A Free Market or Just a Trip to the Market?

As Sunday’s Berlin Marathon field of 25,000 streamed through the Brandenburg Gate, into East Berlin and back, some runners toward the rear of the pack carried German flags, while others were dressed in festive and outrageous costumes.

The theme of the day was peaceful revolution and unification, but one runner focused on the wave of consumerism in East Germany’s new free-market economy. He ran the 26.2 miles pushing a grocery cart.

Trivia time: Name the only two major league players to hit 50 or more home runs in a season in which they struck out at least 100 times.

And Cal razed Arizona: Saturday, Oregon upset Brigham Young, which has Ty Detmer at quarterback, and Tennessee tied Auburn, coached by Pat Dye. John Nelson of Associated Press asked: “If ‘Ty Died in Eugene,’ then why not have ‘Dye Tied in Auburn?’ ”

It is family: For the past month, promotional organizations in Pittsburgh have been preparing to parlay the National League East title into a public relations campaign designed to showcase the city as a place to live, work or hold a convention.

As part of the festivities, travelers arriving at Greater Pittsburgh International Airport will be met by a robot dressed as a Pirate.

Engulfed in disbelief: Last Tuesday, the San Diego Chargers’ public-relations department got a call from Saudi Arabia.

On the line was an American soldier who said he bought 1990 season tickets before learning he would be shipped out.

Rob Boulware, Charger assistant publicist, said: “I gave him our rushing and receiving leaders and told him about the quarterback situation and all the scores.”

Boulware said the soldier had one question.

“How did we lose to Dallas?”

Make that five: Reader Dan Jenkins of Pacific Palisades was puzzled after seeing in last Friday’s Morning Briefing that ESPN commentator Bill Robinson said the Yankees were just four players away from contention--and that the players’ names were Mickey, Babe, Lou and Yogi.

Asked Jenkins: “Whatever became of Joe?”

It all adds up: Twin Peaksomaniacs, note well: Tonight’s opening of ABC’s “NFL Monday Night Football” will feature two characters from the series, FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean).

Two men. Two teams. Bengals and Seahawks. Both men root for the same team. Which team? No mystery. Think about it.

And while you’re at it, think about hype.

Rays of hope: In game 2 of the 1972 American League playoffs, a pitch by Detroit’s Lerrin LaGrow hit Oakland’s Bert Campaneris in the ankle. Campaneris threw his bat at LaGrow.

The incident cleared both benches. Tiger manager Billy Martin had to be restrained by three umpires. American League president Joe Cronin suspended Campaneris for the rest of the playoffs and fined him $500. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn reinstated the A’s shortstop for the World Series but suspended him for the first seven games of 1973.

Last week, Campaneris and LaGrow signed with the Sun City (Ariz.) Rays of the Senior Baseball League.

Trivia answer: Mickey Mantle, with 54 homers and 112 strikeouts in 1961; and George Foster, with 52 homers and 107 strikeouts in 1977.

Quotebook: Washington Redskin running back Earnest Byner, on the San Francisco 49ers: “Their secret, if that’s what you call it, is that they line up and knock you on your tail.”