This List Is Easily One for the Books

Pat Williams, general manager of the Orlando Magic, offered the following reading suggestions:

--Frank Layden’s autobiography: “Famous Men Who Have Known Me.”

--Pat Riley, the great motivator, with a new anti-self help book entitled, “Your Crummy Life Will Never Change.”

--Gene Shue’s new book, which he was going to call, “Being Decisive,” but he changed his mind.

--Williams’ favorite book of the year, “Miracle of Helium.”

“I couldn’t put it down,” Williams said.

Promoter Don King once said of Bill Cayton, manager of Mike Tyson: “He’s Satan in disguise.”

King has called an audible.

Testifying in Tyson’s suit against Cayton in New York, King said, “The disguise in gone. He’s just Satan.”

sg

Add Tyson: Says sparring partner Rufus (Hurricane) Hadley, who also has worked with Frank Bruno: “I love Bruno like a brother, but bring a stretcher to ringside.”

Trivia Time: What five defensive players have been named most valuable player in the Super Bowl? (Answer below.)

Now-it-can-be-told dept.: Joe Namath told writer Shelby Strother of the Detroit News that the New York Jets kept secret an injury to future Hall of Fame receiver Don Maynard before Super Bowl III against Baltimore.

Early in the game, Maynard got open deep, but Namath overshot him by inches.

“It was still an important play,” Namath said. “Maynard was open. He got beyond their bomb-proof secondary. If his leg was healthy, we’d have scored. But he put the fear of God into them. It was a real show of courage, going all out like that. Because of that one play, they kept up their double coverage. That opened up things for George Sauer on the other side.”

Maynard didn’t catch a pass. Sauer caught 8 for 133 yards.

Add Namath: His father flew down from Pennsylvania to watch the game in the Orange Bowl, but his mother stayed home. Reason: She was afraid the plane would be hijacked to Cuba.

Add Maynard: He and Baltimore receiver Jimmy Orr had been roommates at an all-star game. Orr said: “He was a good guy, but you know what I remember most about him? He used Mexican dimes as quarters for the pay phone.”

Magic Johnson, on winning: “On the playgrounds in Lansing (Mich.), I never chose all-stars. I only chose the guys who wanted to win. With 65 guys out there, a lot of them the leading scorers on different teams, everybody just wanted to shoot. I just wanted to win and stay on the court all night.”

Add Forgettable Quotes: Wrote Times staffer Bob Oates in Sunday’s story on Super Bowl matchups: “The Bengal kickoff returner, Stanford Jennings, lacks explosiveness, but tries hard.”

Trivia Answer: Chuck Howley (Dallas), Jake Scott (Miami), Harvey Martin (Dallas), Randy White (Dallas), Richard Dent (Chicago).

Quotebook

Cincinnati Bengals Coach Sam Wyche, recalling his days as an assistant coach to Bill Walsh at San Francisco: “I was his sounding board for a new play. If I thought it wouldn’t work, it was in the game plan. Right now.”