Bo, No Night Owl, Prefers Day Games

Bo Schembechler was delighted to get the 200th victory of his coaching career Saturday night, but he would have been happier if it had come in the afternoon.

Said the Michigan coach after the 34-17 win over Wisconsin in a game that was played under the lights to accommodate WTBS: “It’s stupid to play at night. I hope they got a great rating, but I doubt it.

“I know damn well they didn’t make any money on it. It’ll end up being more expensive to show these games at night. Eventually there will be empty seats in the stadium because they’re overexposed.

“If somebody gives the Big Ten five dollars, they’ll put the game on at midnight.”

Vince DiMaggio, who died Friday in North Hollywood, was overshadowed by his two brothers in his career, but he did wind up with a 1.000 batting average in two All-Star games, compared to .255 for Joe in 11 games and .353 for Dominic in 6.

Playing for Pittsburgh in the 1943 All-Star game, which was the first one played at night, Vince had a single, triple and home run in three trips to lead the National League to a 5-3 victory.

Although he was considered a journeyman, in 1941 he batted .267 with 21 homers and 100 RBIs, the kind of figures that today translate into seven-figure contracts.

Add Vince: He led the National League six times in strikeouts, and Casey Stengel once said: “Vince is the only player I ever saw who could strike out three times in one game and not be embarrassed. He’d walk into the clubhouse whistling. Everybody would be feeling sorry for him, but Vince always thought he was doing good.”

Trivia Time: Seattle receiver Steve Largent, in tonight’s game against San Diego, will try to break Harold Carmichael’s record of catching at least one pass in 127 straight games. Whose record did Carmichael break? (Answer below.)

20 Years Ago Today: On Oct. 6, 1966, Jim Palmer, 20, became the youngest pitcher to pitch a World Series shutout as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Dodgers, 6-0, at Dodger Stadium. Willie Davis of the Dodgers set a record by making three errors in one inning, and the Dodgers made six overall as Sandy Koufax wound up the loser in the last game of his career. The final hit off Koufax was by Baltimore second baseman Davey Johnson, now the manager of the New York Mets.

Add Johnson: Said Ray Knight of the Mets when asked to rate Johnson as a manager: “Combining everything, my two favorite, and the two best I’ve ever played for, are Davey and John McNamara. Sparky Anderson knows the game as well as anybody, but he didn’t relate well to young players. Davey is outstanding with them. He has tremendous patience, and he seldom makes a mistake.”

Now-it-can-be-told dept.: Bobby Thomson, recalling historic homer off Ralph Branca 35 years ago, said a representative from the Perry Como Show came to the clubhouse and offered him $500 to appear.

Thomson: “I turned him down, explaining that I preferred to spend the night with my family. He offered $1,000. I said, ‘I guess the family can wait.’ ”

Trivia Answer: Dan Abramowicz, with 105 straight games.

Quotebook

Stan Kasten, general manager of the Atlanta Hawks, to Dominique Wilkins who wanted a clause calling for an extra bonus for making the All-Star team after being offered $6.5 million over five years: “If you don’t make the All-Star team, why am I paying you all this money?”