Dan Shaughnessy’s random sports thoughts

Picked up pieces while waiting to find out if I’ve been fired by any radio station this week . . .

The photo of Dennis Rodman sitting with Kim Jong-un at a basketball exhibition in Pyongyang goes into the vault, alongside the photo of a zombie-esque Elvis Presley shaking hands with President Richard Nixon. Rodman’s “This Week” interview Sunday with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos was a stunning demonstration of the Worm’s stupidity.

The David Ortiz Achilles’ situation is especially alarming given that he sustained the injury rounding second base in front of a home run hit by Adrian Gonzalez. That’s like Tony Soprano straining his Achilles’ walking down the driveway to pick up the morning newspaper.

Red Sox brass must have loved it when Bobby Valentine ripped the BoSox last week. On the day that Mr. Wrap Inventor was named athletic director at Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Conn., Valentine was asked about the disaster of the 2012 Red Sox and said, “Connie Mack couldn’t have won with that team. I thought the things that went on were kind of silly most of the time, but I didn’t think it was that tough.’’

Did anybody ever storm the court at the old Worcester Auditorium when Holy Cross had Bob Cousy and an NCAA title back in 1947?

After a trio of judges ruled that “there is only one Evil Empire in baseball and it is the New York Yankees,’’ Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino — who was first to apply the term to the Yankees — told the Globe’s Stan Grossfeld, “I think it’s a dictionary definition of irony. It was not intended as a marketing theme for the Yankees to be sure. It was a sincere heartfelt feeling at the time. It’s very clever of them to embrace it at this point.’’

Speaking of Lucchino, Scott Boras called to deny that Lucchino ever called him a “liar” to his face. Boras also said that you are going to love Stephen Drew and Joel Hanrahan. “They will change the face of the Red Sox,’’ predicted the superagent.

Great story in our paper last week regarding Northeastern athletic director Peter Roby, who has just been appointed to the 10-person NCAA Tournament selection committee. Roby played basketball at Dartmouth, and perhaps more famously, was one of the Newton dads who played Sunday “old man basketball” games every week at Cabot Field in Newton about 15 years ago. He blocked my shot more than once. Then again, so did Jackie MacMullan.

Speaking of March Madness, once again it’s going to feel like a great party to which we aren’t invited. Go Harvard.

The Orioles get no respect. They won 93 games last year, but Vegas has them at 78.5 for 2013. The know-it-alls at Baseball Prospectus see 75 wins. If the O’s win again, they will be the rare team that truly can say, “Nobody thought we could do it.’’

No one loves the Sacramento Kings more than Dustin Pedroia.

Wonder if Derek Jeter will get any kind of ovation when the Yankees open at home on April Fool’s Day against the Red Sox?

Kayla Burton, daughter of WBZ-TV sports anchor Steve Burton, scored 22 points in Newton South’s shocking overtime first-round girls’ basketball tournament win against Newton North last Wednesday. It’s not very often you see a No. 17 seed beat a No. 1 seed. Newton South kept it going with a win over Durfee Friday night. South plays Franklin Tuesday night at Massasoit CC in a Division 1 South semifinal.

Congrats to the MassBay Community College men’s basketball team and coach Billy Raynor for winning the New England Regional and going to the national tournament for the third time in five years.

Fraud place-kicker Lauren Silberman did women no favors by “competing” in a New York/New Jersey regional scouting combine Sunday. She got coverage from all the local papers, but neither of her kickoffs went more than 20 yards. Apparently, for a $275 entry fee, anyone can try out in a regional combine.

Everything is for sale at JetBlue Park this spring. When an outfielder catchers a routine fly ball, fans are told that they just witnessed the (Fill In Corporate Partner Of Choice) “Catch of the Day.’’ It’s like an Orlando Magic game. Yahoo!

Reader Jordan Hershman notes that the oldest of the Bruins’ top seven scorers is 27.

Love hockey? Listen to Danny Picard weekdays on 1510 at 9 a.m. Picard is the Dustin Pedroia of young local radio guys. If you had 25 of him, you’d win every game.

Tony Conigliaro was 19 when he made the Red Sox team out of spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz., in 1964. In 1975, Sox manager Darrell Johnson was not sure Fred Lynn was an everyday player when the team broke camp in Winter Haven. Now we have Jackie Bradley Jr. lighting up the Grapefruit League, threatening to make the Boston balllclub less boring in 2013.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but how great would it be to have a Bruins-Canucks Stanley Cup Final again? I know many want an Original Six matchup of Bruins vs. Blackhawks, but Vancouver would be more fun.

Don’t try to call me during World Baseball Classic games. I’m glued to the MLB Network. Isn’t everybody?

Nobody beats the Heat. And it might be time to stop hating on Le­Bron.

Rick Telander’s “Like a Rose: Life Lessons from a training camp with Hank Stram and the Kansas City Chiefs” — has been reissued in the wake of an NFL Films presentation on the work in 2012. Find it.

Given their recent dominance in the sport, it’s amazing to realize that the Dominican Republic has produced only one Hall of Famer: Juan Marichal.