It didn't take long for someone to try to cash in on Tiger Woods' car incident.
Spirit Airlines, which promotes low fares and no-frills travel, is running an "Eye of the Tiger" sale, in which seats can be obtained on certain flights for as little as $9. On its site, the airline has a Photoshopped picture of a tiger behind the wheel of an SUV crashing into a fire hydrant.
The ad campaign begs a couple of questions: One, isn't it a bit tacky to take advantage of someone else's misfortune in an attempt to promote your business? Two, is promoting the notion of crashing into something the best way for an airline to sell itself?
• SIGN OF THE TIMES -- A group of disgruntled Oakland Raiders fans has put up a billboard on the freeway just south of where the team plays its home games, imploring longtime owner Al Davis to hire a general manager to run the team.
The fans' Web site, "MessagetoAl.com," cites the need to reach the 79-year-old Davis, whose team is once again among the worst in the NFL at 3-8. The fans paid for the billboard on Interstate 880 at a cost of $4,500, and they have secured more than 25,000 signatures on petitions that they hope to present to Davis at the end of the season.
• HALFTIME HAPPY HOUR -- Leave it to Ron Artest to come up with creative ways to rehydrate himself to get ready to play basketball.
In an interview with FOXSports.com, Artest admitted he would drink alcohol at halftime while a member of the Chicago Bulls.
"I used to drink Hennessy at halftime," said Artest, who played for the Bulls from 1999 to 2002 and has played for five NBA teams. "I kept it in my locker. I'd just walk to the liquor store (near the stadium) and get it."
Artest also claims he used to get high in college when he played at St. John's, and he's convinced veteran referee Joey Crawford didn't want to see Artest and the Houston Rockets beat the Lakers in last year's NBA playoffs.
"Joey Crawford basically said, 'Who cares about the Houston Rockets? Kobe Bryant is on the floor,' " said Artest, who is now Bryant's teammate in Los Angeles.
• NO-TOUCH POLICY -- With Alex Ovechkin sitting out a two-game NHL-imposed suspension for a knee-to-knee hit Monday on Carolina's Tim Gleason, the Washington Capitals decided to do something wise with their star forward -- they put him in a noncontact role.
Coach Bruce Boudreau had Ovechkin don an orange jersey during the Caps' practice Wednesday, which meant no one was to hit Ovechkin. It also meant Ovechkin had to refrain from having contact with his teammates -- which meant the chances of another cheap shot by the superstar had been greatly reduced.
• ROUND 2 -- Maybe you have one of those old Philadelphia 76ers jerseys with the No. 3 hanging in your closet. Who knew they'd be back in style?
Yes, Allen Iverson has returned to Philly, and, yes, he will wear his familiar No. 3 with the Sixers. See? Fashion is cyclical.
COMPILED BY STEVE CARP LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
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