Gilbert Arenas nearly took his shots with the Clippers

Gun-toting Gilbert Arenas was almost a Clipper. ...

Before signing with the Washington Wizards in the summer of 2003, Arenas later told Sports Illustrated, he flipped a coin 10 times to decide between the Wizards and the Clippers -- and the Clippers’ side came up eight times. ...

Ever the eccentric, Arenas then signed with the Wizards, saying he felt compelled to “go against the odds.” ...

The reported Arenas-Javaris Crittenton confrontation in Washington, by the way, recalls a 1971 incident in which Angels outfielder Alex Johnson accused teammate Chico Ruiz of pulling a gun on him in the clubhouse during a game. ...

Ruiz denied the charge. ...

The Texas Rangers reportedly are thinking about signing Vladimir Guerrero, whose .396 lifetime batting average against the Rangers undoubtedly piqued their interest. ...

Richmond-bound Aaron Corp, caught in a web of indifference at USC, decided he’d rather be a Spider man. ...

All BCS bowl games next year will be televised by ESPN. ...

“If there’s a better point guard in the open court,” Lakers radio color man Mychal Thompson said of Clipper Baron Davis during Wednesday’s broadcast, “I’d like to see him.” ...

Steve Nash? ...

Chris Paul? ...

Derek Fisher, 35, continues to show signs of slippage. ...

It’s not far-fetched to believe that, three months down the road, Pau Gasol and the Lakers might run into Blake Griffin and the Clippers in the playoffs. ...

All games, of course, would be played in Staples Center, perhaps sandwiched around a Kings playoff series. ...

Michael Roll and UCLA got a lucky bounce at Cal, to be sure, but a spirited comeback put them in position to win. ...

Dwight Lewis & Co., barred from postseason play because of a self-imposed one-season ban, still could deliver USC its first outright conference basketball championship since 1961. ...

The Trojans haven’t even shared a league title since 1985, when Wayne Carlander & Co. deadlocked with Washington. ...

Attention, Mark Ingram: Only eight Heisman Trophy winners, O.J. Simpson and Marcus Allen among them, have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ...

The others: Roger Staubach, Earl Campbell, Paul Hornung, Doak Walker, Tony Dorsett and Barry Sanders. ...

The San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts are 3-1 co-favorites to win the Super Bowl, with Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets the longest of longshots at 50-1. ...

Two of the NFL’s last three offensive rookies of the year, newly honored Percy Harvin and 2007 winner Adrian Peterson, hope to get Brett Favre back to the championship game. ...

Why do collegiate athletes who’ve already announced their intention to turn pro, as UCLA’s Brian Price did last week after the EagleBank Bowl, feel it necessary to later hold “news” conferences to repeat what they’ve already said? ...

If the voters who elect players to baseball’s Hall of Fame were part of the BCS equation, reader Howard Mationg of Gardena asks, “would anyone play in the championship game?” ...

Speaking of Cooperstown, the late Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges holds the dubious distinction of being the player who garnered the highest percentage of Hall of Fame votes, 63.4% in 1983, without later being elected. ...

Nobody loved his work more than the late Rory Markas, whose enthusiasm was evident in his broadcasts. ...

While the PGA Tour kicked off its 2010 season Thursday in Hawaii, Phil Mickelson was spotted playing a practice round at Riviera, where next month he’ll defend his Northern Trust Open championship. ...

Saturday night’s Pepperdine-Loyola Marymount basketball game in Malibu will be the 150th in a series dating to 1941. ...

Jordan Farmar and Lakers television voice Joel Meyers are among those scheduled to be inducted Jan. 30 into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. ...

Chris Johnson, Oakland Raiders cornerback, tells the Sporting News that he lives by this motto: “If you look good, you play good; if you play good, they pay good.” ...

With a roster featuring scoring leader Brittany Spears and backup guard Whitney Houston, reader Jerry Sondler of Warwick, R.I., e-mails to note, finding a national anthem singer shouldn’t be a problem for the Colorado women’s basketball team.

jerome.crowe@latimes.com