“Batman” may have enjoyed a boffo opening...

“Batman” may have enjoyed a boffo opening at the box office, but there was at least one dissenter in West Hollywood. The joker sprayed a logo of the caped crusader, with a line slashing through the middle, on a Melrose Boulevard sidewalk.

Now begins the third annual search for the nation’s biggest sports nut.

It’s sponsored by Fisher Nuts, of course. No Southern Californian has won yet, but Mike Zimmerman of Temple City finished in the top six in 1987.

Zimmerman’s most impressive performances, according to Fisher:

--”Proposed to wife in bed during Mets-Phillies game.”

--”Changed into wedding tux at Willie Mays’ old locker.”

--”Marched toward Candlestick Park’s home plate to the tune of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame.’ ”

--”Married wife Beverly in the batting cage.”

Only in West L.A. (a subdivision of this column): When Loews’ luxury Santa Monica Beach Hotel held its opening ceremonies the other day, the guests included a nutritionist who lectured on the difference between “good and bad beach lunches.”

People seem willing to spend more than ever these days on pet care--both temporal and eternal.

D & D Inc. of Vernon, an animal disposal service, says an increasing number of owners are opting for a unique service.

For a charge of between $50 and $100, depending on the size of the animal, D & D will cremate a pet and then deliver the ashes to the owner’s home in a metal tin, via United Parcel Service.

“We use UPS because it’s more economical for us and for the pet owner,” said general manager Bill Gorman. “We serve such a wide area it would be too expensive for us to try to deliver them personally to each home.”

Gorman said that “UPS was kind of apprehensive at first about handling pet remains. But they’ve been very good. We’ve had only one mis-delivery in five years.”

Nickname: The Big Daddy Institute.

The late state Assembly Speaker and state treasurer has been honored by USC, which is renaming its Institute of Politics and Government in honor of Jesse Unruh.

Ironically, the 250-pound-plus Unruh was seen as something of a radical during his student days at USC because of his liberal views.

“He was the most successful political figure to graduate from USC,” said political consultant Joe Cerrell. “Not bad for a guy who once told me that he was so poor growing up that he couldn’t go to grade school every day because he had to share his overalls and shoes with the other children in the family.”

Will relocate from 77 Sunset Strip:

A classified ad in a recent edition of the International Herald Tribune, the overseas English-language newspaper, read: “Major 60s TV/Movie Star wishes to direct/act in Europe. Edd (Kookie) Byrnes, P.O. Box 1623, Beverly Hills CA 90213.”