For Halas, Sunday Just Another Day

Whenever players complain to Denver Bronco assistant coach Stan Jones about the tortures of training camp, he tells them how it was when he played with the Chicago Bears for George Halas.

“Halas made sure he crammed in a full day,” says Jones, a former All-Pro tackle. “If other teams practiced 2 hours, we practiced 2 1/2. If he heard a rumor that some other team was up to 2 1/2 hours, we went 3. We were the only team that practiced on Sunday, and when I became captain of the team, the other players asked me to go to Halas and beg for Sunday off.

“So I marched into Halas’ office and said, ‘The players want to know why we can’t have Sundays off.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Because we practice Sundays.’ ”

Add Jones: He recalled when Halas, after an exhausting return trip from Florida following an exhibition game, called a morning meeting.

“He told us all the things we had done wrong in the game, then asked if there were any questions,” Jones said. “J.C. Caroline got up and said, ‘When’s breakfast, coach?’ Halas looked at him and said, ‘Mahatma Gandhi went 40 days and nights without food and water. Can’t you wait another 5 minutes for breakfast?’

“Caroline said, ‘What team did Gandhi play for?’ ”

Trivia Time: Twenty-three years ago today, when Juan Marichal hit John Roseboro over the head with a bat at Candlestick Park, who was the San Francisco on-deck batter who approached the fray with bat upraised? (Answer below.)

Add Aug. 22: On this date in 1961, Roger Maris, en route to his 61-home run season, became the first player to hit his 50th home run in August. He connected off Ken McBride in a 4-3 loss to the Angels.

Just Asking: If Dodger Executive Vice President Fred Claire wins the Executive of the Year award, will Al Campanis get an assist?

In his last deal for the Dodgers, on Dec. 10, 1986, Campanis sent Greg Brock to Milwaukee for Tim Leary and Tim Crews.

For What It’s Worth: Just as the Lakers struggled last season when Magic Johnson was out with injuries, the Edmonton Oilers had their problems when Wayne Gretzky was sidelined.

In a period when Gretzky missed 13 straight games, the Oilers went 5-4-4. They were leading Calgary by a point when he went out. When he returned, they were three points back.

Chicago Bears kicker Tim Lashar, on allegations of drug use at Oklahoma by Brian Bosworth, a former teammate with the Sooners: “Brian Bosworth needs to start concentrating on stopping Bo Jackson on the goal line before he concentrates on stabbing people in the back.”

Now-it-can-be-told dept.: Olympic javelin thrower Tom Petranoff said he was all set for a couple of meets in Europe until Carl Lewis and Mary Decker Slaney became late entries.

Petranoff, a former world record holder, said: “I make $2,500 a meet. They make $30,000 each. The promoters didn’t have room for me, or the other javelin throwers. It would have cost them about $10,000 to have a good javelin field. Instead, they canceled the event.”

Trivia Answer: Tito Fuentes.

Quotebook

St. Louis pitcher Joaquin Andujar, asked about the weather: “You can’t worry if it’s hot. You can’t worry if it’s cold. You only worry when you get sick. Because if you don’t get well, you die.”