It Is Magic: There Will Be No Ripoffs Here

Magic Johnson cleared $75,000 doing an autograph show in Detroit recently. Darren Prince, one of Johnson’s booking agents, said he didn’t do it because he needed the money.

According to Prince, Johnson periodically puts out fresh signatures so that his collectibles will not fall prey to fraud.

“You have people out there ripping these guys off with phony signatures,” Prince told the Detroit News. “If you see a Magic autograph for $20 or $30, you know it’s a fake.”

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Trivia time: What is USC’s longest win streak in its football series with Notre Dame?

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Misleading: Barry Horn in the Dallas Morning News: “Interviewing Jerry Tarkanian for a ’60 Minutes’ piece on Fresno State, Mike Wallace assured the coach he would not be ‘disappointed’ in the segment.

“Naturally, Wallace barbecues The Shark and his players. Maybe Tarkanian should have asked Wallace for his definition of ‘disappointment.’ ”

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Conspiracy? The North Koreans will have to walk behind their South Korean rivals during the opening ceremony of the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand because the Thai alphabet is being used in establishing marching positions, an organizer said.

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Name game: Blackie Sherrod in the Dallas Morning News: “What’s in a name? Akili Smith, western sidekick? No, Oregon QB. Eric McCoo, a Red Skelton character? Rather, a Penn State halfback. Hanno Mottola, drives the getaway car? Nope, Utah basketballer.”

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No epic game: Jerry Magee’s lead in the San Diego Union-Tribune on USC’s 10-0 victory over Notre Dame Saturday night at the Coliseum:

“Outlined against some very wide yawns, USC rode not excitingly, but effectively. . .”

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FYI: At halftime of the USC-Notre Dame game, a scoreless tie in regulation was a possibility with neither team able to generate much offense.

The last time USC played to a scoreless tie was against Washington in 1961. For Notre Dame, it was against Miami in 1965.

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Looking back: On this day in 1987, Bo Jackson, also a Kansas City Royal outfielder, rushed for 221 yards to lead the L.A. Raiders to a 37-14 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

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Looking back again: On this day in 1969, the L.A. Rams won their 11th consecutive game, defeating the Washington Redskins, 24-13.

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Trivia answer: Five games, 1978-1982.

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And finally: John Crumpacker in the San Francisco Examiner: “Here’s Packer General Manager Ron Wolf: ‘I think it’s important that a lot of our so-called stud ducks step up and start playing down the stretch.’

“A stud duck? What’s that, a Disney character on steroids?”