Reliable sources tell us the exact terms and amounts would be announced if and when the deal is finalized, maybe sometime this week. The massive Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum has been without a corporate name since a 10-year deal with McAfee Inc. (previously known as Network Associates) ran out in 2007.

Verizon spokeswoman Heidi Flato said, "I'm afraid we are going to have to decline to comment for now."

Wendy's redux?: Back in April, Oakland police got a call from a rather upset person who had just come across a jar with a finger floating in it.

The caller said he found the jar in a parking lot on Fifth Street, just a couple of blocks from police headquarters.

The cops responded, and brought the finger over to the Alameda County coroner's office. After all, maybe it was a clue in a homicide.

No one, however, knew of a body that had shown up minus a finger.

So there the finger sat until an enterprising lab tech decided to check the fingerprint for a match in a crime database.

Lo and behold, not only did a print come back, it turned out that the match was a Santa Rita County Jail inmate currently doing time for possession of stolen property and drugs.

"So we went out and talked with the guy," said Alameda County sheriff's spokesman J.D. Nelson. "Sure enough, he was missing a finger."

Apparently, the guy had the finger surgically removed a while back, but just couldn't bear to part with it. After his last bust, he'd given it to his girlfriend for safekeeping. Alas, the two had a falling-out. In a fit, she'd tossed it into the lot.

"How's that for giving someone the finger," Nelson said.

Justice denied: San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, who ordered his office to stop representing clients prosecuted in Mayor Gavin Newsom's pet Community Justice Center because of a lack of funds, recently turned down an offer to have private lawyers do the work for free.

A San Francisco Superior Court judge last week ordered many of the cases to be handled by private defense lawyers, at a rate of $66 an hour for misdemeanors and $89 an hour for felonies.

It turns out, however, that some of those very same lawyers had earlier volunteered to fill the legal gap pro bono until the program's long-term funding could be sorted out.

"I don't really have a problem with attorneys giving their time for free, but I question the quality of representation," Adachi said, adding that it might lead to a "second-class system of justice."

Between the lines: San Francisco's brand-new Police Chief George Gascón has made it quite clear he's not applying for his dream job as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department - but that doesn't mean he won't be recruited for the post.

San Francisco's City Charter does not allow for a contract, so Gascon is basically working on a handshake. "There is no question, I was hoping for something a little more definite," Gascón said of his new job here, but added: "I applied understanding the process."

In any case, Gascón said, "I think it's very unlikely anyone (from L.A.) is going to reach out to me at this point."

A source close to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tells us, however, that the Cuban-born Gascón, who spent the bulk of his career in L.A., is certain to get a big look now that his mentor, Chief William Bratton, is stepping down.

We'll see.

Arriba: Mayor Gavin Newsom will be making a "working visit" to Mexico City later this month. The mayor's entourage will include Mario Diaz, regional VP of the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-chairman of the Mexican Museum; Maria Teresa Petersen, the founding executive director of Voto Latino; and Brandon Hernandez of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. City Treasurer Jose Cisneros and Supervisors John Avalos and David Campos have also been invited.

The group heads south on the 24th for a one-day, two-night series of meetings with Mexican officials, as well as visits to the city's bicycle program and its climate change center. The mayor will also make the obligatory photo op visit to the pyramids at Teotihuacan.

EXTRA! Catch our blog at www.sfgate.com/matierandross.

Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Phil can be seen on KPIX morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle