Here’s a Stupid Pest Trick: Trying to Get Rid of Don King

James (Buster) Douglas spent his first day as world heavyweight champion in New York, where he was interviewed during a taping of “Late Night With David Letterman.”

As Douglas left his hotel for the taping, he encountered promoter Don King, adviser to former champion Mike Tyson.

“I just came to see my man,” King said upon meeting Douglas.

Douglas, who knocked Tyson out in the 10th round in Tokyo Sunday, walked onto the “Late Night” stage wearing a gray suit and his International Boxing Federation championship belt.

Douglas told Letterman that his next opponent could be Tyson or Evander Holyfield, the No. 1-ranked contender.

“Whoever comes up with the most money,” Douglas said.

Letterman said: “I know what I’d do if I was you. I’d go out and make some money. I’d find some bums and start turning lights out left and right.”

Sound familiar?

Trivia time: On Feb. 15, 1980, who set an NHL record for a rookie by getting seven assists in a game?

Surf’s up: Last July 4, during the running of a 400-mile race at Daytona International Speedway, security guards found a man in a bathing suit wandering around the infield.

He said he he had ended up in a long line of cars and thought the tunnel entrance to the infield was a beach ramp. He paid the admission, thinking it was the ramp toll. Track officials gave him a refund and pointed him toward the beach, about three miles to the east.

Add Daytona: Telephone operators at the speedway say the two most frequently asked questions this week are, “How long does the 24 Hours of Daytona last?” and “How many miles is the Daytona 500?”

Therein lies the rub: Jim Leyland, manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, on sitting next to Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Bubby Brister at a sports banquet: “All these women flocked around Bubby. I said, ‘What about me?’ One said, ‘I want to smell cologne, not Ben-Gay.’ ”

Getting a grip: What would be the worst effect of a spring training lockout on hitters? Said Barry Weinberg, trainer for the Oakland Athletics: “You’ve got to toughen the hands. It’s a physical process the hands have to go through, a period of time spent hitting. You don’t develop calluses and hardness without that.”

Trivia answer: Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers, who beat the Washington Capitals, 8-2, at the Northlands Coliseum.

Quotebook: A recent banquet speech by Gregg Olson, reliever for the Baltimore Orioles: “I’m a short reliever, and to your relief, I’m being short--I’m finished.”