It’s the NFL Peter Pan Philosophy

Washington Redskins tackle Dave Butz, who at 38 is the National Football League’s oldest defensive player, has a secret for his longevity in pro football.

“I have not grown up yet,” said Butz, who is 6 feet 7 inches and 300 pounds. “I really refuse to grow up. When you grow up, you start feeling old and you start feeling aches and pains, things like that, then you start slowing down. You narrow yourself and put yourself in the frame of mind that you’re going to get old, and I haven’t done that.”

Butz, in his 16th NFL season and 14th with Washington, will become the Redskins’ all-time leader in games played Sunday. The game, against the New Orleans Saints, will be his 197th, surpassing the mark of 196 held by center Len Hauss (1964-1977).

Quiz Time: Who is the NFL’s oldest player? (Answer below).

The Yankee Clipper doesn’t have much sympathy for Don Mattingly.

Joe DiMaggio said he has heard some of the trade rumors involving the New York Yankees first baseman but doesn’t think the players should get angry with club owner George Steinbrenner for criticizing them.

“He’s made millionaires out of all of them,” DiMaggio said. “That’s not too bad.

“It’s not very easy at times. Sometimes you have to take some of it. I guess he gets a little frustrated.”

Mattingly blasted Steinbrenner on Aug. 21 for not respecting players.

“Times have changed. The whole game has changed,” DiMaggio said. “You have 26 teams, they changed the field from grass to AstroTurf. The gloves are bigger. They brought the fences in. Why shouldn’t owners change, too?”

DiMaggio does not believe players have more pressure on them now than they did in his playing years.

“We only had one-year contracts. We only had 16 teams. We had 500 minor league teams. There was always someone breathing down your necks. That’s pressure.”

Trivia Time: What do Chris Chandler of the Indianapolis Colts, Steve Pelluer of the Dallas Cowboys and Hugh Millen of the Atlanta Falcons have in common, besides being quarterbacks? (Answer below).

When Fordham plays at home on Saturday afternoons, the pregame meal usually consists of bacon and eggs. Last Friday night, the Rams had a game at Iona, a short bus trip.

“We called the dining service and said we’re going to eat at 3:30 and the game’s at 7:30,” Coach Larry Glueck said. “We didn’t even think about telling them what to fix. We got what they were going to serve the regular students Friday night--Mexican food.

“As a coach, I’ve always said, ‘I want to see fire in your eyes.’ I don’t think we had fire in our eyes, we had fire in our stomachs.”

The fired-up Rams won, 31-29.

Quiz Answer: Tampa Bay quarterback Joe Ferguson also is 38, but he was born exactly two months earlier than Butz in 1950.

Danny Ford, coach of 17th-ranked Clemson (6-2), said of the North Carolina Tar Heels (1-7), whom his team plays today on the Tigers’ home field, known as Death Valley: “They throw a very simple but very effective passing game . . . screens, draws--a lot of draws, a lot of screens. Different type screens. They do a good job with the screens, and a post-type drag route that’s very effective against anybody that plays football now if you read it right.”

Got that?

Trivia Answer: All three played at the University of Washington.

Quotebook

Ron Rothstein, coach of the Miami Heat: “Our 9-through-12 people are probably as good or better than anybody else in the league. It’s 1 through 8 where you have the problem.”