When dining with pals, Kobe's the Most Valuable Payer

Pass the compliments, Kobe — but keep the check.

Kobe Bryant informed his Lakers teammates that he'd won this year's MVP award while they were eating dinner at an L.A. restaurant."We congratulated him," teammate Sasha Vujacic told The Associated Press. "He deserved it. He told us how proud he is of the whole team."

So did they break out into chants of "MVP! MVP!"?

"When he paid the bill, we did. Not before."

Ramming speed

Rameses XVIII is North Carolina's new ram mascot, but the way he got the job — he head-butted his mascot father, knocking off XVII's horn and triggering a fatal infection — has left him hopelessly tainted.

Or, as Ian Hamilton of the Regina (Saskatchewan) Leader-Post put it: "Rameses XVIII will forever be known as a weapon of mascot destruction."

Catch this

In Sunday's item listing the special features on those special-edition Chevy trucks honoring Twins catcher Joe Mauer, it looks like we left out one very important selling point.

Noted Times reader Wayne Buck: "What about the cup holder made by Bike?"

One for the ageless

Julio Franco of the Mexican league's Quintana Roo Tigers, the oldest player to hit a home run in big-league history, finally called it quits as a baseball player at age 49.

Or 51, if ESPN ever digs up his Dominican birth certificate.

Brown States

Nomadic Larry Brown has been hired by the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, meaning he has now been a head coach in 10 states.

"In the political arena, those states would give Brown 214 electoral votes, only 56 shy of the presidency," noted Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times. "Of course, could you really count on Brown to stay on the job for four years?"

Quote, end quote

• David Whitley of the Orlando Sentinel, on the hometown Magic — swept 4-0 by Detroit in the NBA playoffs last year — getting paired with the Pistons once again: "They have a history with Detroit, which is sort of like saying Jimmy Hoffa has a history with car trunks. The difference is, we know where the Magic are buried."

• E-mailer Paul Seaburn of Spring, Texas, to The New York Times, on the Philadelphia gas station that briefly sold gas for 76 cents a gallon to honor the 76ers: "After the promotion was over, the station went back to regular prices and charging $1,776 to fill up a Hummer."

• Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, speculating on sports' No. 1 soap opera: "If Roger Clemens and his wife break up, I bet I know who gets all the Mindy McCready CDs. Unless Mrs. Clemens decides to take up skeet shooting."

Leaf goes raking

Maple Leafs star Mats Sundin sent a ball flying to the warning track Saturday when he took time out for a little batting practice with the Blue Jays.

Or, as hockey players prefer to call it, two minutes for high-sticking.

Sideline Chatter appears Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in The Seattle Times. Dwight Perry: 206-464-8250 or dperry@seattletimes.com