Big Star Isn’t Pumped Up Yet for the Playoffs

“And high overhead, the Good . . . “

Not so fast. The Goodyear blimp Columbia is scheduled to provide aerial television shots of American League playoff Game 3 Tuesday. But that depends on whether the airship is still on the disabled list.

The blimp, struck in midair Sunday by a model airplane that tore a 3-foot-by-3-foot hole in its side, is scheduled to fly with a temporary patch from its base in Carson to the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro for repairs Thursday.

Said Bob Urhausen of Goodyear: “We hope to make it for the playoffs. It’s going to be tight.”

Trivia time: Name the only three NFL quarterbacks to throw for 400 yards and not complete a touchdown pass in a game.

Pointed profile: There’s a footnote to the episode at the Seattle Kingdome Monday night, in which Cincinnati Coach Sam Wyche barred Denise Tom, a USA Today reporter, from the Bengal locker room after his team’s loss to the Seahawks.

The Sept. 26 editions of the Seattle Times carried a feature on the Bengal coach. Its headline read: “Wacky Wyche.”

Appreciate the thought: Detroit Lion Coach Wayne Fontes said a man recently congratulated him for being the first Puerto Rican coach in the NFL.

Said Fontes: “He said his group was having a parade and he wanted me to be in it. I told him, ‘I’m Portuguese, not Puerto Rican, but I’ll still ride in your float.’ ”

Know when to hold ‘em: With unscrupulous hustlers infiltrating the collectibles market, it’s good to have Terry Strattan of Lake City, Fla., on the case. Strattan, a schoolteacher and a collector for 35 years, owns memorabilia valued at $1 million.

At Strattan’s baseball card collector’s club last week, eighth-grader Andy Rye told of his plans to hang onto a valuable Nap Lajoie.

Said Andy: “My Granny’s had it forever. It’s really (hers) but (she is) planning on letting me use it for college money.”

Strattan commended Andy for his patience and put out this warning to young kids: “Dealers will not give you what the card is worth.”

Add baseball cards: Strattan had another tip--buy the cards of Atlanta Braves’ rookie star Dave Justice.

Said Strattan: “Right now, it’s about 50 cents, but it’s going to skyrocket when he’s rookie of the year.”

Trivia answer: Bernie Kosar, Boomer Esiason, Joe Montana.

Quotebook: Golden State Warrior Coach Don Nelson, a candidate for the U.S. Olympic basketball coaching job in 1992, on why no trials are needed with NBA players eligible: “What are you going to get--a bad team?”