Next Season, Chargers Had Better Be Super

Super Bowl XXII, in 1988, will be held in San Diego, and Charger Coach Al Saunders was one of the speakers at a press conference talking about the economic impact the game will have on the area.

Saunders said, in fact, that he already has felt some impact from the game.

How’s that?

“Our owner said if we’re not in it, my household will be directly affected,” he said.

It-had-to-happen dept: When it was announced that Traveler, the USC mascot, would not appear at the Florida Citrus Bowl, a reporter cracked: “I always knew that horse used steroids.”

Add steroids: Said the University of Oklahoma’s Brian Bosworth, after his suspension: “If I was detected with pot in my system, they’d say, ‘Don’t worry about it Brian. You can play Thursday.’ If you have a steroid in your system, it’s ‘ Adios amigo . Welcome to Russia.’ ”

Add Bosworth: Despite the suspension from the Orange Bowl, the All-American linebacker has managed to keep his sense of humor.

When he arrived at a Miami press conference that was attended by a dozen television reporters and about 50 newsmen, he said: “I thought we’d have a bigger turnout.”

Trivia Time: Mark Bavaro of the New York Giants, with 1,001 yards on receptions this year, is the seventh tight end in National Football League history to total 1,000 yards or more in a season. Who was the first? (Answer below.)

Said Chicago Coach Mike Ditka, after safety Gary Fencik second-guessed the play-calling in the 16-13 win over Detroit: “Gary Fencik talks too much and has a big mouth. If he doesn’t like it, he ought to come see me, turn in his uniform and we’ll play without him.”

Later, Ditka said: “He got his shot in and I got mine back at him, so we should be even in a couple of days, and nobody will care what either one of us said.”

Beautiful.

From linebacker Neal Olkewicz of the Washington Redskins, shrugging off the one-day absence of Dexter Manley who was fined $1,000 by the club: “With Dexter, we’ve come to expect the unexpected. I think he’s kind of taken John Riggins’ place, actually.”

From Stan Isle of The Sporting News: “So you think Don Mattingly’s swing is tailor-made for Yankee Stadium? The New York first baseman had 14 home runs and 53 runs batted in at home and had 17 homers and 60 RBIs on the road.

Note: When Babe Ruth and Roger Maris set their home run records, both had more homers on the road.

Now-it-can-be-told dept.: Pat Ewing, whose rebounding has been a disappointment with the New York Knicks, told Gary Binford of Newsday: “When I was at Georgetown, I never had to box out. Everyone else was told to box out and I went after the ball. I’m learning. We’ve been working on it in practice.”

Would-you-believe-it dept.: When the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported that Dallas businessman Rod Dockery had paid Texas A&M; quarterback Kevin Murray for work not performed, Dockery’s former wife, Cheryl, asked in a divorce petition for one-half of all monies paid to Murray during the marriage “and for one-half of all community property funds expended on the Datsun 300ZX purchased for and allegedly leased to Kevin Murray.”

For What It’s Worth: Miami’s Dan Marino and Minnesota’s Tommy Kramer, the passing champions of the AFC and NFC, are both out of the playoffs. That hasn’t happened since 1969, when the passing leaders were Sonny Jurgensen of Washington and Greg Cook of Cincinnati.

Trivia Answer: Mike Ditka of the Chicago Bears in 1961.

Quotebook

Duffy Daugherty, former Michigan State football coach, on Santa Anita: “The only place where windows clean people.”