DULY NOTED

Saturday, Aug. 26, 2006 | 7:29 a.m.

BACK TO OLD SCHOOL

There's no truth to the rumor that the Gladiators will adopt the single wing and wear leather helmets now that 72-year-old Sam Jankovich has been named general manager of our indoor football team.

Haven't you heard of Joe Paterno? George Foreman? Gordie Howe? Roger Clemens? Heck, Nolan Ryan was 44 when he threw the last of his seven no-hitters. And it was just in July that 94-year-old Negro Baseball legend Buck O'Neill drew a walk in a minor league game.

Granted, it was intentional. But ol' Buck ran part of the way down to first base, which is more than Barry Bonds does - and he's only 42.

Other examples of sports people who were productive way beyond their primes:

FROHLICH'S FEVER BREAKS

Although her Indiana Fever team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, former UNLV star Linda Frohlich made a successful return to the WNBA.

Frohlich, who played overseas in Russia for Spartak Moscow last year, earned a spot on the Indiana roster during training camp and appeared in 20 of 34 games during the regular season, averaging 3.3 points and two rebounds.

She did not get off coach Brian Winters' (remember him?) bench during the playoff loss to the Detroit Shock.

Frohlich's only complaint about playing ball in Indianapolis is having a bad-hair day.

"What I liked about Las Vegas is that you could do things 24/7," she said. "Now, on Sundays, I can't get my hair done because everything is closed at 6 o'clock."

Number of points scored by Linda Frohlich in a victory over the Phoenix Mercury, her WNBA career high

Total number of Mountain West Conference football games to be carried by "broadcast partner" College Sports TV this fall

Number of MWC games on CSTV not featuring BYU (Air Force at TCU, Dec. 2)

STUCK IN SECOND

The Maloof brothers of Palms hotel/Sacramento Kings fame own a racehorse that can relate to Jim Kelly on Super Bowl Sunday.

It keeps finishing second.

The 5-year-old colt, named King Palm after the brothers' primary business interests, has finished second in nine consecutive races against top-level thoroughbreds on Southern California's major racing circuit. According to trainers, that's even harder to do than winning nine races in a row.

"We blamed the jockeys, bad starts, you name it," Joe Maloof told the Sacramento Bee. "It's just crazy. He's beating 99 percent of his competition."

The desire to see King Palm beat 100 percent of his competition has produced talk of castration. Geldings, according to trainers, are more focused on racing than stallions.

Joe Maloof, like his brothers, a confirmed bachelor, says no way.

"We love King Palm. We can't do that to him," he told the Bee. "I sure wouldn't want it done to me."

"Greg Maddux is so good, we all should be wearing tuxedos when he pitches."

Phil Favia, Montreal Expos scout

NO. 8 HAS A BALL

Anybody who thought you'd have to hold a gun to Kobe Bryant's head to get him to spend part of his day in Las Vegas instructing Durango's summer league basketball players on the finer points of defense (?!) was well, dead wrong.

The Laker star was more animated than a Saturday morning cartoon during the Tuesday clinic arranged by his shoe sponsor Nike. He seemed to enjoy interacting with the kids, their coaches and even the media.

"You know what? I'm excited because it's like a new day," an effusive Bryant said. "I really take it one day at a time and enjoy every moment. When you do that, you just wind up having a blast.

"Life is too short to be worrying about petty stuff or whatever. Just enjoy each day as it comes."