One Spinks Knows All the Answers

Michael Spinks knew the correct answer all along. It just took him awhile to get there.

Asked at a press conference why he was fighting Gerry Cooney June 15 at Atlantic City, N.J., he said, “Why Cooney? I think it’s a fight people want to see.”

Pausing for a moment, he said, “That’s a tough question to answer.”

After another pause, he said, “He’s as deserving as anyone else.”

Finally, he said, “Well, if you really want to ask me the question, I’m to do whatever my promoter sets up.”

Add Fight: Said Cooney: “I wanted this fight just to get that belt.”

One problem. There is no belt. Spinks had to turn it in when the International Boxing Federation stripped him of his title for failing to meet No. 1 contender Tony Tucker.

Trivia Time: After beating Larry Holmes in a rematch for the IBF title, whom did Michael Spinks beat in his only other title defense? (Answer below.)

Add Forgettable Quotes: Said Seattle Manager Dick Williams, after Kirk McCaskill of the Angels beat the Mariners, 4-0, with a four-hitter Wednesday: “You won’t find a better-pitched game this year.”

Three hours later, Juan Nieves of the Milwaukee Brewers pitched a no-hitter.

Said Larry Bird, after Bill Walton returned to help the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night: “It amazed me. He’s been out all year and he plays that well. If Bill can finish playing that hard and we get Kevin McHale back, people are going to stop talking bad about the Celtics. We’ll be awfully tough to beat.”

Would-you-believe-it Dept.: Last season, there were nine players from the Dominican Republic who played at least 85 games at shortstop in the major leagues. They were Alfredo Griffin, Oakland A’s; Tony Fernandez, Toronto Blue Jays; Mariano Duncan, Dodgers; Julio Franco, Cleveland Indians; Jose Uribe, San Francisco Giants; Rafael Belliard, Pittsburgh Pirates; Rafael Santana, New York Mets, and Andres Thomas and Rafael Ramirez, both Atlanta Braves.

Now-it-can-be-told Dept.: Said St. Louis Manager Whitey Herzog after Willie McGee, in his first Cardinal at-bat since knee surgery, hit a broken-bat pop-up that was turned into a double play: “It wasn’t exactly Ted Williams coming back from the service.”

Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon told Bob Verdi of the Chicago Tribune in The Sporting News that if the NFL players’ union walks out this summer he’s not going with them.

“After what they did to me?” he said. “They said I had to sign with the Bears coming out of college in ’82 by a certain date, and I did and it cost me money. Then, other guys signed after me, like Marcus Allen. No, I’m not gonna back any union. It’s not much of a union anyway.”

Trivia Answer: Steffen Tangstad of Norway.

Quotebook

Trainer Angelo Dundee, asked how good an athlete Sugar Ray Leonard is: “If he were going to college now, he would be a three-point shooter.”