His Point Is Well Taken

Steve Risley, a starting forward at Indiana when the Hoosiers won the 1980-81 NCAA title, can’t understand why Coach Bob Knight would leave to take the job at New Mexico.

“I just don’t see what New Mexico has to offer that Indiana doesn’t,” said Risley. “In Indiana, basketball is tops. I mean, I haven’t seen any movie called ‘Lobos.’ ”

He was the No. 1 draft choice of the Chicago Bears, but Brad Muster apparently isn’t a household word.

Denver Coach Dan Reeves referred to him as Brad Mustard. In the current Sporting News, he’s called Brad Munster.

The most disliked National League player among his peers? According to a random poll by USA Today, it’s Tracy Jones, flambouyant outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds.

Rated second is Pedro Guerrero. Reason: “For his pure pompous swagger.”

Then come Lenny Dykstra, Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, Ozzie Smith, Jeffrey Leonard and Will Clark.

Add Strawberry: There are those in New York who have called him a disappointment, but after five seasons he had 447 RBIs in 2,342 at-bats. That’s more than Hall of Famers Willie Mays (422), Mickey Mantle (432) or Duke Snider (383) had after their first 2,342 at-bats, according to the Elias Baseball Analyst.

Trivia Time: Former Dodger catcher Steve Yeager, who was honored Friday night at Dodger Stadium, has what in common with current Dodger catcher Rick Dempsey? (Answer below.)

Promoter Don King, waxing philosophical, told the Boston Globe: “Malcolm X said, ‘If you hit me, I’m going to hit you back.’ Martin Luther King said, ‘If you hit me, I’m going to turn the other cheek.’ I say, ‘You got to get some money.’ ”

Wait a Minute: Said Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson, promising he would give some days off to Gary Pettis and Chet Lemon, who have started every game: “You can’t expect anyone to play all 162.”

Pete Rose, who played for Anderson at Cincinnati, played all 162 games eight times.

Said Cleveland outfielder Ron Kittle, when asked if he had any superstitions: “Once in the minor leagues, I hit a home run eight straight days and each day I ate four eggs and cornbread. I was glad when the streak ended because I got sick of that stuff.”

From Stan Isle in the Sporting News: “Avron Fogelman, Memphis financier-philanthropist and co-owner of the Kansas City Royals, offered to pay the tuition of Memphis State athletes who exhausted their eligibility without completing degree requirements.”

He added: “Fogelman is still waiting for the first taker.”

70 Years Ago Today: On May 15, 1918, Washington’s Walter Johnson pitched a 1-0, 18-inning victory over Lefty Williams of the Chicago White Sox, who also went the distance. Johnson would win 38 games by 1-0 scores.

On this date in 1973, Nolan Ryan of the Angels pitched the first of his record five no-hitters, beating Kansas City, 3-0.

Trivia Answer: Both won World Series MVP awards. Yeager was named along with Ron Cey and Pedro Guerrero in 1981. Dempsey, of Baltimore, was named in 1983.

Quotebook

Chi Chi Rodriguez, on his increased earnings since joining the PGA Seniors Tour: “My banker called me Chi Chi for years. Now, he’s calling me Mr. Rodriguez.”