When HBO announcer Larry Merchant referred to Oscar De La Hoya as “the J-Lo of boxing” before Saturday night’s bout with “Sugar” Shane Mosley, you knew the former super welterweight champion was in for a long night.

Other than being compared to a female pop singer, De La Hoya received a gash near his right eye from an unintentional head butt, displayed one of the greatest delirious boxing faces after receiving a hook to the head in the first round, then lost a controversial decision in front of a sold-out MGM Grand crowd.

Mosley, the beneficiary of Oscar’s misfortunes, was the most surprised by the judges’ decision, his draw dropping as his trainers paraded him around the ring.

Just minutes before, Mosley was desperately swinging for a Round 12 knockout, a telling sign that his corner felt he was behind in points at the time. All three judges scored the fight 115-113 for Mosley…

Does Debby Colberg’s women’s volleyball program ever have a bad year? The Hornets, coming off a Panther Invitational championship in Milwaukee, Wis., have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons but have yet to advance past the second round.

Colberg’s success on the volleyball court can be related to Eddie Murphy’s film career — plenty of good movies (“Beverly Hills Cop,” “Coming to America,” “The Nutty Professor”), but he never broke through with the big one…

Why did NBC Sports sign a contract worth $45 million over five years to broadcast Notre Dame football?

The Irish lost 38-0 to rival Michigan last weekend, marking another poignant moment in Notre Dame’s descent from football’s most historic program to a national embarrassment.

Where’s an undersized walk-on linebacker named Rudy when you need one?

The win solidifies the Wolverines as one of college football’s elite teams, along with Miami and Oklahoma.

So, who is the nation’s best team? Miami.

Why? Frank Gore, the nation’s best all-around running back. He would have started over Willis McGahee last year had it not been for a knee injury.

How does Sac State tie into this argument, you ask. They don’t, but it’s fun to mention them with the likes of Miami and Michigan…

Might “Playmakers” be the best sports drama ever?

It could be, except for the fact that I can’t take actor Omar Gooding seriously playing the role of D.H. Harris, the Cougars’ starting running back. Ten years ago as a teenage host on Nickelodeon’s “Wild & Crazy Kids,” he was sliding down a hill of gak with dozens of kids stampeding behind him.

Two weeks ago he is lying in a hotel bed with two half-naked women and several lines of cocaine on top of the dresser. Not to mention showing his bare ass the very next week.

Going from gak to bare ass is too much of a transition for me. He needed either a romantic comedy or a few soap opera cameos in between…

Agree with the original ‘Zito or just want to hang out and watch “Rudy” sometime, e-mail Nicholas Lozito at [email protected].