This Steinbrenner Deal Helped Produce a World Series Title

Whatever you do to celebrate the summer solstice, don’t call up New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and say, “Happy anniversary.”

One year ago today, New York traded Rickey Henderson to the Oakland Athletics for Greg Cadaret, Eric Plunk and Luis Polonia.

Trivia time: What school has produced the most NBA rookies of the year?

Don’t touch that dial: Ever wonder what thousands of Southern California baseball fans, who followed the Dodgers on KFI in 1960 through ‘74, must think when they see the station’s latest billboard and bus advertising campaign? The signs say:

WANNA DODGE BASEBALL?

KFI 640

MORE Stimulating TALK RADIO

Yeah, they’re probably right. When you think about it, listening to Tom Leykis chew out a housewife in West Covina is much more stimulating than anything that happened while KFI had the Dodgers: four National League championships and two World Series championships, Maury Wills’ 104 stolen bases in 1962, Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1965, Don Drysdale’s 58 2/3 consecutive shutout innings in 1968. . . .

Wait a minute: Glenn Dickey, the San Francisco Chronicle columnist, writes in Inside Sports’ July NFL preview that the word unstoppable is “usually not bandied about the National Football League, the birthplace of parity and 8-8 playoff teams.”

A check of “The National Football League Record and Fact Book” shows that since the NFL began its 16-game regular-season format in 1978, only one 8-8 team, the 1985 Cleveland Browns, has made the playoffs.

School figures: Richard L. Shook of UPI asks: “Does any high school whose graduates play in the major leagues have more home runs than Nogales High?” Shook notes that Detroit’s Cecil Fielder and Mark Salas both attended Nogales. Their total is 30--Fielder 25, Salas 5.

Sign of the times: The Associated Press reported this week that the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., has called off the autograph session that has been part of its induction ceremonies since 1982.

Actually, the session has been suspended for 1990. But don’t count on a comeback.

In recent years, crowds lining up for signatures of returning Hall of Famers have grown to 2,000. Village residents have complained of property damage caused by fans who spent the night outside the hotel where the event was held.

But the Hall of Fame’s main concern is staying out of the collectibles game. Said Bill Guilfoile, the shrine’s associate director: “We felt more and more people in line were dealers and youngsters getting autographs for dealers to sell rather than for their own gratification.”

Trivia answer: North Carolina, with four: Bob McAdoo (Buffalo, 1972-73); Walter Davis (Phoenix, 1977-78); Phil Ford (Kansas City, 1978-79); Michael Jordan (Chicago, 1984-85).

Quotebook: Terry O’Neil, executive producer of NBC Sports: “Do you know the most intimidating thing in sports today? It’s dressing for a press conference with Pat Riley.”