LaValliere Steals Way Into Club

From Rod Beaton of USA Today: “Mike LaValliere has joined the prestigious 1-1 club.”

Translation: The Pittsburgh catcher now has one home run and one stolen base after getting his first steal Tuesday against St. Louis.

LaValliere, 5 feet 10 inches and 200 pounds, hadn’t stolen a base since 1982, when he played for Class AA Reading (Pa.)

“The pressure’s off me now,” he said. “I can run at will.”

Steve Garvey, whose No. 6 has been retired by the San Diego Padres, was asked if the Dodgers are going to retire his number.

“The Dodgers only retire the numbers of Hall of Famers,” said Garvey.

Not so. Jim Gilliam (19) and Walter Alston (24), neither in the Hall of Fame, have had their numbers retired.

Trivia Time: What numbers were worn by Dodger Hall of Famers Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Sandy Koufax, Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson and Don Drysdale? (Answer below.)

Casey Stengel would have been 98 years old today, and that gave Bill Tanton of the Baltimore Sun an excuse to revive some old stories, including one about the 1923 World Series when Stengel played for the New York Giants.

After hitting a homer in Game 3 to beat the New York Yankees, 1-0, Stengel thumbed his nose at the Yanks’ authoritarian owner, Col. Jacob Ruppert. Ruppert protested to Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the baseball commissioner.

Ruled Landis: “When a man hits a home run to win a World Series game, he is entitled to a certain amount of exuberance. Especially if he’s Casey Stengel.”

Would-you-believe-it Dept.: “Major League,” a movie being produced by Major League Productions, is a story that has its setting in Cleveland Municipal Stadium. So where is it being shot?

Milwaukee County Stadium.

If you think sportswriters in this country are tough, Art Spander of the Sporting News passes along this line from John Sadler of the London Sun after England lost to the West Indies in cricket: “England’s cricketeers, that embarrassing bunch of lily-livered deserters, should have been dragged off to the Old Trafford nets yesterday and ordered to practice in the rain until it was dark.”

Six Years Ago Today: On July 30, 1982, the Atlanta Braves removed Chief Noc-A-Homa and his tepee from the left field to make room for more seats. The Braves, managed by Joe Torre, lost 19 of their next 21 games and blew a 10 1/2-game lead. The Braves brought back the tepee and the team recovered, winning the National League West by one game over the Dodgers.

Wait a Minute: The following are among the guests scheduled to attend today’s Chris Evert-Andy Mill wedding, according to USA Today: Lynda Carter, Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, Billie Jean King, Bud Grant, Robert Seguso, Carling Bassett Seguso, Johan and Tish Kriek.

Bud Grant?!

From Phil Jackman of the Baltimore Sun: “Here’s one you probably never heard. Athletic trainer Mackie Shilstone says the reason he could never get Manute Bol to eat salads is that the former Washington Bullet beanpole found a live roach in the first mixed greens he ever had and assumed it was a regular part of the concoction.”

Trivia Answer: Reese (1), Snider (4), Koufax (32), Campanella (39), Robinson (42), Drysdale (53).

Quotebook

Gary Gaetti of the Minnesota Twins, asked to rate the thrill of playing in his first All-Star game: “It’s right up there with lobster.”