In His Case, Only the Air Truly Was Hot

Promoter Don King, asked about his acrimonious relationship with Bill Cayton, estranged manager of Mike Tyson, told Reuters, “I don’t have anything against Cayton.”

What about all those things King said about Cayton last year?

King: “You mean when I said he was an inveterate liar and a Satan in disguise? That stuff? I didn’t mean anything personal.”

Add King: Phil Jackman of the Baltimore Evening Sun calls him “the man who knows a million words, many of which he uses correctly.”

More King: He’s promoting Jose Ribalta of Argentina as a future opponent for Tyson, and he hired an interpreter to translate for Ribalta at a news conference.

Said Alan Goldstein of the Baltimore Sun: “Ribalta stood before the microphone and spoke fluent English for a minute. Perhaps the interpreter was there to translate into Spanish?”

Add Tyson: He said he gave up drinking after ballooning to 276 pounds between the Michael Spinks and Frank Bruno fights.His favorite drinks were Mexican beer and Long Island iced tea--a concoction of liquors and fruit juices.

“Long Island iced tea and Coronas were my downfall,” he said.

Trivia time: Name the only major league player to hit 40 or more home runs in a season in both leagues.

Honest cowboy: Before the All-Star game, Disneyland honored Gene Autry with a big bash featuring the Disneyland dancers and singers and waitresses dressed in saloon-girl attire.

Autry surveyed the scene and said, “I never saw so many pretty girls. It’s like looking at a garden of flowers.”

After a pause, he said, “Well, maybe there are a few weeds out there.”

Bo’s lament: The way Bo Jackson sees it, he will never be a threat to Roger Maris’ record unless they pull in the fences at Royals Stadium.

“You have to hit the ball out of the state,” he said. “What is it, two miles to the power alleys here? If the ballpark weren’t so big, the games wouldn’t last so long.”

Add Bo: Said Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett after the All-Star game: “The guy’s awesome. He almost blew out my shoulder when I tried to give him a little high-five. I think my shoulder might be separated.”

Trivia answer: Darrell Evans. He hit 41 homers at Atlanta in 1973 and 40 at Detroit in 1985.

Quotebook: Pitcher Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers: “Writers like to say they’ve seen a lot of players come and go. I’ve seen a lot of writers come and go.”