Refrigerator Known for Storing Food

When Clemson defensive tackle William (The Refrigerator) Perry weighed in for the Hula Bowl in January, they were using a scale that stopped at 355 pounds.

“The needle just stopped,” Perry told Bernie Lincicome of the Chicago Tribune. “They said, ‘Here’s William Perry, 350 and climbing.’ ”

Perry said he’s lost weight since the Chicago Bears made him the No. 1 draft choice, but he also said that weight has never been a problem.

“I’ve dunked a basketball and I’ve run 100 yards in 11.2,” said Perry, who stands 6-2. “I’m flexible and agile.”

He got his nickname of Refrigerator from his size, but he has a different interpretation.

“When I tackle running backs, I close ‘em up,” he said. “I put ‘em in the fridge.”

His eating habits have been documented, but not his drinking. It turns out he likes beer. Asked how much, he shook his head.

“You know how it is when you drink,” he said. “You lose count.”

Add Perry: The Bears want him to play at 295 pounds, and he said it’s no problem.

“I’ve weighed 295 before,” he said.

When?

“In the ninth grade,” he said.

Trivia Time: Since the award was inaugurated in 1968-69, who are the only two-time winners of the MVP award in the NBA championship finals? (Answer below.)

Quiz Time: What is the oldest Derby for 3-year-old horses in the United States? (Answer below.)

Would-you-believe-it dept.: The time that Mayor Tom Bradley recorded to win the 440 for Poly in the 1935 City high school meet still would have put him in the papers today. His 49.8 would have placed sixth in Friday night’s meet at Birmingham High.

When Bobby Valentine was named manager of the Texas Rangers, Frank Luksa of the Dallas Times Herald reviewed the terms of the previous managers and decided that Frank Lucchesi produced the best quotes.

Explaining a losing streak, Lucchesi said: “We’re in the doodlums.”

When things got worse, he said: “Hey, don’t make me the scrapgoat.”

From Denver Nugget Coach Doug Moe, scoffing at theories the Lakers will be intimidated by the Celtics: “L.A. is better this year than last. No comparison. They are stronger physically, they’re a better rebounding team, they play a stronger game, and the big plus is Byron Scott. He’s a pure shooter and he lifts the whole level of their players.”

Said Boston forward Kevin McHale: “Everybody’s improved until they play someone else. Philadelphia had played great and swept Milwaukee in four games.”

The 76ers were then dispatched by the Celtics in five games.

Trivia Answer: Willis Reed of the New York Knicks in 1969-70 and 1972-73 and Magic Johnson of the Lakers in 1979-80 and 1981-82.

Quiz Answer: The Jersey Derby. The first one was run June 7, 1864 at Paterson, N.J. The purse was $1,000. The first Kentucky Derby was run 11 years later.

Quotebook

Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders, told by a reporter that his hair was turning gray: “That’s a pigment of your imagination.”