Jim Brown Hit Hard, as Huff’s Nose Knows

John Pruett of the Huntsville, Ala., Times, interviewing Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff, noticed a scar across the bridge of Huff’s nose and asked him if he remembered how he got it.

“It happened in college,” said Huff, who was an All-American at West Virginia. “We were playing Syracuse at Mountaineer Stadium, and I filled the hole against the Syracuse runner.

“Unfortunately, the Syracuse runner was Jim Brown.”

Gary Player told the Denver Post he was thrilled when Jack Nicklaus, 46, won the Masters and Bill Shoemaker, 54, rode to victory in the Kentucky Derby, but he was more impressed when Bobby Allison, 48, won the Talladega 500.

“There are no mulligans in that game,” Player said.

Add Player: Asked who is the greatest golfer of all time, he said: “Jack Nicklaus isn’t the best striker of a golf ball that I’ve ever seen by any means. I think Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson were the best golfers that ever lived as far as striking the ball. But everybody says Nicklaus is the best golfer that ever lived and nobody can deny that because he’s the best scorer that ever lived. After all, it’s the score that counts, and Nicklaus has got the best mind control I’ve ever seen on a golfer. That, to me, is the most important thing.”

Trivia Time: When the Atlanta Braves play the New York Mets, what does Atlanta first base coach Willie Stargell have in common with the Mets’ first baseman? (Answer below.)

Would-you-believe-it dept.: In Tuesday night’s Detroit-Texas game, the last three batters in the Tigers’ order were all outfielders--Pat Sheridan, Larry Herndon and Dave Collins.

Maybe that’s happened before, but nobody in The Times’ sports department could remember when.

Is it another first for Sparky Anderson?

Said new Seattle Mariners Manager Dick Williams, when asked about the possible return of Billy Martin to managing with the Chicago White Sox: “I think it would be great for baseball. If they could lock him up between games, he’d be all right.”

After beating Baltimore, 5-2, Wednesday night, Minnesota pitcher Mike Smithson asked Baltimore reporters what Oriole Manager Earl Weaver said about his performance.

He was told that Weaver said: “Smithson didn’t look like Dwight Gooden.”

Hearing that, Smithson’s teammate, John Butcher, said: “Well, Weaver didn’t manage like Sparky Anderson.”

For NBA teams that will draft “the best available athlete,” Duke’s Jay Bilas recommends teammate Johnny Dawkins.

“He is the best athlete I’ve ever seen, Carl Lewis or anyone else you’d want to look at,” Bilas said. “He once told me if he’d taken up boxing when he was young, he could beat Tommy Hearns. I didn’t believe him then. I believe him now.”

Trivia Answer: In 1979, Stargell, then of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Keith Hernandez, then of the St. Louis Cardinals, were co-Most Valuable Players in the National League.

Quotebook

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rocky Bleier, on the self-assurance of Steeler Coach Chuck Noll: “He’s the only person I know who bought a plane before he learned to fly.”