Commentary : Another Tall Tale About Boston Garden

Funniest story read during a two-day stay in Boston was a yarn about a series of towers rising above an expanded new $750 million Boston Garden.

In the early ‘60s they began talking about doing something about Goopy Gardens, and it will be another quarter-century before anything gets done.

Detroit Coach Chuck Daly on the rough-guy reputation his Pistons have: “We play playoff style basketball every night, and a lot of teams don’t. That’s the bottom line. It’s a self-serving league. Every time there’s talk about changing things, it’s by coaches who don’t have the kind of team that works.”

The name of the Ethiopian who figures to win the London Marathon Sunday and make it 4 for 4 in victories by runners from the small African nation is Wodajo Bulti.

With NBA players cleared to play in the Olympics, Pan Am Games and the World Championships, pretty soon they’ll be eligible for the NCAA tourney.

Charles Barkley is always good for at least one outrageous statement per week. The star of the Philadelphia 76ers screamed at an official as he headed for the bench with his fifth foul and Bob Thornton got up to replace him: “You think these people are paying money to see him play?”

The Pistons are 25-8 in road games when they travel to the game on their private jet, 0-6 when going commercial. ... Detroit was 26-5 after picking up Mark Aguirre. ... “Ralph Tin Tin” is a Boston writer’s pet name for Ralph Sampson.

While baseball salaries were shooting up 15 percent overall, the Orioles cut their payroll about 48 percent and picked up a healthy infusion of enthusiasm along the way. Maybe they should get to work on the federal deficit.

New York City has landed a major international track meet in July, and it has CBS lined up for 90 minutes of coverage the next day. The expensive undertaking has no sponsor yet, but meet organizer Fred Lebow of the New York Road Runners sees no problem. “If you believe in an event, money is secondary,” he said. In other words, Lebow has a bunch of friends only too happy to part with a million or so.

Sugar Ray Leonard, training in Palm Beach, Fla., for “The War” against Tommy Hearns June 12, was invited to a cookout honoring vice president Dan Quayle the other evening, and crack publicist Charlie Brotman spent hours checking out protocol. “You address him as ‘Mr. Vice President,’ ” said Brotman, “until he says, ‘Call me Dan.’ He never did.”

Good line from Charlotte Hornets Coach Dick Harter on the occasion of the team’s 20th victory: “We’re waiting on a bid from the NIT.”

Volleyballers Pat Powers and Jon Stevenson won two of three Cuervo Gold Crown tournaments last year and split $120,000. Yet, when the lads get back in action May 5-6 in Clearwater, Fla., they’ll be showing up with different partners. Now that’s a falling out.