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Sunday, December 30, 2001

By Peter Aldrich, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Anna Kournikova still hasn't won squat on the tennis court, but she can't be beaten on the Internet. The queen of tennis -- the only title she has in her sport, by the way -- is No. 1 on the Internet for the second year in a row, according to the Lycos list of online searches in 2001.

Chances are, Internet surfers aren't clicking on Anna to learn the finer points of the serve-and-volley game. But they are clicking, and that's all that counts in this contest.

Here are the 20 most-searched athletes on the Internet, according to Lycos:

1. Kournikova

2. Dale Earnhardt

3. Allen Iverson

4. Michael Jordan

5. Martina Hingis

6. Kobe Bryant

7. Tiger Woods

8. Vince Carter

9. Tony Hawk

10. Jackie Robinson

11. Muhammad Ali

12. Venus Williams

13. Mike Tyson

14. Dave Beckham

15. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

16. Derek Jeter

17. Babe Ruth

18. Jennifer Capriati

19. Serena Williams

20. Lance Armstrong.

Lycos also listed the top 10 most-searched teams in 2001:

1. New York Yankees

2. Seattle Mariners

3. Dallas Cowboys

4. Boston Red Sox

5. Chicago Cubs

6. Manchester United

7. Atlanta Braves

8. Green Bay Packers

9. Liverpool FC

10. Oakland Raiders.

When you've got to go ...

English Premier League soccer player Hayden Foxe recently was fined the equivalent of about $20,000 for urinating in a public bar after being ejected from a London nightclub.

"It was in a pot plant, out of people's view," said his manager, who added, "Obviously, if he could turn back the clock he wouldn't do it again, he'd walk whatever distance it is to go to the toilet."

Patriotic pins

Sales of "United We Stand" pins designed by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee have raised more than $2 million for the survivors of people killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Of the 441,000 pins sold, 60 percent were purchased in Utah.

Life-changing experience

Remember Kent Harvey? He's the former Indiana student who gained national attention by saying three simple words: "What's up, Knight?"

It seems the run-in with then-Hoosiers basketball coach Bob Knight -- which led to Knight being fired and Harvey receiving death threats -- has changed Harvey's life. Since the incident, Harvey has sworn off alcohol, cursing and sex.

"I guess meeting Bob Knight has brought me to the Lord," he told Sports Illustrated.

No ordinary Chevy

The Chevrolet Monte Carlo that Dale Earnhardt drove in 1986, when he won his second Winston Cup championship, will be among the cars on sale next month at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Classic Car Auction in Arizona.

The blue-and-yellow car comes with a crash helmet signed by Earnhardt. Auction host Craig Jackson said Earnhardt's car could go for up to $250,000.

Shopping Summitt

Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt apparently has the same passion for shopping as she does for winning national championships.

When the Lady Volunteers were in Chicago recently to play DePaul, Summitt had her credit cards ready to go.

"They've got a Nordstrom's right by the hotel. I knew I was in trouble when the bus pulled up," she said. "Good thing I married a banker."

Grip it and rip it

European senior tour golfer Paul Herbert credits a recent improvement in his tee shots to his decision to paint Osama bin Laden's face on the head of his driver.

"The thought of that face smacking into a golf ball sorted me out," Herbert said.

Red-hot performance

A day after the Alamo Dome in San Antonio caught on fire, the Spurs' Tim Duncan lit up the building for a career-high 53 points in an overtime loss against the Dallas Mavericks.

Keep the meter running

Vintage race car driver Inigo Paternina refused to quit when his 1961 Porsche broke down in the Andes Mountain during the Inca Trail 2001 rally, which lasted from Oct. 6-Nov. 29.

Instead, Paternina hired an Argentine taxi driver for a 3,100-mile ride that lasted 10 days -- and set him back $1,200.