Coach Gave Ryan a Run for No Money

When Nolan Ryan was a senior at Alvin High School in Texas, his team lost its first two games in district play.

Former Alvin coach Jim Watson told the Houston Chronicle this week: “I made them run until they dropped.”

Watson feels the punishment might have cost Ryan a hefty bonus. The next day, Bing Devine, then the general manager of the New York Mets, made a surprise visit to Alvin to see Ryan pitch. Devine was thinking of making Ryan his No. 1 draft choice.

Watson apologized to Ryan for making him run so much and asked if he could pitch. Ryan said yes.

Wrong answer. Watson took Ryan out of the game in the second inning when he was trailing, 6-0. The Mets picked Ryan in the eighth round.

Said Watson: “It was the worst he had ever pitched in his life.”

Trivia time: Which golfer holds the record for most holes in one as a professional?

The heat is on: After analyzing his team’s recent slump, Boston Red Sox catcher Tony Pena is ready to predict the outcome of the American League East.

Said Pena: “The main thing is that we’ve lost all these games and the funny thing is we’re only one game out.

“In this division, not too many clubs are playing well. Everybody is there. I say it’s going to be a six-way tie.”

Naked reverse: When the Cleveland Browns’ training camp opened this week, quarterback Bernie Kosar was ready to go. The trouble was, someone had called the Browns saying that Kosar had agreed to do a television commercial and would need his pads. The caller told the team where to send them.

The Browns sent the pads. The “commercial” turned out to be a hoax.

Said Kosar: “They’re somewhere in North America. They sent them out about a month ago. Supposedly, they’re on their way back.”

Traffic advisory: Now that Alex Stewart has signed to fight Mike Tyson on Sept. 22, Stewart’s manager, Jim Fennel, has issued a warning to Tyson’s people.

Said Fennel: “They think the road back has a little pebble called Alex Stewart. Alex Stewart is the dead end.”

For show, for dough: For those having trouble selecting just the right golf ball, the choice has suddenly become tougher.

This week, Christie’s auctioned off a feather-filled ball, made by Allan Robertson of St. Andrews, circa 1840, to an English collector for $25,000.

The unused ball was offered in the firm’s sale of early equipment and memorabilia at St. Andrews, Scotland, during the British Open.

Semantics of the Year: Tuesday, the Major Indoor Soccer League announced its 1990 rookie of the year and newcomer of the year.

According to the MISL, that’s not a redundancy. You see, the former is given to the outstanding player in his first year of competition in professional soccer. The latter goes to the outstanding player in his first year of competition in the MISL.

St. Louis Storm forward Terry Brown won the rookie award, and teammate Claudio DeOliveira won the newcomer title.

Not the other way around.

Trivia answer: Art Wall Jr., 37.

Quotebook: New York Giant Coach Bill Parcells, on Philadelphia Eagle Coach Buddy Ryan’s 30-pound weight loss in an off-season contest: “The other coaches have a new nickname for him now: Bud Light.”