A Not-So-Marvelous Choice of Judge

Rudy Ortega is probably still laughing. He’s the boxing official who was scheduled to work as a judge Monday night at Las Vegas but who was replaced after a protest by Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

Hagler had complained about the scoring in two previous Las Vegas bouts, against Vito Antuofermo and Roberto Duran.

Of the protest, Hagler’s trainer Pat Petronelli said: “Ortega is more qualified as a good referee. He doesn’t have that much experience judging fights. It has nothing to do with dishonesty.”

When Hagler stopped Thomas Hearns in the third round, two of the judges had given him the first two rounds. The other judge, Dick Young, had given the first two rounds to Hearns.

Young was the judge named to replace Ortega.

The Prophet: Said Sugar Ray Leonard in this space April 2: “The outcome of the fight will be determined by who wants it too much. By that I mean one fighter will be quicker to leave his game plan, because he desperately wants to beat the other guy. The one who does that will make more mistakes and lose, and I think it will be Hearns. Tommy wants to knock Marvin out so bad it will harm him.”

Asked after the fight why he went to-toe-toe with Hagler in the first round, Hearns said: “I had to get some respect.”

The fight crowd was comparing Hagler-Hearns with other classic battles when Jake LaMotta said: “Don’t forget those Zale-Graziano fights. Zale-Graziano, that’s good thermometer (sic).”

Trivia Time: Why does quarterback Doug Flutie of the New Jersey Generals wear No. 22, a number normally reserved for running backs and defensive backs? (Answer below.)

Add Trivia: Name a Hall of Fame quarterback who wore No. 22. (Answer below.)

Morganna Roberts, the Kissing Bandit, appeared at Harris County Criminal Court in Houston, where she faced charges of criminal trespass for running out on the field and kissing Nolan Ryan and Dickie Thon of the Astros during the opener with the Dodgers.

Morganna told reporters at the court that she hopes she won’t have to go to jail.

“I don’t look good in stripes,” she said.

Asked why, she said: “Stripes make me look large-busted.”

Trivia Answer: When Flutie was growing up in Melbourne, Fla., his idol was Miami Dolphin running back Mercury Morris, who wore No. 22. That’s the number Flutie wore in Pop Warner football, and he’s worn it ever since.

Add Trivia Answer: Bobby Layne of the Detroit Lions.

Quotebook

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman, confessing in Time magazine that he eats and sleeps to excess: “I think sleeping was my problem in school. If school had started at around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, I’d be a college graduate today.”