No more phony props for this old rassler.

George "The Animal" Steele, 75, known for taking a bite out of turnbuckles during his Hall of Fame career, chewed the cover off a baseball — a real one — before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before a Rochester (N.Y.) Red Wings minor-league game.

"I had a pretty good idea that something was going to happen to that baseball," Nick Sciarratta, the Red Wings' director of corporate development, told Fox Sports. "We had these little softer balls that we toss into the crowd during the seventh-inning stretch. He took one look at it and said, 'No, I want a real ball.'

"It got a great reaction from the crowd."

Other X Games

The L.A. Coliseum, home to USC's football team, was used as the scene of a pornographic movie 10 years ago, it was recently revealed.

Red-faced school officials say they really shouldn't comment until they've had a chance to study the films.

Humper-to-humper traffic

Two camels escaped from a circus and disrupted traffic on a freeway near Caen, France, on Monday.

Coincidence? It came right after hump day at the French Open.

Uneasy on the ice

Actor Charlie Sheen was caught on tape berating a Staples Center security guard who refused him readmittance to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final after he stepped outside to take a cigarette break.

Times reader Bill Littlejohn's suggested video title: "Two and a Half Periods."

Men of the cloth

The last-place San Diego Padres wear camouflage uniforms during Sunday home games as well as on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.

Alas, the outfits probably won't help them win many games, but we like their chances of pulling off the hidden-ball trick.

Quote marks

• Comedian Argus Hamilton, on the first sign that replacement NFL referees might not be a good idea: "Three times, during yesterday's Denver Broncos scrimmage, Peyton Manning was whistled for traveling."

• Hall of Fame manager Tom Lasorda, via the Dodgers' Twitter feed, after suffering a mild heart attack Monday: "The doctors confirmed I do bleed Dodger Blue."

Pat excuse

Former Patriots wideout Troy Brown says he couldn't contact team owner Robert Kraft about Brown's selection for the team's Hall of Fame because his dog chewed up his phone.

Well, that's one way to jam a receiver.

Dwight Perry: 206-464-8250 or dperry@seattletimes.com