In His Book, There Is No Room for Class

Academics are getting in the way of Notre Dame success on the football field, claims Paul Hornung, who won the Heisman Trophy there in 1956 while playing for a losing team.

“The standards have always been tough. But lately, it seems, that it’s been a little tougher,” he said. “It’s very tough to play a schedule like we play and hope that all these great kids are going to want to come to Notre Dame. You get good football players, but you don’t get the kid that can win a game by himself. We’ve lacked that. We haven’t had a killer.

“It’s tough to get these kids in school and yet they want Notre Dame to win every game.”

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Trivia time: Who was the first American to win a modern Formula One race?

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Oops: When a reporter at the British Open asked Lee Westwood how important it was to have a British winner “given we haven’t had one for a long time,” Westwood replied, “Apart from last year?”

You do remember Paul Lawrie, don’t you?

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Can you spin it? Spain’s Valderrama Golf Club picked up a rare feather-filled golf ball for $42,600 at an auction by Christie’s.

The “feathery” was made in 1830 and stamped W. Robinson. An inscription in ink read: “St. Andrews, 30, Made by Lang Willie.” Leather-cased “feathery” balls were used between the 1600s and early 1850s.

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Full payment: For winning the women’s marathon in the 1999 world track and field championships, North Korea’s Yong Song-Ok was given a luxury house and a deluxe car by her government. Yong’s response:

“I ran all the way, picturing our great leader Kim Jong II in my mind. This was great encouragement to me and a source of my strength.”

Wonder how much inspiration President Clinton offers.

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Laker value: Winning does have its perks. Phil Jackson’s speaking fee has climbed to $75,000 since coaching the Lakers to the NBA championship. His fee had been $50,000 for each appearance.

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Hello Fidel: The Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., is the goal for most youth teams. Not so for the Garberville, Calif., Lost Coast Pirates.

They are headed to Cuba, where they will play three games next week as part of a trip arranged by the international aid organization Pastors for Peace.

The 11 team members have been holding bake sales, car washes and raffles during the last three months to raise the $25,000 needed for the trip.

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Precision: No wonder Maurice Greene is the fastest man at 100 meters. He says he has broken the race down to 45 strides. If he has 46, he knows he may be beaten.

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Doubleheader: Two of the most difficult feats in sports are making a hole-in-one in golf and rolling a 300 game in bowling.

David Howard of Brookings, S.D., did both in the space of 26 hours.

He made a hole-in-one Monday. The next night he was telling his pals about the ace during league bowling while he was rolling a 300 game.

“I’m definitely going to go buy some Powerball tickets,” said Howard, a tool company supervisor.

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Trivia answer: Phil Hill, driving a Ferrari in the 1960 Italian Grand Prix.

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And finally: Scoring goals for England in international soccer play was nothing for former Arsenal striker Ian Wright compared with receiving a medal from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

“It’s the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever had to do,” Wright, dressed in top coat and tails, said after receiving his Member of the Order of the British Empire.