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Coach Norm Sloan wasn’t the only one to chide Florida freshman center Dwayne Schintzius for mouthing off before the game against Syracuse in the NCAA East Regional.

Said a citizen of Tampa after the Gators lost to the Orangemen: “It’s too bad because Norm Sloan is a good coach, but that kid should not have popped off like that. You don’t go saying those kinds of things unless you have Hulk Hogan as a power forward.”

The speaker was George Steinbrenner.

Georgetown Coach John Thompson, on meeting Providence for the fourth time this season: “You enjoy company, but you like to see them go sometimes, too.”

Trivia Time: Who has played for a World Series champion and an NBA champion? (Answer below.)

From Wallace Matthews of Newsday: “Mike Tyson found himself attracted to a lovely young lady who attended his recent bout against James (Bonecrusher) Smith, but refused to ask her out. When pressed, the World Boxing Assn. and World Boxing Council heavyweight champion muttered something about being afraid of her old man. Turns out the object of Tyson’s affection was the 16-year-old daughter of Muhammad Ali.

Said Dodger reliever Tom Niedenfuer, blaming last year’s collapse in part on Jack Clark’s home run in 1985:”I’m sure it was on everyone’s mind last spring. It’s tough to forget something like that.”

In the past, Dodger teams responded differently. The Brooklyn Dodgers recovered from Bobby Thomson’s homer in 1951 to win the pennant in 1952. Likewise, the Los Angeles Dodgers won in 1963 after losing a playoff to the San Francisco Giants in 1962.

Julius Erving, asked his most memorable moment, told The Sporting News: “It was when I first got on the court against Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore when they were playing for Kentucky in the ABA (American Basketball Assn.). I had never encountered such big people on the court at the same time. And there was some uncertainty in my mind. I left the ground against them and then thought about what I was going to do. I saw the white hand come down, then the black hand came down, and I was still up there and I slam dunked, and then I knew I could score in the league.”

Trivia Answer: Gene Conley. He pitched for the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and played forward for the Boston Celtics in 1959, 1960 and 1961.

Quotebook

Oklahoma City basketball Coach Abe Lemons, on the evolution of the game: “It took them 15 years after the game was invented to cut a hole in the peach basket so they didn’t need a ladder anymore. They haven’t got a hell of a lot smarter since then.”