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America’s Cup Sailors Don’t Want Any Part of This Race

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The Whitbread ‘Round-the-World sailing race doesn’t receive the hype that the America’s Cup does, but it is far more challenging.

From Angus Phillips of the Washington Post:

“The Whitbread’s second and longest leg, from Punta del Este, Uruguay, around the Cape of Good Hope to Fremantle, Australia, claimed the life of Briton Anthony Phillips, swept from Creighton’s Naturally when a wave washed him and a crewmate overboard.

“Phillips, 36, cousin to Princess Anne’s husband, Capt. Mark Phillips, apparently died of exposure in the 32-degree Southern Ocean in the half-hour it took to retrieve him.

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“He was the first Whitbread sailor to die at sea since 1973. Shipmate Bart van den Dwey, 25, was successfully resuscitated after 20 minutes in the water. Phillips was buried at sea.

“At least four other sailors fell overboard but were retrieved and revived. Others suffered broken bones and dislocations; boats and gear were battered as crews dipped into Antarctic latitudes seeking the shortest route through huge seas, fog and icebergs, a triple threat no America’s Cup sailor ever saw in his worst dreams.”

Trivia time: What teams played in the first game ever televised from the Rose Bowl?

It’s no problem: The most unusual signing in baseball Thursday was that of Dennis (Oil Can) Boyd by the Montreal Expos.

Boyd is plagued by what his new manager, Buck Rodgers, refers to as a “blood thing.”

It is actually a blood disorder that on three occasions has caused clotting in Boyd’s shoulder. Last season, he was 3-2 with a 4.42 earned-run average for the Red Sox, causing more problems off the field than he caused the hitters.

“If he keeps on his medication, he’ll be fine,” Rodgers said. “You just have to think all of this has matured him. And after dealing with guys like (Dennis) Martinez and (Pascual) Perez, we’re pretty good with people who have problems.”

All-star cast: Mike Ditka, coach of the Chicago Bears, recently said: “If I thought there was somebody else who could handle this job, let them handle it and I’ll step aside.”

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Chicago Sun-Times columnist Terry Boers took him up on it, offering suggestions:

“Coach Steve Garvey--He could be the new Papa Bear.”

“Coach Deborah Norville--She’s been replacing everyone else, so why not Ditka?”

“Coach Zsa Zsa Gabor--She knows a thing or two about the head slap.”

“Coach Leona Helmsley--Mean, spiteful and loves to treat people like dirt, so she’d fit right in.”

“Coach Curtis Strange--At least he knows how to win the Skins Game.”

The dean no more: Lee Trevino, who turned 50 last Friday and has joined the Senior Tour for the Kaanapali tournament: “For the first time in a long time, I’ll be playing against people my own age.”

Trivia answer: Los Angeles City College beat Pasadena City College, 32-6, on Oct. 25, 1947.

Quotebook: San Francisco 49er tackle Bubba Paris, on being called for two holding penalties against Atlanta: “Of course we hold. It’s because we’re getting older. It’s easier than blocking.”

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