Taking a walk on the frigid side

Looks like he's still into cross country.

Todd Carmichael, who as Todd McLaughlin ran for the 1981 state-championship team at Spokane's Ferris High School, walked solo 700 miles across Antarctica from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole in 39 days, 7 hours and 49 minutes — breaking the record by nearly 1 ¾ hours, ExplorersWeb.com reported.

Carmichael, 45, who co-owns the La Colombe Torrefaction coffee company in Gladwyne, Pa., ditched his skis after nine days and walked the rest of the way, averaging about 18 miles a day. So what's next?

"He's had a lot of time out there by himself to think," his wife, Lauren Hart, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Too much time to think. He'll come up with something."

De-ice that Jet

The NFL fined Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis $10,000 for throwing snow at fans while leaving the field after his team's 13-3 loss in Seattle last Sunday.

On the bright side, though, he now boasts a 92.6 passer rating.

For Minn. only

The Gophers have racked up an 11-0 start in basketball? Minnesota Fats, meet Minnesota Tubby.

It pays to accessorize

What bad economy? The 2009 Women of Curling calendar has surpassed 2,000 in sales, and Curling News publisher George Karrys credits the athletes' loyalty for the calendar's continued exposure.

"Christine Keshen is back wearing a hat and not much else," Karrys told the Edmonton Sun. "It's a very nice hat."

Truth in advertising

The visitors' locker room at Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium will henceforth be known as "The Fail Room" — and for good reason: James M. Fail is a big Tide donor, and the room's inhabitants went 0-7 this season.

He's T.O.'d

"Last week when the Iraqi journalist threw two shoes at President Bush," noted comedian Argus Hamilton, "Terrell Owens complained that he was wide open on both plays."

Slow long

Pro Football Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh, renowned as a fast driver, made one last trip through Rotan, Texas, on Monday — his saddle-draped pine casket in the back of a horse-drawn wagon leading the funeral procession toward Belvieu Cemetery.

Noted his son Todd, 67, a state district judge from Billings, Mont., at the memorial service: "Today will be the slowest my father ever went through this town."

Talking the talk

• St. John's (Minn.) football coach John Gagliardi, 82, to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, on job security: "The monks give me a lifetime contract because they figure I can't last much longer. But there's a clause in there that if we start losing games, they can give me the last sacraments and declare me dead."

• T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times, on the dwindling Manny Ramirez sweepstakes: "There's probably a better chance of the Red Sox bringing back Babe Ruth than Ramirez."

Bronco bustin'

One more loss for the Denver Broncos, on the cusp of losing a three-game lead in the AFC West with three games to go, and they'll be known as the Mile High Mets.

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