He Says Marge Is Still Barking Up Wrong Tree

Cincinnati Red owner Marge Schott recently said whimsically, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all dogs?”

This is the same Schott who said she felt “cheated” that a game at Riverfront Stadium was being postponed after umpire John McSherry’s death.

Comment from Peter Gammons of the Boston Globe: “My dog is insulted by the thought of being in the same species as Marge Schott.”

Trivia time: Who are the four former UCLA players drafted by the Lakers in the first round?

Forever young: Bernie Lincicome in the Chicago Tribune: “If Orlando’s Anthony Bowie calls time out in order to get a triple-double against the Pistons, I’m guessing he still has his first-grade report card framed and his baby teeth in a jar.”

Difficult to prove: After it was announced that Baltimore’s new NFL team will be called the Ravens, a name derived from the famous poem by Baltimore resident Edgar Allan Poe, Poe Museum curator Jeff Jerome was asked what he thought Poe’s reaction would be.

Said Jerome: “I’m sure he is in his grave right now giving a thumbs up.”

Forget it: Will any of the current prominent home run hitters break Henry Aaron’s career record of 755? Frank Robinson, who is fourth on the all-time homer list with 586, doesn’t think so.

“You have to hit a lot of home runs after you get older,” Robinson said in the Washington Post. “Aaron hit a lot of home runs after he was 35 years old [245]. I don’t know if a lot of players have the capability to do that, or if they’re willing to stay around long enough.”

Familiar tune: Recent headline in the New York Post: “Bickerbockers: No Leader, No Hope.” Haven’t we heard this song before when Don Nelson was the coach of the Knicks?

Trivia answer: Walt Hazzard, 1964; Gail Goodrich, 1965; David Meyers, 1975, and Brad Holland, 1979.

And finally: Toronto Blue Jay pitcher Paul Quantrill on spending a week in Las Vegas for a series against the Oakland Athletics:

“Seven days in that town is a dangerous thing. I did OK myself, but a lot of guys didn’t. The ATM machines were pretty busy. That’s all I know.”