North Carolina’s Hansbrough learns to embrace the hate

Tyler Hansbrough scored 22 points for North Carolina in the Tar Heels’ 101-58 victory over Radford in the first round of the NCAA tournament to become the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time leading scorer. But one observer who was less than impressed was Brad Greenberg, Radford’s coach.

“I don’t think he played so great today,” Greenberg said. “Everyone’s getting crazy about him. He’s great, don’t get me wrong, but he shot five for 16. So it’s not like he had a Bill Walton NCAA experience out here.”

Hansbrough has heard this sort of sentiment throughout his senior season, often enough that he now shrugs it off.

“I think a lot of people have been critical this year, because they’ve seen me play for so long,” he told the Charlotte Observer. “. . . They grow to hate me, and that’s part of the game. But you get used to it, and in a way, I’m proud of it.”

Trivia time

Who was the only man to have played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Steelers and Penguins?

Urge to overkill

Florida State sports teams are facing major NCAA sanctions because athletes cheated on online tests in a music history course in 2006 and 2007. The football team could lose up to 14 victories as a result of the sanctions. Not surprisingly, football Coach Bobby Bowden is miffed about the situation.

“There are different degrees of doing something wrong,” Bowden told reporters in Florida. “You can go five miles over the speed limit. That’s one thing. Or you can go 50 miles over the speed limit, and that’s dangerous. It just seems like they’re killing a flea with a hammer.”

Timing is everything

Right-handed pitcher Julian Tavarez finally signed with the last-place Washington Nationals after spurning several offers from the team.

Asked why he changed his mind, Tavarez replied, “When you go to a club at 4 in the morning and you’re just waiting, waiting, a 600-pounder looks like J-Lo. Too much to drink. So, Nationals: Jennifer Lopez to me.”

It’s always T.O. Time

Brad Dickson in the Omaha World-Herald, on Terrell Owens’ signing with the Buffalo Bills in part because he wants to win a Super Bowl: “That’s like moving to Maui so you can win the Iditarod.”

Owens’ signing with the Bills after his release by Dallas prompted David Thomas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to write: “What do [Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones and the Dow Jones have in common? Both just enjoyed their best week since November.”

Trivia answer

Vince Lascheid, who played the organ for all three Pittsburgh professional franchises. He passed away last week at 85. (Question and answer courtesy fark.com.)

And finally

NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, to Newsday about landing a cameo appearance on ABC’s “General Hospital”: “I’m certainly not a good actor, and I don’t have a Hollywood face by any means. When I go to the beach, whales gather around.”

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