Don’t Sell Him Short, Sports Are a Daley Routine

Daley Thompson, two-time Olympic decathlon champion from Britain, was asked by Track & Field News if he still would have pursued a track and field career if he had grown up in the United States.

Thompson: I hope so, but I doubt it. I would probably have been right up there with Jim Brown and all them boys, playing football.

T&F; News: How about baseball?

Thompson: Well, you know, they do seem to get, as we say in England, “a lot of money for old rope.” Which means they get paid awfully well for doing very little.

T&F; News: You’re too short for basketball, of course.

Thompson: Tell Spud Webb that.

Wait a Minute: Said Raider Coach Tom Flores, speculating on Bo Jackson playing both baseball and football: “We know that no one has ever done it, but we feel he could be the first to play both.”

A number of athletes have done it, including Hall of Fame football players Jim Thorpe, Ernie Nevers and Ace Parker, although they didn’t distinguish themselves in baseball.

Nevers’ claim to fame was giving up two of Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs in 1927 as a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns.

Trivia Time: There are 12 managers in the major leagues younger than Pete Rose. How many can you name? (Answer below.)

A letter to the Sporting News from Joe Naiman of San Diego: “It was a classic trade: Dick Williams to Seattle for an owner to be named later!

“Jack McKeon can still keep up with Oliver North.”

Add Sporting News: Writes Peter Pascarelli: “The best line of the early season came from Atlanta Braves broadcaster Ernie Johnson. After Dion James’ fly ball hit a bird in Shea Stadium, Johnson said, ‘Every statue in New York is smiling right now.’ ”

Ouch: When Miami and Orlando were vying for an NBA franchise, Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel wrote: “Visiting NBA teams will discover that Miami fans are great collectors of NBA souvenirs. The most popular items should include official NBA hubcaps and official NBA wallets.”

From Bill Lyon of the Philadelphia Inquirer: “The advantage of being a celebrity is that when you bore people they feel it’s their fault.”

Idle Thought: Wonder what would have happened if the New Orleans-Utah Jazz hadn’t traded their top draft choice in 1979 to the Lakers for Gail Goodrich and their top choice in 1982 to Atlanta for John Drew, Freeman Williams and cash?

The choices were Magic Johnson and Dominique Wilkins.

Wrote Frank Dolson of the Philadelphia Inquirer before the season, praising the acquisition of pitcher Joe Cowley: “Just having Cowley and his bubbling personality around the Vet should add to the fun of the 1987 Phillies season.”

Can you can laugh at a 13.91 ERA?

Trivia Answer: Tom Kelly, Minnesota, 36; Bobby Valentine, Texas, 37; Tom Trebelhorn, Milwaukee, 39; Larry Bowa, San Diego, 41; Tony LaRussa, Oakland, 42; Jim Leyland, Pittsburgh, 42; Lou Piniella, New York Yankees, 43; Jimy Williams, Toronto, 43; Hal Lanier, Houston, 44; John Felske, Philadelphia, 44; Dave Johnson, New York Mets, 44; Jim Fregosi, Chicago White Sox, 45. Rose is 46.

Quotebook

Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom: “I don’t doubt there are kids who respond to Bob Knight. So what? Kids will also respond to electric shock.”