Free Speech Is Not the Bengal Way

Freedom of speech is now being challenged in Cincinnati, where the Bengals want to include a loyalty clause in new players’ contracts. That’s because last year, wide receiver Carl Pickens publicly criticized Coach Bruce Coslet.

Players agreeing to the clause will have to pay back part of their signing bonuses if they publicly criticize teammates, management or the coach.

Bengal President Mike Brown said players “are free to to talk internally and they know that. And I would tell you that we aren’t looking to restrict players’ conversations unreasonably.”

Reporters interviewing Bengal players will most likely end up with empty notebooks.

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Trivia time: Who holds the Laker playoff record for shooting percentage?

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The only way to go: Dutch soccer fans for whom Euro 2000 is a matter of life and death can rest easy, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

An undertaker in the southern town of Vught is offering orange coffins, the color of the national flag, for supporters who die during the tournament.

How considerate.

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Betting man: From comedy writer Earl Hochman: “Although the baseball that Pete Rose hit for a double for his 4000th base hit sold recently for an auction price of $39,422, Rose was laying 2-1 odds that it would go for at least $50,000.”

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The Rocker file: Steve Hummer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the ideal activity for John Rocker--pro wrestling.

“You can just see it: Rocker vs. The Masked Immigrant. Just before applying the pin, he eats his opponent’s green card.”

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She got an earful: Hall of Fame golfer Amy Alcott vividly remembers the first time she played golf with Don Klosterman, who died last week:

“It was 1991 and we were walking down the 17th fairway at Bel-Air when I said, ‘I’m sorry, Don, I didn’t catch your last name.’

“And he said, ‘Klosterman--K for kaleidoscope, L for loquacious, O for ostentatious, S for sequacious, T for tantamount, E for eradicate, R for recalcitrant, M for masculine, A for agility and N for nebulous.’

“Every time I saw him after that, I’d always say, ‘Hey Don, K for kaleidoscope,’ and we’d do the whole thing. I got pretty good at it over the years.”

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Hamlet bit: Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle, quoting Dave Clemens of Monterey:

“I keep having this nightmare about Steve Young wearing a black turtleneck, walking around a Danish castle, endlessly repeating, ‘QB, or not QB? That is the question.’ ”

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FYI: Rick Fox’s full name is Ulrich Alexander Fox.

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Looking back: On this day in 1987, the Lakers had an 18-2 run to start the third quarter and went on to defeat the Boston Celtics at the Forum, 106-93, to win the NBA finals in six games.

Trivia answer: Kurt Rambis, 59.2%.

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And finally: Sam Perkins on Pacer teammate Reggie Miller: ‘The only thing big on him is his ears. Other than that the man just comes with a big attitude and a big heart. He’s very different from everybody else in the league.”