A Boggs-Mattingly Showdown Could Include One Other

Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox and Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees, battling for the American League batting title, will be going head-to-head at the end of the season when the teams meet in a four-game series.

Said Mattingly when asked about the confrontation: “I always like playing in Boston and he (Boggs) likes playing there. We’ll probably both go 0 for 15 and Kirby Puckett will win it.”

Was the Washington Redskin offensive line getting away with holding against the Raiders Sunday?

Howie Long put it this way: “They say holding is an art, and today, R.C. Thielmann was Picasso.”

Bo Jackson’s home run at Kansas City Sunday, called the longest in Royals Stadium history, was recorded at 475 feet, but a couple of observers thought it was even longer than that.

Said Seattle Manager Dick Williams: “I haven’t seen many like that, no sir, but I believe he hit it every foot. I think they’re being conservative in the distance.”

Said Kansas City interim manager Mike Ferraro: “That ball was hit well over 500 feet. I was in awe. It was simply awesome.”

Trivia Time: What do third baseman Ray Knight of the New York Mets, kicker Mick Luckhurst of the Atlanta Falcons and Gardner Dickinson of the PGA Seniors tour have in common? (Answer below.)

Attention, Ted Tollner: Said Louisiana Tech Coach A.L. Williams after Saturday night’s 38-7 loss to Baylor: “That’s the best team we have played since I’ve been at Tech.”

Baylor, which plays USC next, held Louisiana Tech to minus one yard rushing and 54 yards in total offense.

48 Years Ago Today: On Sept. 15, 1938, Brothers Lloyd and Paul Waner hit consecutive home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates off Cliff Melton of the New York Giants. This was the only time brothers hit back-to-back home runs in a major league game. It was Lloyd Waner’s last homer in the majors.

On the same date in 1963, the three Alou brothers--Felipe, Matty and Jesus --played in the outfield at the same time for the San Francisco Giants in a 13-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mike Ditka still hasn’t forgiven Buddy Ryan for calling William Perry a wasted draft choice last year.

“I felt sorry for the kid,” Ditka told the New York Times. “He had to be a little upset over what Buddy said and how he treated the guy. In fact, I thought William displayed a great amount of resolve by not killing him.”

Just call him Jaws: Said Missouri linebacker Bo Sherrill after falling on a fumbled kickoff for a touchdown in Saturday’s 24-10 win over Utah State: “I was like a shark in a frenzy. When you get the taste of blood in your mouth, you know what happens. I didn’t even know I was in the end zone until I looked down and saw the gold on the field which spells ‘Tigers.’ Maybe next week they’ll play me at tailback.”

Trivia Answer: All three are married to women golfers--Nancy Lopez, Terri Moody Luckhurst and Judy Clark Dickinson.

Quotebook

Gary Player, on a 96-foot putt he sank in Sunday’s seniors tournament: “It’s the longest putt I’ve ever made in a tournament. If it went any farther, it would have needed a passport.”