Jockey Strike Over, One Loser Is Irate

The 13-day strike by New York jockeys ended Tuesday, but according to Manny Topol of Newsday, it didn’t end the bad feelings of substitute jockey Roger Velez.

Of the regular, returning jockeys, Velez said: “They’re nothing but jealous. They’re a bunch of antiques. (Angel) Cordero should retire. He’s a great rider, but when you come down to it, if you don’t have the tools, you can’t go to work.” He called the regular jockeys “overpaid brats.”

Cordero, 46, responded: “I have no words for somebody who is nothing. I might be an antique, but its better to be somebody than to never have been.”

Got it.

No stupid pet tricks here: Late Night Dave, a 3-year-old colt, is not as successful as his namesake, talk-show host David Letterman. In 14 starts, the colt is winless with only $770 in earnings, according to Thoroughbred Racing Communications, which for some reason has kept a close watch on Late Night Dave’s career.

Recently, Late Night Dave was retired from racing and now, appropriately, is a show horse, a career he may be better suited for, according to the horse’s former owner, Michael Dennis.

“(Late Night Dave) is a real character and a neat individual--he tries to talk to you when you go near him in the stall,” Dennis said.

sg

Wait a minute: Some Edmonton residents apparently are glad that Wayne Gretzky is gone.

Said Nancy Simmer, an Edmonton taxi driver: “We had begun to take him for granted. Now it’s more exciting with the young players and not knowing how well they’ll do. Of course, we may miss some things we’ve gotten used to.”

Such as Stanley Cup victory parades?

Add Edmonton: The Oilers, minus Gretzky, were 6 for 71 this season on the power play before their game against the Buffalo Sabres Friday night, when the Oilers scored 5 power-play goals, tying a club record.

Trivia Time: The Clippers had five first-round draft selections in the last two college drafts. Name them. (Answer below.)

Just in case you missed them--here are a few of the prominent off-season player moves in the National Basketball Assn.:

--Rebounding champion Michael Cage is in Seattle, not Los Angeles.

--Rebounding runner-up Charles Oakley is in New York, not Chicago.

--Bill Cartwright is in Chicago, not New York.

--Moses Malone and Reggie Theus are in Atlanta, not Landover, Md., and Sacramento, respectively.

--Otis Thorpe is in Houston, not Sacramento.

-- Walter Davis is in Denver, not Phoenix.

--Tom Chambers is in Phoenix, not Seattle.

--K.C. Jones is in retirement, not coaching the Boston Celtics.

--The Detroit Pistons and Darryl Dawkins are in Auburn Hills, not Pontiac, Mich.

Trivia Answer: The Clippers chose Reggie Williams with the fourth pick, Joe Wolf with the 13th and Ken Norman with the 19th in the 1987 draft, then selected Danny Manning first and Hersey Hawkins sixth this year. In a three-team draft-day trade, they traded the rights to Hawkins and Michael Cage for the rights to Charles Smith, chosen No. 3 by the Philadelphia 76ers, and Gary Grant, chosen No. 15 by the Seattle SuperSonics.

Quotebook

Coach Terry O’Reilly, after his Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-2, at Toronto Wednesday night:

“As a group, we’ve handled more pressure than (the Maple Leafs) have. But you should see us in Edmonton--it’s like a bunch of kids going on the ice. Those Stanley Cups count for something.”