Hey, Did Anybody Get Number of That Runaway Redskin?

When running back Gerald Riggs of the Washington Redskins ran into a pickup truck after being chased out of bounds in practice, he put such a dent in the door that it wouldn’t open. Also, the rear window caved in.

Said Redskin assistant coach Don Breaux: “Man, it looked like a rhinoceros hitting a truck in one of those ‘Wild Kingdom’ shows.”

The truck belonged to WTTG-TV engineer Dave Lewis, who said it will cost $1,370 for repairs.

Lewis told the Washington Post: “You know. I went out to get three estimates, and the minute I pulled into the parking lots of each place, they’d say, ‘Hey, I saw that truck get leveled on TV.’

“While one guy’s doing an estimate, another guy’s on the phone saying to his friends, ‘Guess what car just came in?’

“Not one of them stopped to say, ‘How’s the player?’ ”

He’s fine. Not a scratch.

It’s sure-fire: When Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times predicted that the Seattle SuperSonics would trade Alton Lister to the Golden State Warriors, he did so after SuperSonic General Manager Bob Whitsett had denied that such a deal was in the making.

After the deal was made, Kelley said: “If Whitsett denies trade speculation, that means there will be a trade. It’s called deceivability. I think the Nixon Administration invented it.”

Whitsett’s nickname? Unbelievable Bob.

Trivia time: Next to Lou Gehrig, who won three, what New York Yankees’ first baseman has won the most American League home run titles?

What a guy: Cincinnati relief pitcher Rob Dibble claims his reputation as a hothead and a brawler is overblown, but he admits that one of his childhood heroes was Philadelphia hockey star Bobby Clarke, now the general manager of the Flyers.

Dibble: “I loved that guy because he had no teeth and he was a maniac.”

Ouch: Wrote Larry Guest of the Orlando Sentinel after noting that Gary Carter had won the Roberto Clemente Award: “The award is given each year to the player who ‘best exemplifies the game of baseball both on and off the field.’ Among the past winners who exemplified the game on and off the field were Pete Rose and Steve Garvey.”

Good ol’ Joe: Bob Oates’ story on gambling in sports Wednesday recalled this classic line by former Detroit Lions Coach Joe Schmidt when quarterback Bill Munson was summoned to testify in a gambling inquiry: “Munson hasn’t done anything wrong. I’d bet my house on it.”

Here’s a twist: O. J. Simpson, giving the San Francisco 49ers a good chance to repeat, told USA Today: “They just may have benefited from Bill Walsh leaving. It’s tougher to repeat with the same staff. They might have a better chance than most teams trying to repeat because of a change in coaching.”

Interesting theory, but don’t try selling it in Green Bay.

Trivia answer: Wally Pipp, with two.

Quotebook: Hubert Mizell of the St. Petersburg Times, on the hair styles of Ivan Lendl and Larry Bird: “I’ve see better haircuts on death row.”