Police Are Ahead on Hits; Judge to Rule on Errors

The New York Mets are hot in the marketing arena as well as on the field.

Sales of $8 T-shirts commemorating the July 20 arrests of four Mets--infielder Tim Teufel and pitchers Ron Darling, Bob Ojeda and Rick Aguilera--after a scuffle outside a Houston nightclub began last week, and more than 400 were sold within the first two days at two stores.

Al Skoczen, the designer and a police officer in the Houston Police Department’s juvenile division, didn’t expect the four players to buy any--so he sent one to each player.

The inscription: “Houston Police--4, New York Mets--0”

“It’s all in good fun,” Skoczen said.

But defense attorney Dick DeGuerin, who represents the players, said the 4-0 printed on the shirts is “only the first-inning score.”

“Tell him (Skoczen) I want a free one or we’ll sue for a percentage of the profits,” DeGuerin said. “The cops are ahead on hits, but the game ain’t over till it’s over.”

It’s a dog’s world: The way cyclist Anthony Doyle from Britain sees it, the psychological effects of a dog bite he suffered last week could be much worse than the physical effects. Doyle decided not to take any precautionary injections because he didn’t want any medication to show up in drug testing at the World Cycling Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“We’re taking a chance and hoping it doesn’t get infected,” Doyle said. “The worst thing I’ve got to worry about is if I start foaming at the mouth.”

Trivia time: Which NCAA football team had the longest winning streak entering the 1986 season? (Answer below).

Road Sweet Road: Steffen Tangstad is an 8-1 underdog to Michael Spinks, the International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion, in next Saturday’s fight at Las Vegas but he has become a national hero in Norway. Of course, he is the only professional fighter in Norway, a country that has outlawed the sport.

Reporters and photographers from Norwegian newspapers have virtually lived with Tangstad during the past month, sending back dozens of photos and thousands of words on his improbable quest for a portion of the heavyweight title. Verdens Gang, the country’s biggest paper, sent four writers and two photographers.

After spending five weeks in Nevada preparing for the fight, Tangstad said he may finally have settled into his new home: the Las Vegas Hilton.

“This feels like home to me, now,” he said, gesturing out his 20th-floor window. “We went to Los Angeles for a day, and when we got back I came in the room and thought, ‘It’s sure good to be home.’ ”

Dept. of Incidental Information: Alabama extended its NCAA record for consecutive extra points to 156 with one in its 16-10 victory over Ohio State Wednesday night. Four kickers have built the streak--Peter Kim (54), Paul Trodd (4), Terry Sanders (1) and current kicker Van Tiffin (97).

Trivia answer: Augustana (Ill.), a Division III school, has a 37-game winning streak, the third longest in NCAA history. The Vikings have won the last three Division III titles.

Quotebook

Former USC quarterback Sean Salisbury, on his successful free-agent tryout with the Seattle Seahawks: “I hope this doesn’t sound arrogant, but I’m not the least bit surprised at what’s happened. Even after I didn’t get drafted this year, I didn’t lose faith in myself.”