Probably not the exit he had hoped for

So it's hard to feel any sympathy for the streaker who came a cropper as he attempted to show off his wares at an ice hockey game between Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins.

The man successfully negotiated the glass barrier but as he stepped onto the ice, his footwear unsurprisingly failed him and he fell on his back, knocking himself out in the process.

He left the arena to a standing ovation but not in the manner he probably anticipated: the offending red socks poking out from under a strategically placed blanket as he lay on a stretcher.

Signature celebration

Continuing the sock theme, San Francisco 49ers' receiver Terrell Owens found himself in hot water for his latest outlandish touchdown celebration.

When Owens scored in the 49ers' 28-21 victory over Seattle, he pulled a pen from his sock to autograph the ball before handing it to his financial advisor in the front row.

The move infuriated the Seahawks who accused him of being disrespectful, but Owens was unrepentant.

"At this point, I'm still baffled by where the disrespect comes in," Owens said.

"It wasn't like I made a gesture towards anybody or the team or anything. I just signed the ball and gave it to a friend."

Ball battle

The saga over the ownership of a baseball valued at US$1m finally looks to be reaching a conclusion.

Rival fans Patrick Hayashi and Alex Popov both claim they caught the homerun ball - the record 73rd hit by Barry Bonds last season.

Bonds has urged both parties to settle amicably

After a year of legal battles, a judge has dispatched the pair to another courtroom in the hope that they can settle the matter amicably.

"I'm delighted and hopeful," Popov's attorney said after the mediation session.

The acrimonious battle began last October, after Bonds hammered the history-making homer into a horde of fans in Pacific Bell Park.

After the melee subsided, a grinning Hayashi stood gripping the ball.

But Popov contends that Hayashi and other fans attacked him and that the ball was snatched from his glove by force.

The ball has since been kept in a safe deposit box, with a judge safeguarding the key pending the outcome of any civil trial or mediation.