Spurs coach is all ears — if he's doing the talking

No use trying to argue with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

"He has the floor all the time," guard Brent Barry told the San Antonio Express-News. "He's got this bully pulpit up there, and he tells you what he likes and dislikes. "And he asks you, 'OK, what do you think?' And before you have time to answer, he's like, 'OK, let's get started.'

"That's not fair. That's what my wife does."

Stand-up act

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba didn't take too kindly to Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez's assertion that Drogba is a world-class diver.

"If he wants me to stay on my feet," Drogba told BBC Sport, "maybe he should tell his defenders to stop hitting me."

Hold the video

From the 10 worst-selling sports video games of all time, courtesy of CBS.com's Ben Heller:

• Lance Armstrong's 10 Speeds of Fury: "Sports gamers didn't really want to spend hours in front of the TV staring at a sea of virtual Spandex butts."

• World Championship Bridge: "Nobody under the age of 50 plays bridge. Nobody over the age of 50 plays video games. You do the math."

Give me a brake

Some stipulations NASCAR had to agree to in order to get Patriots receiver Randy Moss to start up a truck-racing team, courtesy of The Detroit News' Tony Augusty:

• "The driver will only compete if he feels like it.

• "The truck is allowed to leave the track early if the driver knows he has no chance to win.

• "A moon roof will be installed for any races in Green Bay, Wis."

Hindsight is 20/20

Washington State safety Xavier Hicks began serving a 45-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to theft and putting rubbing alcohol on his roommate's contact lenses.

The sentence came as a devastating blow for eye-for-an-eye advocates, who'd hoped he'd be on the first red-eye out of town.

Quote, end quote

• Bruce Penton of Brandon, Manitoba's Wheat City Journal, on the grit of the Dallas Stars' captain: "One can only imagine Brenden Morrow getting up in the morning and having a bowl of dirt for breakfast, along with a side of nails."

• Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press, comparing Texas and Michigan: "They have Jessica Simpson, sitting up in a suite, to blame for losses. We have Matt Millen."

• John McEnroe, 49, to AP, after ending his 0-for-12 drought on the over-30 tennis circuit: "For my favorite fan base — 75-year-old women — this proves to you that you can still be young at an advanced age."

• Popovich, to the Express-News, on his frequent impatience with the media: "It's a flaw. I should be less judgmental and more accommodating to ignorant questions."

The late, late show

Good news for New Orleans concerning that stuntman's fire last Saturday that caused a 20-minute delay in the Hornets-Spurs playoff game:

FEMA just called — and they're on their way!

Dwight Perry: 206-464-8250 or dperry@seattletimes.com