Media Duffers Prompt King to Swing Back

When Bruce Berlet of the Hartford Courant asked Betsy King, the 1989 LPGA Player of the Year, for her views on public acceptance of women’s professional golf, she didn’t mince words.

Said King: “I’m getting more recognition (from fans), but it’s upsetting sometimes when people (in the media) haven’t done their homework. Part of that is the media is dominated by males and--I hate to say this--often send the middle-of-the-barrel reporters to cover our tournament, or guys who do hockey in the winter.

“Once last year after I’d won four events, someone asked me, ‘What kind of year you having?’ Ever hear a pitcher with a 20-4 record asked what kind of year he’s having?”

Trivia time: Name the only major leaguer to hit 50 or more home runs and not bat .300 in the same season.

“Loves” isn’t the word: Don’t try to win a bet with this one, but Pete Najarian may be working on a record.

The third-year linebacker, who was cut Monday by Tampa Bay, has been cut nine times in his NFL career, three times by the Buccaneers, who originally signed him in February of 1988 after he was released five times by Minnesota and once by Seattle.

Said Buccaneer Coach Ray Perkins: “There’s a guy who loves the game of football.”

Hard burden to shift: In the fourth inning of Sunday’s Dodger-Met telecast on New York station WWOR, Ralph Kiner and Tim McCarver were at the microphones when the Mets’ Darryl Strawberry complained to plate umpire Charlie Williams about a called strike.

Kiner suggested that if Strawberry kept that up, he wouldn’t see many close pitches called in his favor.

Mike Hartley’s next pitch narrowly missed the inside corner. Catcher Mike Scioscia complained. McCarver, a former catcher, suggested that if Scioscia kept that up, he wouldn’t see many close pitches called in his favor.

Said Kiner: “Scioscia’s taken the onyx off Strawberry’s back.”

Geographobia: The “Please Don’t Move Here” sign has been up in Oregon for several years. So most Oregonians probably wouldn’t mind if more folks were like Cliff Robinson.

When he was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Connecticut in 1989, Robinson had only one question: Where is Portland?

“I was in the dark,” he said. “I actually thought it was below California, not above.”

Hit and run and hit: At the Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl Saturday, George Greco totaled his car in a collision with Jamie Marvin on the 12th lap of a 30-lap race.

Marvin drove away. So Greco stormed to the pit area and began punching it out with Marvin’s father.

The ensuing brawl involved about 50 people and had to be broken up by police using a Mace-like substance. Greco, who was unhurt in the crash, came away from the brawl with minor neck and back injuries. Greco and Marvin’s father were charged with breach of peace.

Track officials told the Associated Press they’ll re-run the race Sept. 22, probably without Greco and Marvin.

Trivia answer: Roger Maris of the New York Yankees in 1961, the year he set the single-season home run record of 61 and batted .269.

Quotebook: Former San Francisco 49er tackle Bob St. Clair, recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, when asked if players from his era could play today: “The question isn’t whether we could play today, the question is whether today’s player could play in our era.”