No Simple Case of Hit and Miss

Rocky Bridges, a perennial minor league manager, always has a story to tell, and this one’s about Johnnie LeMaster, the former San Francisco Giants shortstop, who had part of a finger missing.

Bridges, manager of the Buffalo Bisons, told Steven Krasner of the Providence Journal, “I had LeMaster at Phoenix. One day we’re playing at Tucson, and LeMaster’s up, and a pitch comes in close to him. He spins out of the way, and it’s one of those ‘Did the ball hit his bat or his hand?’ kind of things. The umpire says it’s a foul ball.

“Well, I walk to the plate and I tell the umpire that the ball hit LeMaster’s hand. I say, ‘Johnnie, show him your hand.’ Johnnie shows him his hand, and the umpire sees that he’s missing part of his finger.”

So, did the umpire change his call?

“No,” Bridges said, “he turned to me and said, ‘Rocky, you find the stub, and I’ll give him first base.’ ”

Clip & Save: From Tom Verducci of Newsday: “After George Steinbrenner did a radio interview Wednesday afternoon, he announced through a club spokesman that he was not talking to the media ‘for the rest of the season.’ ”

Add Steinbrenner: If you’re wondering how the Yankees did after his last previous big outburst, which came on Aug. 8 last year, they went 23-28.

Trivia Time: Name two British Open winners who attended the University of Houston. (Answer to follow.)

Change-of-tune Dept.: Chicago Cubs Manager Don Zimmer, denying he juggled his rotation so that Greg Maddux wouldn’t have to pitch in the All-Star game, said: “I only adjusted the rotation so Greg could pitch a few times on five days’ rest. Remember, this is a kid who has pitched a lot of innings. I don’t want to ruin him.”

John M. McGarry of Palms sends along a recent issue of Chicago Vine Line, a Cub booster publication, in which Zimmer complains that pitchers today are babied.

“Years ago, there was no such thing as a five-day rotation,” he says. “Don Drysdale used to pitch 300 innings every year.”

For What It’s Worth: Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J., reports that the hotel-casino had a record pit drop of $11.5 million the day of the Tyson-Spinks fight. The previous record was $8.5 million for the Tyson-Holmes fight in January.

Add Fight: It turns out that Jackie Mason was a prophet at the weigh-in when he said, “Spinks doesn’t need a weigh-in. He needs a way out.”

George Foreman is scheduled to return to action July 28 in Nashville, Tenn. against a cruiserweight named Tony Fullialangi.

Tony has a nickname that somehow doesn’t seem appropriate in the ring business--the Throwin’ Samoan.

Minor league umpire Pam Postema, recalling an incident last year when Nashville Sounds Manager Jack Lind took her in his arms and kissed her while presenting his lineup at home plate, said it proved that chauvinism still runs deep in baseball.

“That’s just an indication of how things change, but they don’t really change. It was such a shock to me. I didn’t expect it,” she said.

Then she added with a laugh: “By the way, he’s a good kisser.”

Trivia Answer: Bill Rogers and Nick Faldo.

Quotebook

Seattle Seahawks Coach Chuck Knox, laughing off a reported statement by Brian Bosworth that he didn’t know anything about defense: “I’ve been accused of not knowing a whole lot about offense.”