In my line of work, you have to pay attention to a good quote. When I'm conducting an interview, a bell goes off in my head when I've heard that golden quote that will literally lift a story to the next level. They don't come around all that often.

This evening I came across a book that I've had in a corner of the bookshelf that I've enjoyed from time to time. It's called ``If you don't have anything nice to say . . . .come sit next to me.'' It's a collection of some of the funniest, most wicked things famous people have had to say to and about each other.

Here are a few that I especially liked:

Blake Edwards on his then-wife Julie Andrews: ``Before I'd met Julie, some people were conjecturing about her success. I said, `I can tell you what it is. She has lilacs for pubic hair.''

Christopher Plummer on Julie Andrews: ``Working with her is like getting hit over the head with a Valentine's card.''

Dick Cavett, on Woody Allen: ``Woody is at two with nature.''

Bianca Jagger, to Warren Beatty: ``So we had an affair. You must be pretty bad – I don't even remember you.''

George Raft, in turning down the chance to star in the movie `Casablanca:' ``I don't want to star opposite an unknown Swedish broad.''

Madeline Kahn: ``Mel Brooks is sensual with me. He treats me like an uncle. A dirty uncle.''

Gena Rowlands, on her husband, director John Cassavetes: ``As an artist, I love him. As a husband, I hate him.''

George Burns, on Carol Channing: ``She never just enters a room. Even when she comes out of the bathroom, her husband applauds.''

Johnny Carson: ``I said I didn't think Chevy Chase could ad-lib a fart after a baked bean dinner.''

Also from Johnny Carson: ``If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and the impersonators would be dead.''

Howard Rosenberg: ``If I had a hammer, I'd use it on Peter, Paul and Mary.''

Mark Twain: ``Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself.''

Marlon Brando, on Montgomery Clift: ``(It's) like he's got a Mixmaster up his ass and doesn't want anyone to know it.''

Bette Davis, on Joan Crawford: ``Christ, you never know what size boobs that broad has strapped on! She must have a different set for each day of the week! She's supposed to be shriveling away, but her tits keep growing. I keep running into them like the Hollywood Hills.''

Jessica Tandy, on husband Hume Cronyn: ``When he's late for dinner I know he's either having an affair or is lying dead in the street. I always hope it's the street.''

Rex Reed on Marlene Dietrich: ``The more she talks, the more you begin to respect Garbo.''

Leslie Halliwell, on director Blake Edwards: ``A man of many talents, all of them minor.''

Dustin Hoffman: ``Charlton Heston wears a hairpiece. His character in A Man For All Seasons was bald. Instead of doing without his hairpiece, he put a bald pate OVER it.''

Fred MacMurray: ``I once asked Barbara Stanwyck the secret of acting. She said, `Just be truthful – and if you can fake that, you've got it made.' ''

Rex Harrison: ``Lana Turner is to an evening gown what Frank Lloyd Wright is to a pile of lumber.''

Mel Brooks: ``One day God said: `Let there be prey,' and he created pigeons, rabbits, lambs and Gene Wilder.''

Paul Newman, on his wife, Joanne Woodward: ``I have a steak at home, why would I go out for a hamburger?''

More soon.

Here's an opportunity that, thankfully, doesn't come along every day.

Yesterday I was sent off to cover a women's college basketball game. The visiting team rolled into the little outpost of intellectual stimulation we call Pullman, Washington, ranked 18th in the nation. As far as I know, they left still ranked 18th. They weren't the opportunity.

No, that would be reserved for the home team. The poor Cougars of Washington State. It was their 36th consecutive loss. The last time this team won a women's basketball game was November 29, 2001.

Now, there are difficult things to do in the newspaper business. Meet ridiculous deadlines. Interview nasty people.

But there is nothing so self-conscious as talking to someone in the middle of a lingering death that will likely continue on for some time -- at least until the next team rolls into town.

