Animal Lovers Up in Arms Over the Octopus Toss

The tradition of throwing dead octopuses onto the ice in Detroit during the Stanley Cup playoffs is alarming to animal-rights activists.

“What’s next, throwing dead kittens and dead puppies on the ice just for laughs?” asked Michael McGraw, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) based in Rockville, Md.

Said Kevin Dean, a fish market owner, “All octopuses are deceased before they come into our store.”

He also asks customers to throw their purchases only after a Red Wing goal--and only after the octopuses have been boiled in lemon juice and wine so they don’t leave inky spots on the ice.

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Trivia time: Why do Detroit Red Wing fans throw octopuses, anyway?

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Binocular perch: The upper deck at new Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox, offers such distant viewing that Chicagoans refer to it as Mount Shafted.

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Look-alikes: Eddie Sefko in the Houston Chronicle: “By the by, the hot item in Chicago these days is a cream-colored T-shirt that has Rodman-like tattoos all over it so people can look like Rodman without the needling.”

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The Bull run: There are still some statistical challenges remaining for the Chicago Bulls as they prepare for the NBA playoffs, such as:

--To become the first team to go through the playoffs without a loss.

--To break the Laker record of 11 consecutive playoff victories in 1989.

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Clip and save: Controversial wide receiver Andre Rison on the Cleveland Browns’ move to Baltimore: “Tell Baltimore to watch out, ‘Dre’s on the way and the NFL is going to have hell to pay against the Ravens.”

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He’s b-a-a-a-ck: Now that Charles Barkley has been added to the U.S. Olympic team roster, let’s recall some of his off-the-wall commentary as a member of the Dream Team in 1992:

--On the team’s goal against Panama: “To get the Canal back.”

--On Brazilian star Oscar Schmidt: “Isn’t he that guy with Felix Unger?”

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Looking back: On this day in 1986, Michael Jordan of the Bulls scored a playoff-record 63 points in a 135-131 double-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.

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Trivia answer: In the old days of the NHL, a team had to win eight playoff games to earn the Stanley Cup. An octopus has eight tentacles, so . . .

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Quotebook: Seattle Mariner pitcher Sterling Hitchcock, on life with the New York Yankees: “You’re not able to relax there. You sit in your apartment the day of the game and say, ‘I’m paying two grand for this [apartment] and it [stinks].’ Then, you drive to the park and give up four bucks just to cross the bridge.”