Babble of Hastings Is for Bird

Scott Hastings of the Miami Heat told the Sporting News that he often is mentioned in the same sentence with the Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird.

How’s that?

“They say, ‘Scott Hastings--he’s no Larry Bird.’ ”

Add Heat: Said Rory Sparrow after the Heat blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead and lost to the Sacramento Kings, 96-94: “We set the table, cooked all the food and let someone else come in and eat it.”

Add Sacramento: Said Roy S. Johnson of the Atlanta Journal: “Some people say the Kings have no plays. One of the Kings told me they have five plays; they just don’t run them very well.”

Trivia Time: What does Baltimore outfielder Jim Traber have in common with outfielder Phil Bradley, traded this week to the Orioles by the Philadelphia Phillies? (Answer below.)

Oops Dept.: Among the questions asked in “The Best of NFL Trivia,” a paperback published by the league, is, “Which is the oldest stadium in the NFL?” The answer given is Soldier Field (1926). What is the correct answer? (See Trivia Answer 2, below.)

Anyone notice that Miami’s Steve Walsh, who finished behind USC’s Rodney Peete and UCLA’s Troy Aikman in the Heisman Trophy voting, was named first-team quarterback on the Associated Press All-American team?

Peete was second string, and West Virginia’s Major Harris was third string, beating out Aikman, who figures to be the No. 1 draft choice.

It’s not the first time Heisman and All-American voters have been at odds. In 1956, Stanford’s John Brodie was the consensus All-American, but Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung won the Heisman.

Add Peete: When the Quarterback Club of Washington wrote to inform him that he was a candidate for its Quarterback of the Year Award, the letter began, “Dear Calvin.”

New York Yankees Manager Dallas Green, on the acquisition of Andy Hawkins from San Diego: “Andy Hawkins is going to be the anchor of our starting rotation. I love guys who like to compete. With him, we’ve done a lot to better the pitching staff and better the Yankees.”

Said Padre General Manager Jack McKeon, shrugging off the loss: “He’s going to win 12 to 15 games. If it’s more than that, you’re lucky. I’m sorry to lose him, but I don’t blame him.”

Add McKeon: Asked about San Diego’s acquisitions of first baseman Jack Clark and pitchers Bruce Hurst and Walt Terrell, he said, “We’ve helped ourselves, but I’d say the Dodgers are still favored. Let’s put the pressure on Tommy Lasorda.”

Trivia Answer: Both are former Big Eight quarterbacks, Traber at Oklahoma State and Bradley at Missouri.

Trivia Answer 2: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1922).

Don Cherry, a former National Hockey League coach who is now a TV analyst, on why he thinks not even Wayne Gretzky will be able to make Los Angeles a hockey town: “Because, after all, the two most popular things in L.A. are jogging and helping your divorced friends move.”

Quotebook

Trenton State basketball Coach Kevin Bannon, on career Division III scoring leader Greg Grant, who works summers in a seafood store: “My cholesterol level went down 30% while I recruited him.”