Is He Fastest to the Bank, Too?

Ben Johnson, despite five straight wins over Carl Lewis, wasn’t making as much in appearance fees last summer, but apparently he isn’t hurting. In fact, Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post calls him a millionaire.

Jenkins: “He has six-figure endorsement contracts in Japan and a record $1.75-million, five-year contract with an Italian shoe company that help account for an annual income of about $500,000. He is a multinational commodity who sells gas and oil in Japan, sneakers in Italy, cheese in Finland and chocolate milk in the United States.

“He is a five-car entity, owning at various times a Corvette, two Mazda RX7s, a Porsche and he is about to acquire a limited model Ferrari Testarossa.

Said Enzo Ferrari: “Of course the fastest man in the world must have the fastest car.”

Add Jenkins: She said Johnson is basically shy, but added, “When he filled out a psychological profile not long ago, another portrait emerged. Asked to check a box indicating how aggressive he is, with a choice between not aggressive, somewhat aggressive and very aggressive, he wrote, ‘Add another box.’ ”

Now-it-can-be-told dept.: Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andy Van Slyke was the on-deck batter for the St. Louis Cardinals when Jack Clark hit his momentous homer against the Dodgers in the 1985 playoffs.

Says Van Slyke, recalling the moment: “I was thinking, ‘Well, they’re going to walk Jack. Damn! I’m going to have to do it. I’m not sure I want to do it.’ ”

In the series, Van Slyke was 1 for 11.

Trivia Time: Houston, the $2.89-million yearling trained by Wayne Lukas, next year will try to become the third horse named after a city to win the Triple Crown. Who were the other two? (Answer below.)

Scott Verplank, on this week’s PGA tournament which will be played at the Oak Tree Country Club in his hometown of Edmond, Okla.: “I’ve probably played the course 50 or 100 times. The only difference is I’ll have to wear shirts and slacks this time.”

Have you heard this one? Said ESPN analyst Mary Bryan after Ayako Okamoto hit a big drive in the Pat Bradley LPGA tournament: “That’s what we call a two-cheeker.”

Get it?

Wrote Tim Kurkjian of the Baltimore Sun after a New York Mets-Chicago Cubs game: “In the first inning and a half, Met broadcaster Ralph Kiner called Calvin Schiraldi ‘Kevin,’ John Smiley ‘Bob,’ Damon Berryhill ‘David’ and Joe Morgan ‘Jim.’ Those will never top Ralph’s greatest. He once called ex-Reds catcher Dann Bilardello ‘Don Bordello.’ ”

Add Kiner: Here’s what he’s done with some other names over the years, as chronicled by the Sporting News:

Howard Johnson--”Walter Johnson”

Gary Carter--”Gary Cooper”

Jack Clark--”Jack Carter”

Dave Kingman--”Ed Kranepool”

Vince Coleman--”Gary Coleman”

Milt May--”Mel Ott”

Dwight Gooden--”Greg Goossen”

Dwight Gooden--”Dwight Goodman”

George Foster--”George Fisher”

George Foster--”George Strawberry”

Darryl Strawberry--”Darryl Throneberry”

Trivia Answer: Omaha in 1935 and Seattle Slew in 1977.

Quotebook

Notre Dame football Coach Lou Holtz, on his youth: “You hear people talk about having an inferiority complex. Me, I didn’t have a complex. Frankly, I was inferior.”