Morning Briefing It worked for Samson and Victor Mature too

M.L. Carr, part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats and a former Boston Celtics player, coach and executive, expects big things from top draft pick Adam Morrison - but only, apparently, as long as the mop-topped Morrison steers clear of barbers.

"I see a cross between Pistol Pete [Maravich] and Larry Bird," Carr told The Boston Globe. "That's where Adam will be, somewhere in between them. He's got the Pistol's hair and Larry's mustache.

"And it's all about the hair. I cut Ben Wallace [in Boston] because he didn't have his hair back then. He didn't have his strength."

Trivia time

Three of the four players in NBA history who compiled 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists are former Los Angeles Lakers - Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. Who is the fourth? Assisted living

Jim Eriotes, who this week became the oldest player to appear in a professional baseball game when the 83-year-old struck out in his only appearance for the double-A Sioux Falls (S.D.) Canaries, grumbled to reporters afterward that if he'd been given a few more at-bats, he would have delivered a hit.

"Or maybe an intentional walker," wrote Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times.

Vandy was handy

Bernie Lincicome of the Rocky Mountain News, in the wake of French soccer player Zinedine Zidane's head-butting of a taunting Italian opponent, pointed out that on-field insults have long been a part of sports.

"One of the great trash-talkers was Michael Jordan, who could elevate it to an art," Lincicome wrote of the basketball icon.

"Classic is his description of teammate Will Perdue, whom he called Will Vanderbilt because Jordan said Perdue was not good enough to be named after a Big Ten school." Diplomacy, please

NBC's Conan O'Brien, on Friday's opening of the G8 Summit: "This year the biggest problem will be keeping the leader of France from head-butting the leader of Italy."

Trivia answer | Charles Barkley.

Los Angeles Times