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Here are a few words I have recently overheard or “over read” (this is Volume XII for those of you scoring at home):

n “Just so they’re not accused of favoritism, the NFL should have made the Lions draft someone named Tremper with the No. 2 pick.”

Kenosha News sports writer Andrew Horschak’s text to me after the St. Louis Rams made Sam Bradford the top pick of the NFL Draft. For all the grief I get on the coverage of both schools, I should have thought of this one first. I wish I had.

n “Other candidates mentioned in the search included Southeastern Louisiana’s Roman Banks, Lamar’s Tic Price, Texas Southern (assistant) Nick Van Exel and Kevin Nickelberry, in his second season at Hampton.”

A story on Newsstar.com in Monroe, La., on the appointment of Bobby Washington as Grambling’s men’s basketball coach. Who knew Van Exel, a Kenosha native, was looking to become a head coach?

n “Speculation surfaced that Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon visited Iowa City on Saturday and was close to becoming a Hawkeye.”

Hawkeye Insider.com on the Bradford junior who is being inundated with football scholarship offers. The item in Saturday’s News detailing all of the offers Gordon had received showed that the Hawkeye Insider may have been jumping the gun a bit on the decision.

n “We have the best teachers of the game here, and (Fitzgerald) is the most passionate man I’ve ever played for. It’s 110 percent, 100 miles an hour every day.”

Northwestern linebacker Ben Johnson, a Shoreland graduate, on his coach, Pat Fitzgerald, in an April 22 Chicago Tribune article on the Wildcats’ spring practice.

n “I’m very excited for the return of Gino’s. Gino’s was my vehicle out of professional football. We ran it pretty successfully and then sold it to Marriott.”

Pro Football Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti on Philly2philly.com in a recent article trumpeting the return of Gino’s Burgers & Chicken in Pennsylvania. The ‘we’ Marchetti referred to included Kenosha football legend Alan Ameche, who was one of the founders of the successful chain.

n “The most ‘hood’ dude to ever come out of Kenosha, Wisconsin, ‘Nick the Quick’ spent three and a half years in Denver, and along with (Antonio) McDyess carried the franchise through the lean post-Mutombo, pre-Carmelo era. The year before Van Exel got there, the Nuggets went 11-71. The year after he left, they went 17-65. So does that mean he was the lefty version of Sam Cassell?”

Austin Burton of dimemag.com in ranking Van Exel No. 6 on his list of 10 favorite Denver Nuggets.

n “The Cubs get so lucky vs. the Brewers, it’s ridiculous.”

Text to me early in Friday’s game between the N.L. Central rivals.

Contact David Marran at dmarran@kenoshanews.com.