Another Parking Lot-Type Guy Who Hoped to Buy the Dodgers

With all the questions over parking lot czar Frank McCourt’s ability to buy the Dodgers, the team may soon be back on the market.

If so, I anticipate the return of one fellow who solicited backers at a downtown freeway offramp several years ago (see photo). He came up a few quarters short of outbidding Fox’s Rupert Murdoch that time.

If you were one of those who shunned this fellow’s sign, you have only yourself to blame for Fox’s unsuccessful reign at Dodger Stadium. Get your coins ready this time.

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A soap opera would have been more appropriate: If Lana Turner could supposedly be discovered at a malt shop, I guess I wasn’t surprised when Randy Huston of L.A. wrote about spotting a screenwriter’s plea at a car wash (see accompanying). Just another tribute to L.A.’s car culture.

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Speaking of cleaning up: Jolene Collins saw an ad that prompted her to remark: “I didn’t know anyone would ever consider buying used diapers” (see accompanying).

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Letter imperfect: Henry Kimmel came upon what he suspects was an ad directed not toward those who prefer corpulent hair-cutters but toward fans of “Berber” carpet (see accompanying). Then, again, toupees are known as rugs.

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More oddities, more of the time: Here’s still another curious promo broadcast by all-news station KFWB-AM (980) under its new management. A narrator mentions a developing story and then says, “What’s going on? Give us 22 minutes and you’ll know.”

Whereupon, a voice in the background, sounding as though it’s someone uttering his last words, gasps, “Now I know.” Huh?

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Name game: Rufus Baker of Santa Monica pointed out that on my list of weathercasters who were born for the job, I omitted Ken Weathers of the Weather Channel.

On another outdoor matter, Alan Beauchesne saw a newspaper photo of a professional dog-walker -- one Nancy Doberman.

Jim Burke noticed that in Long Beach, a matter involving noise complaints about the Live Bait nightclub is being handled by a city nuisance abatement officer named Rita Hooker.

Oh, yes, and did I tell you about L.A. City Fire Capt. Bill Wick?

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miscelLAny: My son was sick, but I had to take him with me to his school to pick up his homework. I tried to keep him out of view of his desk-ridden classmates. The last time we visited the classroom on a sick day, one envious kid blurted out, “Breathe on me so I can stay home too.”

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATimes, Ext. 77083 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.