Rodman's father the original worm

THEY CALL former NBA star Dennis Rodman the "Worm." Which is what they could also call his estranged father whom — until Wednesday — he hadn't met in 42 years.

Rodman agreed to meet Philander Rodman Jr. after playing in an exhibition game in the Philippines, where his dad has lived for nearly 50 years.

Philander? Add an "er" after his name and you get an apt description of the man who reportedly has fathered 29 children by 16 mothers.

"It was great," the 71-year-old Rodman told the Associated Press on Thursday. "'I've been trying to meet him for years. And then [Wednesday] night, boom, I met him. I was really, really happy and very surprised."

Philander Rodman spent about 3 minutes with his son, who signed autographs while the two spoke.

Nice story, but we're guessing he won't be getting a Father's Day card next year.

Rory McIlroy's tee shot on the 15th hole bounced off the noggin of a 16-year-old boy and ended up out of bounds during the first round of the British Open on Thursday.

After being assured the youngster wasn't seriously injured, McIlroy quipped: "If he could have headed it the other way, it would have landed on the fairway."

This is right out of an episode of "CSI."

Light-heavyweight boxer Martin Tucker, of Toledo, was arrested Wednesday after the FBI used bloodied cotton swabs from one of his recent bouts to extract DNA and link him to a 2009 bank robbery.

Tucker was a suspect in the $5,400 heist, and the FBI obtained the swabs to see if they matched DNA samples taken at the scene of the crime.

Apparently, they did, and the 32-year-old Tucker is now being held without bail for his role in the robbery, which took place in Temperance, Mich.

Two years ago, Jets coach Rex Ryan weighed 348 pounds. In March of 2010 he had weight-loss surgery and now …

Ryan is a svelte 243. And, while he's lost weight, he still has a sense of humor.

"I feel good because I know l look better than I did," he said. "Which is not saying much."