Ditka Thinks Little, Stands by Flutie

Jim McMahon, if he regains his health, figures to be the No. 1 quarterback for the Chicago Bears next season, but Coach Mike Ditka said Doug Flutie is not out of the picture.

“I know there are a lot of people who probably were smiling with Doug’s demise Saturday,” Ditka said. “But I’m telling you, he is going to be a very difficult man to beat out next season.”

Ditka continued to play down Flutie’s lack of height, but not the writers.

Wrote Tony Kornheiser of the Washington Post: “Doug Flutie is no longer The Little Engine Who Could. He completed just 11 of 31 passes and was alarmingly off target on most of the misses. He said he ‘felt very comfortable,’ but he looked anything but. And small! It was said in the press box that people hadn’t seen anyone that small since ‘Stand By Me.’ ”

Who said winning is everything? Bill Curry, the new Alabama football coach, was 31-43-4 at Georgia Tech. He succeeded Ray Perkins, the new Tampa Bay coach, who was 23-34 with the New York Giants.

It-had-to-happen dept.: As John Elway rolled out looking for a receiver, Dick Enberg said: “This is what he does best.”

The pass was intercepted.

What price a safety? If you were betting New England and took the 4 1/2, Denver’s Rulon Jones took you out of it when he sacked Tony Eason in the end zone.

Trivia Time: What are the real first names of Pete Reiser, Pete Retzlaff and Pete Rozelle? (Answer below.)

Sportswriter Joe Dineen told the one about the golfer who couldn’t get it going on the first hole.

“He sliced his ball into a thicket of bushes, then went into a sand trap, then shanked one across the highway, then went back into some heavy woods,” Dineen said. “Undaunted, he went to find his ball but had no luck.

“ ‘Why don’t you forget it and drop another one?’ said his playing companion.

“ ‘I can’t,’ he said. ‘It’s my lucky ball.’ ”

For What It’s Worth: Joe Montana was the fourth starting quarterback the New York Giants have knocked out of a game this season. The others were Ron Jaworski of Philadelphia, Danny White of Dallas and Tommy Kramer of Minnesota.

A season ago, of course, a sack by Lawrence Taylor ended Joe Theismann’s career.

Ken Green, who pocketed $50,000 for winning the Spalding Invitational at Carmel Valley, earned $317,000 on the PGA Tour last year.

Said Green, whose sister caddies for him: “It might look like I made a lot of money last year but, believe me, I can use $50,000. I’ll be sharing some of it with mom, sis, Uncle Sam and my ex-wife.”

Said Washington Coach Joe Gibbs of next week’s NFC championship game against the New York Giants: “I know one thing, we won’t be overconfident.”

Said San Francisco guard Randy Cross of the Giants: “If they get somebody on a roll they will beat them just as badly as the Bears beat people last year and we beat people the year before. I have all the faith in the world if they beat Washington next week, they will take Pasadena.”

Trivia Answer: Harold Reiser, Palmer Retzlaff, Alvin Rozelle.

Quotebook

Shelby Metcalf, Texas A&M; basketball coach, to a player who received four F’s and one D: “Son, looks to me like you’re spending too much time on one subject.”