Kewpie Dolls Have Come Long Way Since Nadia Scored a 10

The recent defection of Romania’s Nadia Comaneci calls to mind her sudden rise as the world’s premier female gymnast in the 1976 Olympic Games at Montreal, and how it caught many journalists off guard. Or at least ill-informed.

One reporter recalls wandering through the Olympic press center one afternoon and being attracted to a gathering of U.S. sportswriters receiving a lecture from another sportswriter, the late columnist Dick Young of the New York Daily News. Young was known for his meat-and-potatoes approach to sports coverage and was telling his audience they should have the good sense not to waste time covering Olympic events such as “girls’ ” gymnastics.

“Your papers didn’t send you guys here to write about Kewpie dolls,” Young said.

The reporter, treating Young’s speech as you might a negative review by your least-favorite movie critic, decided he would go to the gymnastics that night and see if there was anything to write about.

He didn’t have a special ticket that would get him good seating in the press area, but that turned out to be no problem, since the U.S. press seating area was almost empty.

It also turned out to be the night that Nadia Comaneci performed the first perfect 10 in Olympic history.

Trivia time: Cinzano--a purportedly dead 4-year-old champion colt--won a race on Sept. 23, 1977, at Belmont Park under the name of Lebon, a 57-1 shot. Who was indicted on Dec. 2, 1977, as a result?

Double indemnity: Mike Dement, Cornell basketball coach, after a 108-56 loss to Syracuse Wednesday night: “It’s good to know New York has a third NBA franchise. They were trapping with 6-10 and 6-11 NBA guys, and we have a 6-foot guy who’s going to be selling insurance next year.”

Add mismatches: Gary Zarecky, U.S. International basketball coach, after his Gulls gave up an NCAA-record 97 points in the first half before losing, 173-101, to Oklahoma Wednesday night: “What we’ve built the past four years we lost tonight.” One wonders how much the Gulls actually had to lose; they were the victims last season when Loyola Marymount set the then-NCAA record of 94 points in a half and won, 181-150.

Making scents: Muhammad Ali, hawking the cologne that bears his name, on why there will never be a Joe Frazier cologne: “It wouldn’t smell good.”

Call it what you will: Detroit rookie Barry Sanders on the Lions’ Silver Stretch offense: “Being a running back, it doesn’t really matter what offense I’m in. I just like to run.”

At loggerheads: Who was hired Friday as coach of the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team? Steve Axman, of course.

Trivia answer: Veterinarian Mark Gerard.

Quotebook: The Seattle SuperSonics’ Dale Ellis, on his specialty, the three-pointer: “Three-pointers are like dunks. They can deflate an opponent. They’ll give up for a short spell, and that’s all it takes.”