Maybe It’s Only Kobe’s Shoes That Are Starting

Jerry Reynolds, Sacramento King director of player personnel, on fan balloting for the NBA All-Star game:

“People who vote for these things don’t have a clue about basketball. They don’t know who the players are. They know who is in commercials.

“If Little Penny were on the ballot, he’d have probably started.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the Pacific 10 Conference record for the highest free-throw percentage in a season (minimum 100 attempts)?

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Benedict Barry: ESPN hockey analyst and former King coach Barry Melrose, asked who will win the Olympic gold medal:

“Canada. The United States won’t get it done, although I should be careful what I say. I’m taking my American citizenship test pretty soon.”

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Fair-weather runner: Considering the weather this week, it wasn’t surprising that a 500-yard runner scratched from Saturday’s L.A. Invitational track meet at the Sports Arena. Her name? Sunshine Peterson.

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Road panic: While in Vancouver recently, Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves asked reporters: “How come this town doesn’t have the Cartoon Network? I looked all over the dial for it.”

As you know, Garnett came right out of high school into the NBA in 1995.

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Motivation: And this from Garnett’s teammate, Stephon Marbury: “I’m going to be pumped the whole second half of the season, and I don’t have to say why.”

It wouldn’t have anything to do with his being snubbed for the All-Star game, would it?

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Priorities: Florida State football Coach Bobby Bowden compares his friendly recruiting rivalry with his coaching sons, Terry at Auburn and Tommy at Tulane, to an old story he once heard about a Yankee pitcher.

“He was so tough when he was in the game they said he’d brush back his own mother,” Bobby said. “Well, I’m real sympathetic and I want to see my boys all do good, but I’ll brush them back if I have to.”

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What stuff? New Jersey Coach John Calipari on Net starting guard Sam Cassell:

“You can’t deal with him like a normal human being. He’s not normal. Stuff that bothers a normal human being doesn’t bother him. Stuff that bothers him doesn’t bother a normal human being.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1948, Dick Button became the first American to win the Olympic gold medal in figure skating after landing the first double axel in Olympic competition.

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Trivia answer: Rod Foster of UCLA, .950, 95 of 100, in 1981-82.

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And finally: Shaun Powell writes in Newsday that Charles Barkley is a Kobe Bryant fan but takes his affection for the 19-year-old only so far.

“Kobe has unbelievable talent, but nobody’s going to sit here and call him a great player,” Barkley said. “First of all, the people who compare him to Michael Jordan should be ashamed. To mention him and Michael Jordan in the same breath is just stupid.”