If It’s Any Comfort, It’s Paid Up, Too

After boarding their Continental flight to Los Angeles in Denver Tuesday, the Nuggets had to deplane when the airline received a bomb threat.

There was a three-hour delay while security people made a search of the plane and all the baggage.

After it was announced that the plane could be reboarded, Dan Issel called home. According to Buddy Martin of the Denver Post, Issel told his wife: “If you hear a big explosion over Denver in about 20 minutes, the insurance policy is in the second drawer.”

Trivia Time: What do George Mikan, Mark Gastineau and Wayne Gretzky have in common? (Answer below.)

Oops Dept.: A recent trivia item named Eddie Stanky as the manager who had the shortest reign with the Texas Rangers.

Ron Bergman of the Oakland Tribune writes to say that Stanky only tied the record of Del Wilber, who served one day in 1974 between the reigns of Whitey Herzog and Billy Martin.

Like Stanky, Wilber retired with a 1-0 record.

Tony Kornheiser of the Washington Post, on Larry Holmes’ wish to fight someone not as big in his next title defense: “So who’s next, Eddie Arcaro?”

Add Kornheiser: Of Carl (The Truth) Williams, he said: “He was so unknown he couldn’t even sell advertising space on his trunks the way recognizable fighters do. Holmes was in there pumping the MGM Grand. Poor Williams had all that room to rent. He should have had something, anything, if only a phone number to call in case of emergency.”

Add Holmes: He compared his postfight fatigue to the night he won the title from Ken Norton seven years ago.

“Man, I was tired after Norton,” he told the New York Times. “But I was not too tired to jump in the swimming pool.

“If I had jumped in the pool after this fight, I would have drowned.”

Just Asking: Shouldn’t Buddy Dyer of First Interstate Athletic Foundation have found room for pitchers Scott McGregor of El Segundo and Dan Quisenberry of Costa Mesa on that All-Southern Section team he put together?

Also, doesn’t George Foster of Leuzinger rate a spot in the outfield?

The Prophet: After Boston’s loss to Philadelphia at the Spectrum Sunday, Alan Greenberg of the Hartford Courant reported that Dennis Johnson of the Celtics reached through a crowd of reporters to wave goodby to a ballboy.

“I’ll be seeing you,” the ballboy said.

“Maybe next year,” Johnson said. “We’re not coming back here Friday.”

Joe Gergen of Newsday plays a game called Nicknames, in which the nicknames of athletes are transferred to celebrities in other fields.

He even has a Hall of Fame. Charter members are Elizabeth (Fatty) Taylor and Albert (Sparky) Schweitzer.

His latest nominations include Debbie (Hacksaw) Reynolds, Arlene (Bevo) Francis, Lloyd (World B.) Bridges, Noah (The Human Eraser) Webster, Colonel Harland (Satch) Sanders, Tina (Bulldog) Turner, Kate (Bonecrusher) Smith, Ali (Tug) McGraw and Admiral Oliver (The Refrigerator) Perry.

He concludes: “And last but not least, one man’s personal choice as the nickname of 1985: Vanessa (The Truth) Williams.”

Trivia Answer: The same uniform number. No. 99.

Quotebook

Keith Hernandez of the New York Mets, after San Diego pitcher LaMarr Hoyt escaped a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the first inning and beat the Mets, 2-0, Monday night: “He went from a first-inning shower to a four-hit shutout.”