He’s Older, but He Still Has the Horses

Joe Theismann turns 36 today, but Joe Gibbs says he looks more like 26.

“He is a physically gifted athlete,” Gibbs said as he readied the Washington Redskins for tonight’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. “In all the time I’ve known him he has never told me he has a sore arm, and that’s the only quarterback that I know that can make that claim.”

Gibbs added: “He is a unique, hyperactive guy who can handle the pressure of playing better than anyone I’ve ever met. Every other quarterback I have ever seen is completely drained after a game. Joe can come back the next day and is ready to play another.”

Theismann is engaged to actress Cathy Lee Crosby, with whom he recently bought a horse farm in Virginia.

“Joe says he’s happy just relaxing at the farm but I don’t believe it,” Gibbs said. “He’s probably driving the horses crazy, getting them up at 5 a.m. to feed them.”

Add Theismann: Asked about his remaining goals he said: “I would like to take the Redskins to as many Super Bowls as Roger Staubach did with the Cowboys. Roger was the greatest quarterback I ever saw. He had tons of heart and an unbelievable ability to win games that you thought his team had lost.

“There is something about coming into the huddle late in the game and the guys look in your eyes and know you are going to win. Roger had it and that’s the way I want to be remembered.”

Trivia Time: Twenty years ago today, Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game as the Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 1-0, at Dodger Stadium. The Chicago pitcher allowed only one hit. Who was he? (Answer below.)

Would-you-believe-it dept.: Don Mattingly, with 117 runs-batted-in, already has more RBIs than any New York Yankee since 1961, when Roger Maris had 142 and Mickey Mantle 128. That’s the year that Maris hit 61 home runs and Mantle had 54.

Add Mattingly: Said Dave Winfield after Mattingly hit a two-run homer Saturday night in New York’s 3-2 win over Oakland: “I’ve been waiting for Donnie to leave somebody on base so I can drive in some runs, but he won’t.”

It was Ralph Kiner who said, “Singles hitters drive Fords, home run hitters drive Cadillacs.”

Pete Rose, who has proved otherwise, told Steve Jacobson of Newsday: “I guess I should have a party at my house so they could see you don’t have to hit home runs to make a living. I could house half of them there. I could send my Rolls-Royce to pick them up. If they didn’t want to sit around, they could ride my horses. If they wanted, they could watch my three satellite TVs as big as that wall.”

Add Rose: Asked what he’d say if he had to describe himself, he laughed and said: “He’s the type of guy you’d like to be your son but you don’t want to meet your daughter.”

Going into Friday night’s high school game at Chalmette, La., St. Bernard had lost 36 straight games. Riverdale had lost 29 straight.

Proving their records weren’t a fluke, neither team scored in regulation. Finally, in overtime, St. Bernard won, 7-0.

The Associated Press called it the Futility Bowl. The AP story was headlined, “Resistible Force Meets Movable Object.”

Trivia Answer: Bob Hendley. The only hit was a double by Lou Johnson, who subsequently scored the only run of the game.

Quotebook

Washington Coach Don James, asked the meaning of Saturday’s 31-17 loss to Oklahoma State: “It means we’re 0-1.”