Golden Silence Was Tarnished by the Silver Tongue of Jones

The most quotable player in NBA history? That’s open to debate, but the most voluble must have been Edgar Jones, a 6-foot-10 forward from Nevada Reno who played for New Jersey, Detroit, San Antonio and Cleveland during a career that ended in 1986.

Here is one of Jones’ gems as unearthed by NBA News: “I’m not talking anymore. That’s it. No more words. It’s over. Want to know the deal? Mum is the word here. My game talks and my conversation walks. That’s food for thought for the people.

“All those fancy quotes were from my early days when I was a young buck. I’ve got to take all the brashness out of them now and give them a coat of coolness. Want to know why? Not that they’re not true. I have no limitations. It’s just that I’m basically a quiet guy who keeps to himself. I don’t like to talk.

“By the way, I’m probably retiring after the season because I can make more money outside of basketball. Want to know why? . . . “

Practical: Normally, the prize for a hole-in-one at a tournament is a new car. At the National Funeral Directors Assn. tournament, the prize was a $5,000 casket.

Teed off: From the owners of “The Brooklyn Dodger” tavern in Brooklyn after the Los Angles Dodgers threatened a suit over copyright infringement: “Thirty years ago, the O’Malleys economically and socially devastated Brooklyn. Now they’re returning like the Huns to see if any pennies dropped in their escape.”

Trivia time: Who holds the NBA record for most fouls?

Add forgettable quotes: Said senior golfer Frank Beard before the Tradition tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz.: “I don’t have any doubt in my mind that right now Lee Trevino is head and shoulders above Jack Nicklaus as a player.”

Said Raymond Floyd: “Jack’s going to do well, but Jack’s not going to beat Lee playing in just a few tournaments. You know it and I know it.”

In a tournament shortened to 54 holes because of rain, Nicklaus beat Trevino by 13 shots.

New toy: From Boston Celtic forward Kevin McHale, who suddenly has become one the NBA’s leading three-point shooters: “I should have been shooting threes my whole career. I started late. I didn’t realize how much fun it is to shoot threes. It’s kind of like a guy on his death bed discovering ice cream.”

Reaching out: Reliever Keith Comstock of the Seattle Mariners said he had so many crank calls during the lockout he finally had to change his phone number.

“One caller told me I was a spoiled, greedy brat and I had been spoiled my entire life. I finally had to say, ‘Mom, mom, calm down.’ ”

How-specialized-can-you-get Dept.: The Pittsburgh Pirates signed former relief ace Kent Tekulve as a coach. The club said Tekulve will work with pitchers with sidearm deliveries.

Trivia answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 4,657 fouls.

Quotebook: Buddy Baron of radio KSAN in Oakland, welcoming the end of the lockout: “Jose Canseco is already three weeks behind in bad publicity.”