This Manifesto Takes Aim at His Old Coach

Normally, when a player leads his team to a victory over a team that traded him, he’ll say something such as, “No, I wasn’t thinking of revenge. I’ve got a lot of friends over there. I’m just glad we won.”

Not Miroslav Frycer of the Detroit Red Wings. After scoring 2 goals in a victory over Toronto last week, he said he hoped it would get his old coach, John Brophy, fired.

“He deserves it, and if I help make it happen, good,” Frycer said. “I left Toronto because I hate Brophy.

“Toronto is a great city and the people deserve a better coach behind the bench. He’s the worst human being I ever met, including in Czechoslovakia, where I met a lot of Communists. At least, they were pleasant.”

What did Brophy think of that?

“I’m sick and tired of that communist,” he said.

A banner spotted at Boston Garden during the farewell ceremony for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Friday night: “21,760 Uncalled Walks.”

Add Kareem: As a 13-year-old eighth-grader at St. Jude’s in Manhattan, N.Y., he already was 6 feet 8 inches tall. According to the Baltimore Sun, a reporter from the defunct World Telegram & Sun was assigned to interview him about his plans.

“I want an engineering degree,” he said. “Yes, I’ve thought about pro ball. Everybody does. But I know I can’t play basketball forever.”

The first question Steve Sax asked of Dave Winfield after the veteran outfielder welcomed the ex-Dodger to the New York Yankees was, “Where should I get a place?”

“Jersey,” Winfield said. “The taxes are better.”

Trivia Time: Tim Kurkjian of the Baltimore Sun asks this one: “Who is the only player to lead his league in home runs for three different teams?” (Answer below.)

Jimmy Johnson thinks Miami should be voted No. 1 if West Virginia beats Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 2 because of the softness of the Mountaineer schedule and the fact that his Hurricanes currently are No. 2, but Mountaineer Coach Don Nehlen says, “Our football team went through that schedule and never was tested. We’re No. 3 and we’re playing the team Miami lost to and if we beat that team, I love Jimmy but he’s full of it.”

If you’re wondering what kind of a baseball announcer Brent Musburger will be for CBS, at least he should know the rules. In 1959, he was an umpire in the Midwest League.

From Leigh Montville of the Boston Globe: “Dan Marino is back again, advertising those damn gloves. Man from Miami advertising gloves. Going to give them to an offensive line that couldn’t hold back a breeze. There ought to be a law. The Dan Marino Gloves Law. Ought to be. Man can’t talk to us about gloves. Just can’t. Don’t know nothing about gloves. Don’t.”

5 Years Ago Today: On Dec. 18, 1983, Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scored his 100th point of the season in a 7-5 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. It was the Oilers’ 34th game of the season.

This season, for the Kings, Gretzky has 75 points in 34 games. Mario Lemieux leads with 82 points in 32 games.

Trivia Answer: Reggie Jackson (Oakland A’s, New York Yankees, Angels).

Quotebook

Boomer Esiason, outspoken Cincinnati quarterback, on a contract that doesn’t allow him to write a book or have a radio or TV show: “I’m allowed to ski. You see, they’re more afraid of me hurting myself with my mouth.”