Things I’ve thought about while wondering how many more minutes, uh, weeks, Shawne Williams will be able to call himself an Indiana Pacer:

LAURA WILKINSON: It’s un-American to hope someone representing the United States in the upcoming Beijing Olympics fails, but Wilkinson recently brought out the red, fight and blue in a lot of us.

Appealing to attempt to represent the U.S. along with Jessica Livingston in 10-meter synchronized platform diving threw some scary moments into 15-year-old Elwood resident Mary Beth Dunnichay, who along with her partner, Haley Ishimatsu, had previously secured the spot.

Wilkinson, 30, lost her appeal, not to mention a portion of her reputation as a dignified ambassador of the sport.

Individually and collectively, the Dunnichays are too nice to publicly sling poison-tipped verbal arrows at Wilkinson. Not me. Even if Wilkinson takes home bronze in her specialty, the individual 10-meter platform, it will be a major bummer that she finished so high.

Nice try, Tex. Now go bring us home ninth place.

THE LUCAS OIL STADIUM TOUR FIASCO: Sure am glad Lucas Oil Stadium offered free tickets for the Aug. 16 tour of the new home of the Indianapolis Colts. Something like 37 seconds later a whole bunch of them were floating around eBay. SOLD ... to the highest bidder.

A shame we can’t find out the identity of the eBay scalpers and blacklist them from any Lucas Oil Stadium event for the next two years. Doesn’t sound like they’re true Colts fans anyway, so what’s the harm?

HAS JAMAAL LEFT YET?: Credit Larry Bird for drastically altering the look and character level of the Indiana Pacers with his draft day wheeling and dealing. But until the franchise works a trade for troubled point guard Jamaal Tinsley or cuts him altogether, the Pacers cannot move on to greener emotional pastures.

Hearing Bird speak publicly of Tinsley is like listening to someone describe a bad automobile they used to drive. The voice, completely void of any hint of enthusiasm, is a lesson in Deadpan 101.

Indiana won’t get much for Tinsley, if anything. Yet he’ll be gone, and that sure is something.

PEYTON’S KNEE TROUBLES: Question: Why was Peyton Manning’s knee treated in July when the Indianapolis Colts’ first sampling of the offseason came Jan. 14, one day after that ultra-inspiring 28-24 home playoff loss to San Diego?

Hope old Peyton wasn’t doing something that violated the small print in his contract and injured himself in the process. Not that anyone affiliated with the franchise would tell us anyway.

THE BORE DE FRANCE: Is anybody paying attention? In this country, I mean. The moment Lance Armstrong retired, the Tour de France could have had Hooters waitresses riding Big Wheels and it wouldn’t have made a difference.

As the greatest cyclist of the modern era, Armstrong brought attention, television ratings to a total yawner of an event.