Lawless Can Hound Viola Now

Pitcher Ken Dayley was one of the happiest of the St. Louis Cardinals when teammate Tom Lawless hit his game-turning three-run homer off the Minnesota Twins’ Frank Viola in Game 4 of the World Series Wednesday night.

Dayley, then with the Atlanta Braves, gave up a home run to Lawless, then with the Cincinnati Reds, on April 25, 1984. That homer haunted Dayley for more than three years, since it had been Lawless’ only one in the major leagues.

“He’s been hounding me,” Dayley said of Lawless. “On the stat sheet it says, ‘Last home run,’ and there it was every day. He threatened to bring in the radio broadcast of the home run call. He still has the ball. He wants me to sign it.”

Veteran baseball announcer Harry Caray opened a Chicago restaurant with hundreds of well-wishers on hand to help celebrate.

Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer, was among those who turned out on the North Side for the opening of the eatery, which is decorated with baseball artifacts and offers a menu of Caray’s favorite American and Italian dishes.

Unlike Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda, though, Caray didn’t open his restaurant so he’d have a place to eat if no one invites him to dinner. Harry just wants an audience in the off-season.

“I don’t care if it’s a big success as long as I have plenty of people to talk to,” he said.

Trivia Time: When Tom Lawless hit his homer in Game 4 of the World Series Wednesday night, it marked the first time since the 1974 Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland A’s that a player hit one in the Series after failing to hit one in the regular season. Who did it in 1974? (Answer below.)

Buddy Martin of the Denver Post is supposed to be covering the World Series, but this was his lead one day this week:

“ST. LOUIS--The fantasies of teen-age boys approaching puberty are boundless. In no particular order, a kid of 13 or 14 dreams of the day when he will shave for the first time, make love to a movie starlet or put on his major league baseball uniform and play in the World Series.

“Eventually, that same teen-age boy learns to live with compromise: Peach fuzz on the cheeks, holding hands with his girlfriend in the movie and maybe, if he is lucky, catching a foul ball.”

Say what?

When the Twins broke open the first two games of the World Series, ABC announcer Al Michaels got off this line: “(St. Louis Manager) Whitey Herzog will need a fifth after the fourth.”

Wait a Minute: When the Twins had a 2-0 lead in the World Series, shortstop Ozzie Smith of the Cardinals told George Grande of ESPN: “It seems like we’ve had our backs to the wall all year.”

Where has the Wizard been, in Oz? The Cardinals led the National League East most of the season, building a 9 1/2-game lead in early September before Jack Clark was injured.

Trivia Answer: A’s pitcher Ken Holtzman, who hit a home run against Dodger pitcher Andy Messersmith on Oct. 6, 1974.

Quotebook

Pitcher John Tudor of the St. Louis Cardinals, on pitching Game 3 of the World Series in Busch Stadium rather than the Metrodome: “It was nice to look up and see blue skies, instead of white.”