseburger at Wendy’s is giving aid and comfort to the enemy, from the Buckeyes’ perspective.

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Fly me to the moon

First BALCO, now ball-co? Apparently, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are not the only tightly wound objects under suspicion for the alarming rate at which baseballs left parks in 1998.

Universal Medical Systems Inc., which uses computer imaging, claims baseballs had larger rubberized cores and synthetic rubber rings in 1998, causing them to perk up when hit.

Said UMS President David Zavagno: “While Mark McGwire may or may not have used illegal steroids, the evidence shows his ball -- under the governing body of the league -- was juiced.”

That brought a quick response from Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer.

“All of our balls are subject to rigorous quality-control standards and testing conducted by Rawlings [the manufacturer],” DuPuy said.

If only players fell under such quality-control standards.

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Trivia answer

Norm Van Brocklin, who led the Eagles to victory over the Green Bay Packers in 1960.

The suspicion around the Eagles’ kennel is that Jeff Garcia won’t be replacing him as the answer any time soon.

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And finally

Classes will resume at Florida on Monday, even though the Gators play Ohio State for the national title that night. Student and alumni calls for classes to be canceled were rejected.

Still, in an e-mail to students and staff, university President Bernie Machen wrote that the game was “a wonderfully unique and exciting opportunity for many students and we urge our faculty and staff to make it easy for them to make up any missed work.”

Leading to the inevitable: “Professor, the Buckeyes’ red-dog ate my homework.”

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