Gold Medalist Was Running Sting Operation

Reuters reports that Japan’s Naoko Takahasi, who won the women’s marathon at the Sydney Olympic Games, got a crucial extra buzz by drinking the stomach juice of--ugh!--giant, killer hornets.

She drank the unusual beverage before and during the race after Japanese scientists found it gave an astonishing boost to human performance.

The drink, being a product of nature, does not run afoul of Olympic regulations against performance-enhancing drugs.

What’s next? Don’t ask.

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Trivia time: Who holds the NFL record for most passes in a game without an interception?

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Just kidding? Mike Tyson says that his increasingly irrational public outbursts have been contrived for their entertainment-shock value.

“I mix truth with lies,” he said. “Some of it is a lot of fun.”

But what about the threat to eat Lennox Lewis’ children?

“You know, Lennox doesn’t have any kids,” Tyson said. “I knew that.”

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And away we go: Atlanta linebacker Jessie Tuggle, on the offense-oriented St. Louis Rams:

“They’re on a mission to break every NFL record. If they can put up 800 yards on you, they will. Right now, they’re larger than life.”

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Unusual strategy: Jerry Greene in the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel on the Rams’ 45-29 victory over Atlanta:

“Give the Falcons credit--letting [Tony] Horne score on the kickoff is one way to keep the Rams’ offense off the field.”

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Boo hoo: Arizona Cardinal Coach Vince Tobin, after the trading deadline passed without any action by his team: “I’m not sure anybody wants any of our guys.”

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Get used to it: Receiver Peter Warrick is learning how the other half lives. In his four seasons with Florida State, the team had a 45-4 record. In his first season with the Cincinnati Bengals, he’s 0-6.

“Losing is not in me, and I’m trying to keep it out of me,” he said.

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Calming effect: Bud Shaw in the Cleveland Plain Dealer: “A Subway Series would be good for New York. It would either cut the crime rate or at least localize it to whichever is playing host that night.”

He also suggests: “Loser cleans the subways.”

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Tough guy: With Washington Redskin center Cory Raymer and guard Tre’ Johnson sidelined, there has not been as much running room for Stephen Davis as there was last season, when he set a team record with 1,405 yards. His 167 carries lead the NFL, and he is taking a pounding. As Davis walked to his car at Redskins Park on Monday, he lamented that Monday is the worst day for a running back.

Sunday continues to be Davis’ best day, however, as he is second in the league with 688 yards.

Said Coach Norv Turner: “Stephen is finding out the reality of this league: Once you’ve had the kind of success he had a year ago, special attention is paid to you. . . . I’m really impressed with the way Stephen is handling it. It’s tough.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1988, the Dodgers lost Game 3 of the World Series to Oakland, 2-1. Even so, the Dodgers won the Series in five games.

It was in Game 1 of that series that Kirk Gibson hit his dramatic, two-run, game-winning homer with two out in the ninth inning.

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Trivia answer: Drew Bledsoe of the New England Patriots, 70, against Minnesota in an overtime game Nov. 13, 1994.

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And finally: Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley: “I don’t think my teams have ever been beaten because others have outworked us or were in better condition.

“They may have outshot, outplayed and out-coached us but not out-conditioned us.”