Horses Awaiting Air Transport Are Surely Missing the Boat

Trotters and pacers scheduled to run at Los Alamitos continue to get bumped . . . from their flights west.

Morning Briefing recently noted pacing mare Time For Toni’s stand-by status, which arose when her cargo plane from New York was rerouted to Saudi Arabia.

Since then, three more horses have had to wait because their planes were used for military transport to the Middle East. One trotter had to be scratched from a $15,000 event last Tuesday but will go to the post Tuesday.

The trotter’s name: I Envy Noah.

Trivia time: In 1989-90, Michael Jordan won his fourth consecutive NBA scoring championship, moving closer to Wilt Chamberlain, who won seven in a row from 1960-66. Which four players won three in a row?

“A Rison in the Sun”: The Atlanta Journal keeps asking for it. Not satisfied with the 1,168 responses to its request for new Falcon slogans, the paper recently ran a contest to name wide receiver Andre Rison’s touchdown dance.

Sorry, the deadline was Sept. 1.

First prize was two Falcon season tickets. And no wisecracks about second prize being four .

No Bo, no Boz, no Boss: In its list of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th Century, a special issue of Life magazine includes four from the world of sport: Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth.

The magazine consulted with a group of 60 historians and other experts. Albert Einstein was one of the 17 choices from science and medicine, and Elvis Presley was one of seven musicians, along with Louis Armstrong, Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Bing Crosby, Bob Dylan and Richard Rodgers.

Said Mary Steinbauer, editor of the special issue: “It’s a list of the most influential people of the past 100 years, not the most famous. In making our selections we looked at how our lives would be different if each of our honorees didn’t live.”

Call it the 4-and-7: Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle recently previewed the 1990 Texas Christian football team. He asked quarterback Matt Vogler, who is challenging Leon Clay for the starting job, to describe Coach Jim Wacker’s offense.

Said Vogler: “Well, it’s . . . uh . . . well, it’s sort of a wide-open, controlled thing. It used to be a run-and-shoot with a veer, but we don’t really use the veer part anymore, so we’re not a ‘triple shoot’ anymore. But we’re not a run-and-shoot, either. Not at all. But we are, sort of. . . . Well, let’s put it this way, we’re a passing offense.”

Add TCU offense: Feigen got this answer from starting quarterback Clay: “Well, uh, that’s a hard question. It’s sort of an offbeat run-and-shoot. Sort of.”

Last add TCU offense: Feigen then went to freshman Tim Schade, the third-team quarterback and Coach Wacker’s nephew.

Said Schade: “I don’t know what to call it. I like it, though.”

Two-way Patriot: New England Patriot linebacker Ed Reynolds, a member of the Army Reserve, recently was promoted to captain in a ceremony before an exhibition game against Cincinnati in Foxboro Stadium.

Although the Patriots would not have to pay him, and although he said that he would be willing to forgo his $265,000 salary, team officials announced last week that Reynolds would continue to receive his football checks if his unit were called to duty.

Trivia answer: George Mikan, Neil Johnston, Bob McAdoo and George Gervin.

Quotebook: Chicago Bear Coach Mike Ditka, explaining why he didn’t plan to visit his own exhibit at the Pro Football Hall of Fame: “Somebody’s probably whitewashed my bust.”