Maybe it had a beef with owner

Apparently, a 2-year-old cow was having a particularly rough day and did what many Southern Californians do on a nice afternoon with perfect conditions: left work and hit the surf.

The cow got out of a paddock, breaking through a fence, made its way to the beach and ended up swimming for about four hours off Queensland’s coast in Australia earlier this week, according to media reports.

Sadly, the cow drowned despite efforts from the owner to save it in the surf.

Bovine motive, of course, was left to speculation. The owner guessed that it might have been “upset from the morning chase.” An animal studies lecturer from the University of Queensland told an Australian newspaper that cows are good swimmers, but “it’s unusual behavior to actually go out and start swimming around the ocean.”

Maybe there will be a memorial for the star-crossed animal fighting its land-locked fate: This Aussie cow has swum to heaven.

Trivia time

Name the Eastern liberal arts college with a purple cow as its mascot.

Pollo con Ducks

At least Teemu Selanne won’t have to worry about fans rummaging through his trash or grabbing his plate off the table at some restaurant in Anaheim. Hockey fever is temperate in the OC.

“You could feel the playoff fever last year,” Selanne told ESPN the Magazine, meaning last season.

“People were talking. Ducks flags were hanging out of cars. But it’s not like back home in Finland or even Canada, where girls wanted my leftover chicken bones from a meal I ate.

“That hasn’t happened here. Yet.”

Modeling 101

They are using models as ball boys at this week’s season-ending WTA Championships in Madrid, but Russian tennis star Elena Dementieva was critical of the temps’ ability, eye candy or no eye candy.

“We were practicing the other day and I don’t think they really know what they have to do on the court because they’re too busy watching the players,” she told reporters.

“We’ll have to see if it will work out or not, but I think it will be a distraction for them to do their job.”

Added Justine Henin-Hardenne, smiling: “I’m very excited. But I’m married, so I can look but not touch.”

Modeling 102

Then there’s Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who held a fashion show Tuesday in Philadelphia to introduce his line of men’s clothing.

“I’ve always wanted clothing that was casual and comfortable but had a more refined look and feel,” he told reporters.

Passing thought: Wonder if the models at McNabb’s fashion show would make better ball boys than their Spanish counterparts?

Trivia answer

Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. The purple cow has a long (if not distinguished) legacy as the student body voted on the matter in 1907.

And finally

Chicago 2016 Olympic bid chairman Pat Ryan, on USOC officials making a site visit during the chilly scenes of a Chicago winter: “What we can tell them -- it’s going to get a lot better.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com