
For The Record
CROSSED The English Channel, Austrian daredevil Felix
Baumgartner, flying with carbon fiber wings and a parachute
strapped to his back. Last Friday morning the 34-year-old from
Salzburg jumped out of a plane over Dover, England, at 30,000
feet and traveled 22 miles in 14 minutes before his
parachute-landing in Calais, France. Baumgartner, an elite
B.A.S.E jumper who designed his six-foot, 26-pound wings, plans
to double his distance within a year and to increase the
challenge by adding aerobatics, such as barrel roles and loops.
"In 10 years someone will land without a parachute," he
predicted.
PREFERRED The face of David Beckham on their paper money, by 37%
of Britons. English currency features portraits of historical
figures such as composer Edward Elgar and scientist Charles
Darwin, who recently replaced Charles Dickens on the £10 note. In
a poll by the English financial company Virgin Money, Beckham was
the most popular choice, beating out Winston Churchill (29%),
Princess Diana (21%) and William Shakespeare (13%).
SUGGESTED By Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, that the Vikings "should
shoot [Minnesota rookie Rushen Jones] in the head." Vermeil made
his recommendation after a scrimmage in which Jones, a
cornerback, drilled Kansas City receiver Dameane Douglas,
spraining the medial collateral ligament in Douglas's left knee.
"I wasn't trying to hurt him," said Jones, who said he was sorry
about what appeared to be a clean but aggressive hit. "You
wouldn't think a coach would say something like that about a
player."
REVEALED That former German national team striker Jurgen
Klinsmann has been using the alias Jay Goppingen, while playing
with the Orange County (Calif.) Blue Stars of the Premier
Development League. Klinsmann, 39, who led Germany to the World
Cup title in 1990, started playing for the Blue Stars shortly
after he retired to California in '98. Though his identity had
been known around the league, Klinsmann only fessed up to the
public last week. "Playing with [the Blue Stars] keeps me young,"
said Klinsmann, who has scored five goals in eight games this
season. "I took the false name as I didn't want a big fuss to be
made."
UNVEILED The Florida Gators' 2003 football media guide. Alas, the
book's front cover features a photograph of a crocodile--despite
the pronounced differences in the appearance of the two reptiles.
(American crocodiles are lighter in color and have narrower
snouts.) "Trust me, everyone in our office knows the difference
between a crocodile and an alligator now," said Florida
spokesperson Mary Howard. The snafu comes after a season in which
Florida was 8-5, its worst record in 14 years. When the daily
paper Florida Today asked readers for comments on the mistake,
one responded: "I think the picture is perfect. After all, the
Gators are a croc."
INDUCTED Into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in Quantico,
Va., former major leaguers Roberto Clemente and Tom Seaver and
former pro golfer Patty Berg. The ceremony was attended by the
late Clemente's wife, Vera, his son Luis, and the 85-year-old
Berg, who says she's in so many halls of fame that she "couldn't
count them. This one is special, though." Berg, who cofounded the
LPGA, served as a Stateside procurement officer from 1943-45.
Seaver was on active duty as a batteryman in 1962 and '63, and
Clemente was a rifleman in the reserves for six years.
COLOR PHOTO: PAUL WHITE/AP (BECKHAM) Pounding Beckham
COLOR PHOTO: HELMUT TUCEK-SPORTS AND NEWS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (BAUMGARTNER) Baumgartner
COLOR PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA/AP (MEDIA GUIDE)