History Favors Toronto

In 1980, the New York Yankees won a league-leading 103 games and the Eastern Division title, then lost three straight playoff games to the Kansas City Royals.

Dick Howser was the Yankees’ manager.

In 1981, the season of the strike, the Royals won the second-half American League West title, then were swept in three straight by the Oakland A’s.

Dick Howser was the Royals’ manager.

In 1984, the Royals again won the West and again were swept in three games, this time by the Detroit Tigers.

Dick Howser was the Royals’ manager.

“I’m glad we’re playing a best-of-seven format this year instead of best-of-five,” Howser said. “I need all the shots at a playoff victory I can get.”

This week Howser will trying to snap his 0-9 record at the expense of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Anyone say Blue Jays in four?

When he says attack, he means it: Gordon Wood, the 71 year old with more career wins than any other football coach, won his 400th game when the Brownwood Lions defeated the Crowley Eagles, 15-9, in Class 4-A high school game at Crowley, Tex., last Friday night.

After completing an 86-yard drive to score a come-from-behind victory, Wood’s players carried him off the field. They might have dropped him if they’d heard his post-game quote.

Said Wood, who is 400-85-12: “These are the kind of kids I’d take to war with me.”

He must have flunked Celtic history: Jerry Sichting, the newest Boston Celtic, and Celtic PR man Jeff Twiss had the following exchange when Twiss met the former Indiana Pacer at Boston’s Logan Airport:

“Does anyone wear No. 14?” the 6-1 guard asked, hoping for the same uniform number he had in Indiana.

“Well, no, but no one will,” Twiss said. “It’s up in the rafters, another guard had it--Bob Cousy.”

“How about 24,” Sichting suggested. “I used to wear that in school.”

“Sorry, that’s up there too,” Twiss replied. “It was Sam Jones’.”

Twiss settled for No. 12.

Meanwhile, over at Shea: The Mets had already lost their battle for the NL East title to the St. Louis Cardinals but that did not deter 31,890 fans from showing up at Shea Stadium Sunday to see the season finale against the Expos.

The turnout swelled the Mets’ home attendance to 2,751,437, their largest total ever.

Don’t tell George Steinbrenner, but that figure represents more people than the Yankees have ever drawn in any one season.

Quotebook

Joel Oppenheimer in the New York Times: “Los Angeles is where people carry radios to ball games so that they can be told what’s happening before their eyes.”