A Case of Stand Up, Be Counted

Montreal’s Otis Nixon had stolen 32 straight bases before being thrown out by San Diego’s Benito Santiago, who did it while throwing from his knees--the seventh time he had gunned down a runner from that position this year.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Expos’ publicity department was undaunted. In its pregame notes the next day, it wrote, “Nixon has yet to be thrown out by a catcher who has been standing up.”

Add Plain Dealer: From a story on John Madden by Bob Dolgan: “Madden is not the likable dolt he often portrays in the commercials. He can be aloof and rude.”

When USC basketball Coach George Raveling was at Washington State, he had this to say about Pepperdine Coach Jim Harrick, who is now at UCLA: “He’s got that beautiful campus on the beach down at Malibu, then he goes out and recruits black players because he knows we don’t like swimming.”

Now-it-can-be-told dept.: The Minnesota Vikings, who lead the league in drunk driving arrests, were not served liquor on an 8-hour flight to Sweden for their exhibition game against the Chicago Bears.

Wrote Curt Brown of the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch: “The punishment for drunken driving in Sweden is six months in jail, even for first-time offenders.

“An official team memo to the players said, ‘We can’t help you and neither can the embassy.’ ”

Trivia Time: What manager in the National League West has the best winning percentage this year? (Answer below.)

Add Trivia: Q. Who is the only athlete who has played under both Chuck Noll of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jim Leyland of the Pittsburgh Pirates?

A. Buddy Brister.

Brister, the Steeler quarterback, played in the Detroit Tiger organization in 1981 as an outfielder-shortstop at Bristol of the Appalachian League. Leyland was the Bristol manager. Brister batted .180 with 12 RBIs in 39 games, then quit after fracturing a thumb.

From Milwaukee Brewers announcer Bob Uecker: “My ultimate desire outside of baseball would be to broadcast wars. Live. I’m available to go anywhere as long as it doesn’t interfere with Brewer baseball. I don’t want to open with a war where there’s heavy artillery right away. I’d like to start with spears, knives, bolos. Things like that.”

Seattle linebacker Brian Bosworth said he doesn’t need pep talks before games, because he’s already hyper after loading up with caffeine pills and coffee.

He takes eight caffeine pills, each with the power of four cups of coffee, and washes them down with a cup of coffee.

“If anybody tried to give me a Gipper speech or something, I’d probably rip their head off their neck,” he said. “I’m like a rocket waiting to go off. Touch me from behind and you’d have to scrape me off the ceiling with a blowtorch.”

From senior golfer Orville Moody, who pays his daughter Michelle to caddy for him: “She knows how to hang on to her money. I wish her mom had learned that.”

Trivia Answer: Jack McKeon of San Diego. Since he took over as manager May 28, the Padres are 55-38, a percentage of .591.

Quotebook

Darrell Royal, former University of Texas football coach: “I see only one big difference in players today. They write more books.”