I've always been attracted to engineering oddities. You know, things that get the job done in a different way than most. And I'm especially partial to out-of- the-ordinary engines. So it just seems natural that sooner or later I'd own a car with a rotary engine. And I do: a Mazda Cosmo Sport. "A what?" you say.

The two-seat Cosmo is a '60s-era small sports car powered by a 110-hp, two-rotor Wankel engine. The rotary was the brainchild of Felix Wankel, a self-taught German tinkerer who never went to college. He made the first rotary prototype in the late '50s for NSU, a German motorcycle and car manufacturer eventually bought out by Volkswagen. For a while in the '60s, it looked to some like the rotary would be the engine: light, small and only a handful of parts. Several carmakers paid Wankel for the rights to use the rotary.

Hip-Hop Rumors: Joel Ortiz Off Aftermath? Is Bow Wow Crazy? Amy ...

Wow Bow doesn't have to do this. He doesn't. He can still make his name Bow Wow again. The rumor is that he got pissed off at Chris Brown and spit on his R&B counterpart. That's word to Omarion! Anyway apparently at a show in Dallas, Wow Bow ended his set off and accused Brown of messing up his set. How? I'm not sure how. Chris Brown is the headliner of the show, but I don't know what he did. Anyway, Wow Bow had to be restrained and out came the spit. I know this is only a rumor, but I have to ask: IS WOW BOW CRAZY?

OK, I know one doesn't have anything to do with the other, but I thought I would say this anyway.

Celtics' supporting cast just might be good enough

The shot, of course, was up and good.

But what happened?

Just a sturdy weak-side down-screen set by Thomas that immobilized both Duncan and Durant's defender. There was no switch, no help, no nothing.

Another timeout and the Spurs had a plan to tie the game. But what they wound up with was Ginobili executing one of his right-to-left crossovers before flipping a pass to a cutting Fabricio Oberto — who caught the ball on the move and flung up a flipper that missed by a mile.

Fabricio freaking Oberto takes the most important shot of the game?

Wow!

Who are these imposters that look like Spurs, but play like brain-locked stumble-bums?

Vox populi

In a recent column you mentioned Billy Ray Bates. I remember when he dominated the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

VW's Sales Target: Bold or Bull?

I'm not as down on the Routan name for the Volkswagen van as Welch is. Volkswagen has a history of naming problems…God knows…but this isn't the most egregious example. I nominate the Touareg for that designation. Although, the Bora, which is the European Jetta, comes close.

Volkswagen has proven in the past to be almost obtuse about some things concerning its brand, product selection, sales goals, quality, service, etc. At times, you see examples of decisions where a poll of 20 seasoned executives might say it should go one way, but one at VW's top says it goes another way, so he wins.

Mazda's Speed Demon

The Mazdaspeed3 is a hot little skateboard of a car that's rapidly becoming a cult model among young driving enthusiasts. Nearly 80% of buyers are male and their average age is only 35, youngest in the segment, according to J.D. Power's (MHP) Power Information Network (PIN). There's a reason for that: Dollar for dollar, this may be the hottest low-priced compact on the road.

If you're looking for a tamer vehicle, stick with the regular Mazda3, the popular model the Speed3 is based on. The Speed3, however, only comes with a six-speed manual transmission and there's only one choice of engine: a turbocharged version of the 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine that comes standard in the Mazda3. The turbocharger raises the engine's output to 263 hp and 280 pound-feet of torque, up from 156 hp and 150 lb.-ft.