Oilers Try Keeping Low Profile

Skeptics were no doubt looking down on the Houston Oilers, who finished 27th in the NFL in defense last season, for using their second- and third-round draft picks to take wide receiver Ernest Givins of Louisville and running back Allen Pinkett of Notre Dame. But being looked down upon is nothing to the players, who are 5-9 and 5-7, respectively.

“I’m either hard-nosed and tough or dumb and crazy,” said Pinkett, whose 53 touchdowns rank him fourth in NCAA history behind Pittsburgh’s Tony Dorsett, Army’s Glenn Davis and Oklahoma’s Steve Owen, all of whom had 56.

Houston Coach Jerry Glanville said the Oilers picked for talent, not position. Besides, he didn’t see much concern for the size factor.

“As you can see, my mama didn’t have anything against short people,” he said.

Glanville is 5-9.

Trivia Time: What current major league manager was the last pitcher of record for the Brooklyn Dodgers?

Steve Duin of the Portland Oregonian, on returning to the office from a trip and being confronted with stacks of mail:

“Forty, count ‘em 40, pieces of racing riffraff, half from my ‘ol chain-smoking buddies at R.J. Reynolds, which sponsors all the Winston events. Why do they always move the trash can when you’re out of the office?”

Houston took a 2-0 lead in its NBA playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, but Rocket Coach Bill Fitch would not even begin to consider a sweep.

“I can’t talk about it,” Fitch said. “I’d just be talking about outer space--because I haven’t been there, either.

“The only thing is: I’m smart enough to know the difference between 3-0 and 2-1. And I know Doug (Moe, the Nugget coach) is smart enough to know the difference. Well, I think Doug is smart enough to know the difference.”

Doug was. Denver won Game 3 Friday night.

Add Rockets: “Outside of Boston, they might be playing better than anybody,” Moe said.

Fuzzy Zoeller, free of chronic back pain for the last week, is hoping that a simple pair of arch supports for his shoes will head off a second back operation that could threaten his golfing career.

“I squeak when I walk down the fairway with them, but they seem to be doing the job,” Zoeller said. “It sounds like I need oiling.”

Trivia Answer: Roger Craig, manager of the San Francisco Giants. Playing their last game before moving to Los Angeles, the Dodgers lost to the Phillies, 2-1, at Philadelphia as Seth Moreland collected one of his five major league victories.

Quotebook

Golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez, now a member of the PGA Senior Tour: “My philosophy of life is to live like a millionaire and die poor. I don’t want to live poor and die a millionaire.”