I mean, how do you ask questions in this situation? Uh, say coach? How does this can of whupass compare to the 35 cans of whupass that were opened up on you before this one?

To be fair, there is a new coach at the helm, and the Cougs are definitely headed in the right direction. The coach is positive with her players and is building a program where previously there was only wreckage. Still, in that situation every question you ask has that ``Aside from that, how did you like the play, Mrs. Lincoln?'' feel to it.

The Arizona coach passed out a compliment. She told her WSU counterpart that her team looks much better on tape than their record would indicate.

Jeez. The final insult. They've been saying that in Hollywood now for years.

More soon.

I rise. I applaud. I cheer enthusiastically.

Why?

Because Sports Night lives on.

I loved Sports Night. I thought it was the best-written, best paced half-hour on television. It still is, if you stay up late and catch the once-in-a-while reruns on Comedy Central. If it weren't for the fact that I think The West Wing is the best hour of television, I'd never forgive it for causing the death of Sports Night.

I cheer now because the Ghost of Sports Night has taken up residence on other prime time television programs. Never mind that Janelle Maloney has been on West Wing from the beginning (she played the asssitant dresser in a very good episode of SN). Jeremy is now a regular on WW as Will Bailey. Last night Natalie took up residence on Ed as a lawyer. I guess there's life after being an associate producer for a sports news program after all.

Dana made an appearance on West Wing a few seasons ago as a high-powered something-or-other. I guess she survived that episode with her brother and steriods. And Sam moved from being a high-powered consultant at CSC to selling door-to-door. Well, I guess we all can't land on our feet.

We know that Casey went into the family funeral business after Sports Night got the axe -- threw itself on the axe to be accurate.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Dan. He's the only one who has yet to land on his feet, it would seem. I know he will. He just has all that baggage of his brother to sort through with that shrink who now works with the cops on John Doe -- the one who used to work at Chicago Hope.

Good thing I got that Sports Night boxed set for Christmas.

More soon.

I'm back.

Over the holidays I took a step back, and of course, when you create a space, something always comes along to fill it. In this case, it was Associated Press and a series of assignments to go along with an increasing number of regular projects destined for print.

But more than that, I found myself feeling more and more cynical. It's hard to escape cynicism these days. Just read the headlines. Listen to CNN for five minutes.

For that matter, watch the sports report. The hometown Cougars of Washington State were blindsided two weeks before the Rose Bowl and wound up sleepwalking through their date with Oklahoma. It's tough to play when the coach pops his parachute before the plane ever leaves the ground.

So I've been in a funk lately, with the only thing left to pry my mood out of the mud has been plenty of Division I college basketball.

Now, I'll share a little secret with you. When you cover sports for a living, it tends to lose its escapist capabilities. When you work at something else, you can home, pop the top on a cold beer, grab the bag of chips and watch the game. It has restorative properties.

I mean, if you're an accountant, do you come home and balance the checkbook to relax? No.

In my case, though, I get a chance to see beyond the game and find some interesting angles that you wouldn't normally see.

Over the holidays I worked on a story about a local wrestling team that has six sets of brothers competing. Two more wrestlers have a sister working as team manager. Interestingly enough, all six of the sets of brothers are sons of former wrestlers.

Personally, I never got into wrestling. Having someone suck my face into their stinky armpit and turn my torso into a gigantic pretzel isn't my idea of fun. But as a competition, it's exciting and primal all at the same time. The sport dates back thousands of years B.C., and Olympic champions have been recorded as far back as 708 B.C.

What I found restorative in writing this story is the link these brothers all have in common. They had fathers who were intensely interested in what they do. They show up at all their matches, they talk about what worked and what didn't afterward, and they take a hands-on approach to parenting.

From what I can see, these kids benefit greatly from that kind of attention. Fathers and sons need that physical bonding time together to be healthy and happy and well-adjusted as adults. From what I could see, these kids have a big leg up on the rest of their lives.

Finally. Something to not be cynical about.

More soon.