Mariners Move in a Hurry

The following appeared on the Associated Press wire Monday morning:

“SEATTLE--Mark Langston, ace of the Seattle pitching staff, has criticized the leadership of Manager Dick Williams.

“The leadership starts with the manager and if it’s not working . . . something has to be done,” Langston said.

It was. Early that afternoon, Williams was fired.

From Stan Isle of the Sporting News: “A visitor to the office of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner noticed that all the phone numbers on Steinbrenner’s Rolodex are in ink, except one. Manager Billy Martin’s number was penciled in, suggesting that it could easily be erased.”

Add Yankees: From Tommy John, the man with the bionic arm: “People forget that even before my operation, I had been a sinker, ground-ball pitcher with the White Sox. It all goes back to Eddie Stanky, my manager with the White Sox, who told me he’d buy me a new suit for every game in which I got 20 ground balls. Not ground-ball outs, just ground balls.”

Steve Carlton, asked by Frank Dolson of the Philadelphia Inquirer to name the best manager he played for, named Tom Kelly, who recently released him from the Minnesota Twins.

His second choice was the San Francisco Giants’ Roger Craig, who released Carlton after one month.

Trivia Time: When did the Lakers and the Pistons first meet in the National Basketball Assn. playoffs? (Answer below.)

Said Dallas Mavericks Coach John MacLeod after scouting the Utah Jazz’s Karl Malone in the series against the Lakers: “He has gone from the Mailman to the Postmaster General.”

St. Petersburg, Fla., possible new home of the Chicago White Sox, is known as a haven for retirees. Says Hubert Mizell of the St. Petersburg Times: “More than one writer has referred to it as ‘God’s Waiting Room.’

“Others,” he adds, “have said the town’s current No. 1 spectator sport is ‘watching the arteries harden.’ ”

Suggested nickname if the White Sox move: Support Hose.

Managers Davey Johnson of the New York Mets and Whitey Herzog of the St. Louis Cardinals are fishing buddies in the off-season, but Herzog said, “We’re still trying to beat each other’s brains out.”

As for their next outing, Herzog said: “I imagine we’ll have a few wagers. Each of us will be looking for an edge. Do they make corked fishing poles?”

From Tony Kornheiser of the Washington Post, comparing the Lakers and Pistons: “The other matchup that hurts the Pistons is the sartorial groom-off between Pat Riley and Chuck Daly. Riley’s sculpted gel design is much more ‘80s than Daly’s evocative dry-look pompadour, and though Daly wears a nice Giorgio Armani suit it’s not nearly as exclusive as Riley wearing Joe The Tailor of Beverly Hills’ custom-made threads. Riley’s so tight with Joe that they’re on a last-name basis.”

Add Daly: Of Rick Mahorn, who is possibly the most bad-mouthed player in the league, he says: “You’d be amazed at how many calls we get in the off-season to see if he’s available.”

Trivia Answer: In the 1949-50 Central Division finals, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by George Mikan, defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons, led by Fred Schaus, in a best-of-three series in two games.

Quotebook

Pro golfer Roger Maltbie, after a disappointing third round, asked what he needed to shoot in the final round: “The rest of the field.”