Lendl Changes Channels Easily

Ivan Lendl, whose off-court passions are golf and hockey, was about to leave New York for his home in nearby Connecticut Thursday when he was asked if he would watch the telecast of the upcoming match between Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors in the U.S. Open.

“What time do they play?” Lendl asked.

Told the time, he said, “What time do the Yankees play?”

Told the time, he said, “I’ll probably be switching. With a baseball game, I will switch, but if it were a hockey game I wouldn’t think about it.”

Ouch: Eric Dickerson of the Indianapolis Colts, responding to Jim Everett’s contention that the running back’s departure brought the Rams together as a team, told the Sporting News: “Jim is an organization pimp. When he does for the Rams what I did, he can stand up and talk. Until he does, he should keep his mouth shut.”

Said Cincinnati Manager Pete Rose, responding to reports that he is out of favor with owner Marge Schott of the Reds: “Some day we will dance in the streets of Cincinnati together, Marge and I. We will drown each other in champagne in front of the whole city. And it will be one of those parties that even Schottzie can go to. And it’s not going to be as long a wait as people think.”

Trivia Time: When Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor threw five touchdown passes last year against UCLA, he tied a Big Eight record set in 1938 by whom? Hint: He coaches in the Pacific 10. (Answer below.)

Phil Berger of the New York Times, writing about the turmoil in the Mike Tyson-Robin Givens marriage, quoted Colin Hart of the London Sun as saying, “When I asked Tyson what Robin did when she flew into a rage against him, he gave me a sheepish grin and said, ‘Well, she knows she can’t hurt me if she kicks me in the head so she tries to kick me in another place.’ ”

Added Berger: “In May, when Tyson sideswiped another car while driving his $180,000 Bentley in lower Manhattan, it was said he veered to avoid a cat. But Tyson later told confidants that he lost control when Givens, after discovering condoms in his jacket pocket, had begun hitting him.”

Add Forgettable Quotes: From the cover of the latest Sport magazine: “Look Out, SWC: Texas Longhorns Are Back On the Hoof.”

In Thursday night’s opener, they never got out of the gate. Brigham Young hooked ‘em, 47-6.

38 Years Ago Today: On Sept. 10, 1950, Joe DiMaggio became the first player to hit three home runs in one game at Griffith Stadium as the New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 8-1. Note: The measurements in Griffith Stadium were 405 feet to left field, 420 to center and 328 to right, where there was a high screen.

Where They Are Now: Kenny Landreaux, playing for Rochester of the International League, hit a grand slam Thursday as Rochester beat Indianapolis of the American Assn., 5-0, to take a 2-0 lead in the Triple-A Classic series.

Trivia Answer: Ralph Miller of the University of Kansas. He is the basketball coach at Oregon State.

Quotebook

Utah State football Coach Chuck Shelton, after Steve Taylor led Nebraska to a 63-13 win over the Aggies: “After the game I told him we’d name our practice field after him if he’d transfer to our school.”