Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

Don King just wanted to set the record straight. Claiming he was slandered in a story in the Atlantic City Press, the promoter called the editor and demanded a correction.

His demand was met, but readers might have wondered why he bothered. Here was the correction:

“Due to a reporter’s error, the Press erroneously reported yesterday that Don King had been convicted of armed robbery. Actually, Mr. King served time for manslaughter.”

From Marty Noble of Newsday: “Keith Hernandez, the self-proclaimed ‘nocturnal animal,’ apparently didn’t expect too much social life in Port St. Lucie, Fla., home of the New York Mets’ new spring training complex.

“As a member of the Cardinals and Mets, Hernandez had spent his spring trainings in St. Petersburg, Fla., renowned as a retirement city. And each spring, Hernandez would bring a jigsaw puzzle with him to help pass the time.

“It used to be 2,000 pieces, every spring,” Hernandez said. “But this year, 4,000. It’s 4 1/2 feet by 3 feet, and the top two feet is sky. It’ll fill in some of the dead time.”

Trivia Time: Name the only player to lead both the National League and the American League in stolen bases. (Answer below.)

St. Louis Manager Whitey Herzog told the New York Times that Dodger attendance, which went under 3 million last year, might have gone under 2 million this year if they hadn’t made some deals.

“That’s how disgruntled the fans were in Los Angeles,” Herzog said. “When I took a cab to the ballpark there last year, that’s the first time I heard cab drivers and everybody on the streets downtown raising hell about the Dodgers. I had never heard that before.”

Add Dodgers: Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson said he expects the Dodgers to make even more deals. The popular thinking is that they will trade Pedro Guerrero for another pitcher, but Anderson speculated they could package Guerrero, Franklin Stubbs and a minor league pitcher and infielder and send them to Baltimore for Eddie Murray.

Add Murray: From Newsday: “Chances are Eddie Murray won’t complain this year if Manager Cal Ripken makes a late lineup change and benches him. Murray was to have been married nine days ago in California. He called off the wedding less than 24 hours before the scheduled ceremony.”

Add Newsday: From New York Rangers’ winger Jeff Brubaker, whose father Robert is a professor of medical microbiology at Michigan State: “Big-time science is like big-time sports. It’s as competitive as hell.

“If my dad has a couple of bad years, he could lose his government funding. It’s like being sent to the minors. The government gives him big bucks to do research and his grant is renewed every five years, and if he doesn’t have good stuff to show them, he’s out of there.”

For What It’s Worth: Ex-Trojans Bo Kimble, Hank Gathers and Tom Lewis combined for 19 more points than USC scored Saturday. USC beat Arizona State, 74-70. Loyola Marymount beat beat Pepperdine, 142-127, as Kimble scored 36 points and Gathers added 32 for the Lions. Lewis had 25 for the Waves.

Trivia Answer: Ron LeFlore. In 1978, he led the American League with Detroit. In 1980, he led the National League with Montreal.

Quotebook

Golfer JoAnne Carner, crediting Billy Martin with teaching her how to win: “The only thing I never learned from Billy Martin was how to knock a guy out in a bar.”