Boyfriend Says Graf Is Stealing Money

Is Steffi Graf stealing money? The way her boyfriend tells it, she is.

Alexander Mronz, 24-year old West German who plays on the men’s tennis circuit, told USA Today he didn’t think much of the women’s circuit.

“It is not tennis, it is Ping-Pong,” he said. “With the exception of a few, the big money the women make is a scandal. Every man has to fight 100% in the first round, and some of the girls, they don’t even sweat and they make millions.”

Last year, Graf earned $1,378,128. Mronz, ranked 165th among the men, earned $29,607.

“I don’t want Steffi’s money,” he said. “I make my own money. What I need is a coach, but I can’t afford a coach.”

Now-it-can-be-told Dept.: From NBC basketball analyst Al McGuire, revealing that he once auditioned for the role of the coach on “Cheers,” figuring he was a natural:

“Hey, I coached for 25 years and tended bar for six. We’re not talking about doing “Hamlet,” or even Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee.”

Trivia time: Who was the only player in the NBA to score 40 or more points for two different teams this season?

Slugabed: Said Charlie Whittingham, 76-year-old trainer of Sunday Silence, after arriving for work at 5:15 a.m. at Belmont Park: “There’s not enough to keep me busy. Back home, with a barn full of horses, I’m there by 4:30.”

Es verdad: From Chicago White Sox outfielder Ivan Calderon, a native of Puerto Rico, on the language barrier:

“When I came here, I didn’t know a word of English and didn’t know what to expect. But I met a guy on the plane who told me, ‘Your bat and your glove speak fluent English.’ I’ve never forgotten that.”

For what it’s worth: Sparky Anderson isn’t the first Detroit manager to take a leave of absence during the season. In 1936, after the Tigers had won two straight American League titles, player-manager Mickey Cochrane was checked into a sanitarium following a nervous breakdown.

Scheduled to manage the American League team in the All-Star game, Cochrane gave way to New York Manager Joe McCarthy.

The following year, Cochrane almost was killed when beaned by Yankee pitcher Bump Hadley. Cochrane recovered from a fractured skull but never played again. He was 34.

Add Sparky: If he caught all the baseball on TV during his convalescence, he was probably watching wistfully. Among those hitting homers last week were Darrell Evans of the Atlanta Braves, Lance Parrish of the Angels, Kirk Gibson of the Dodgers and Howard Johnson of the New York Mets. All are former Tigers.

Solid, man: Most of the those who have watched George Foreman on the comeback trail figure he could lose at least 20 pounds. Foreman sees it just the other way. He told the New York Times he’s lifting weights to get his weight up.

“I want to be big when I fight Mike Tyson,” he said. “Like 263 pounds. But that’s a solid 263.”

Fast, man: How fast is Deion Sanders, the Florida State athlete who must decide whether he wants to play defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons or outfield for the New York Yankees--or both?

Said Carl Peterson, president of the Kansas City Chiefs, after Sanders ran the 40-yard standard test in 4.27 seconds at the National Football League tryout camp: “Deion borrowed tennis shoes, ran one 40, gave the guy his shoes back so he could run, then borrowed them again, ran a second time, and left. Nobody has ever run that fast in the history of the workouts.”

Trivia answer: Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings.

Quotebook: Longtime minor league manager Rocky Bridges, turning down a waiter’s suggestion of snails for an appetizer: “I prefer fast food.”