Bullets Have Managed to Silence 76ers’ Bark

When the Washington Bullets beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the final game of the regular season, Julius Erving of the 76ers was out with a shoulder injury.

Afterward, looking ahead to the playoffs, Charles Barkley of the 76ers said: “They played as well as they can and beat us by a point. With Doc, we’ll beat them. We could sweep them, and I know it won’t go five.”

When the 76ers took a 2-1 lead in the series, with the help of Erving, Bobby Jones and Sedale Threatt, Barkley said: “Doc came through, Bobby came through, Sedale came through, and now they’re through.”

When the Bullets tied the series at 2-2, Barkley didn’t have much to say, but Leon Wood did.

Wood, a Washington guard who used to play for Philadelphia, said: “Tell Charles he can make his reservations for Alabama.”

Add Barkley: Wrote Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post of a collision between Barkley and 275-pound Jeff Ruland of the Bullets: “It was a collision that should have required the exchange of licenses and insurance policies.”

Dallas Coach Dick Motta had to laugh when somebody suggested the Mavericks had momentum going into their series with the Lakers.

“Momentum, you can’t eat that with breakfast,” Motta said. “I’ve never seen it go on corn flakes.”

Trivia Time: Who is the only pitcher who has won World Series games in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s? (Answer in Column 6.)

From Minnesota Twins Manager Ray Miller, claiming the Kansas City Royals don’t have a lock on the Western Division: “They’ve been getting by entirely on pitching and George Brett. Brett will probably walk 170 times this season. I know we’re going to walk him 60 times ourselves.”

If Brett does walk 170 times, he will tie a major league record. That’s the number of walks Babe Ruth took in 1923.

One of the hostesses at the Legends golf tournament was kidding 5-7 Chi Chi Rodriguez about his lack of height, when he asked if she would like to take a golf lesson.

“Sure,” she said.

“OK,” he said, “we’ll start with the irons, then we’ll work into the woods.”

How good a baseball player is Bo Jackson? Said personnel director Phil Krueger of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are expected to draft the running back: “We were told by Tom Lasorda that the Dodgers have Class A players who are as good as or better than Jackson now.”

Brian Jozwiak, a 6-6, 303-pound offensive tackle from West Virginia, says he may forgo the NFL for a wrestling career.

Says agent Art Wilkinson: “He’s got it worked out in his head. He wants to use a mask and be part of a tag team called ‘Them,’ so when he and his partner enter an arena, the crowds will shout, ‘Look, it’s Them.’ ”

Don’t hold your breath.

Trivia Answer: Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles. He beat the Dodgers in 1966, the Cincinnati Reds in 1970, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1971 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983.

Quotebook

Jesse Barfield of the Toronto Blue Jays, on his early season slump: “I was going so bad that last week I skipped dinner two days because I was down to .198 and I didn’t want anyone saying I wasn’t hitting my weight.”