It Has Been a Tough Job to Handle Since Rockne

Shortly after Notre Dame wrapped up college football’s 1988 national championship, a South Bend, Ind., radio station asked Coach Lou Holtz if he would lend his voice to a charity promotional. Holtz said he would.

When Holtz went to the station, he was accompanied by former Irish coach Ara Parseghian. Holtz was welcomed at the station by the program director who said, “Thanks for coming, Coach Faust.”

Holtz didn’t flinch. He no doubt wondered how he could be confused with Gerry Faust, but he didn’t say anything, and they did the promotional.

Just as he was leaving, Holtz called over the station manager and pointed to Parseghian.

“By the way,” he said, “have you had a chance to meet Frank Leahy?”

Sam’s sing: From Coach Sam Wyche, whose Cincinnati Bengals came within seconds of winning it all last season:

“What gets me is people come up to me and say, ‘Well, I hope you have a better season.’ Hey, we were 12-4, we won every home game and won more games than any team in football last year. And the tragedy is, we could have a better year, a better team and still not get back to the Super Bowl.”

Trivia time: Tim Kurkjian of the Baltimore Sun asks this one: “Before this year, five players had hit 20 or more homers in each of the last seven years. Name them.” Hint: You won’t even come close.

Now-it-can-be-told Dept.: Chicago sportscaster Johnny Morris, former receiver for the Chicago Bears, is a longtime horse racing enthusiast who has a race named for him, the Johnny Morris Handicap, at Arlington International.

Said Morris: “I had a natural interest in the sport and when I was with the Bears, I used to go to the track all the time with Jim Dooley, who later became the Bears’ head coach, and a teammate named Angie Coia, from USC.

“George Halas was coaching at the time and he used to say, ‘I don’t want you guys going to the track.’

“Then, about the third time I went, I walked up to the mutuel window to bet and who’s punching tickets but Frank Halas, George’s brother.”

Dept. of Irony: Coming out of Michigan State, Kirk Gibson opted for baseball rather than risk life and limb as a wide receiver in the National Football League. Baseball hasn’t been kind, however. Gibson has been on the disabled list seven times and never has played a full season. His best was 154 games. His average over the last seven seasons was 127 games.

Heavy price: Houston Oiler linebacker Eugene Seales was told to report at 250 pounds, but came in at 270 and it’s costing him.

Said Coach Jerry Glanville: “He’s on a special diet, but the other night people caught him eating in his car. Eugene loves food. But he also loves money, so I expect he’ll be losing the weight.”

Trivia answer: Cal Ripken Jr., Dwight Evans, Tom Brunansky, Fred Lynn and Dale Murphy.

Quotebook: Sam Snead, advising neophyte golfers to take it easy: “If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork the way they do a golf club, they’d starve to death.”