Most dubious moments of sports

Put down the needle. No need for flaxseed oil. In terms of sheer sports dubiousness, 2004 clearly creamed every year before it, as surely as Barry Bonds smashed the single-season home run record hepped up on nothing more than hard work and Flintstones vitamins.

Janet Jackson demonstrated the latest in body piercing. Jason Giambi dropped a few pounds. Ron Artest took some time off to promote his album. And O.J. Simpson finally relented in his one-man mission to catch the real killers, the better to unwind with some low-cost satellite television.

It was ridiculous. It was ignominious. It was, with eternal apologies to Esquire magazine, nothing short of dubious:

Surprise: I did it!

O.J. Simpson announced plans for “Juiced,” a hidden-camera prank show along the lines of MTV’s “Punk’d.”

Big deal. It’s not like he killed someone

DirecTV sued Simpson for pirating its broadcast signals.

Another Dan Rather setup

In a television interview, Simpson said he holds the news media responsible for persuading a majority of the public that he was guilty of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman.

However, he still watches “CSI”

Simpson also said he’s too busy raising his children to put much effort into catching the real killers.

Hey, greens fees aren’t cheap

After Simpson’s lawyer said he continues to receive new tips every week, Simpson added that he can’t afford to pursue them.

Well, that and two dead bodies

Said Simpson: “If there’s a negative legacy I have, it’s all of those damned court shows on TV.”

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