Maker of Ram Souvenir Can’t Pull One Over on This Fan

Reader Nick Salata was browsing in the T-shirt section of the Glendale Sportmart when a “Rams Legends” shirt caught his eye.

He took a careful look at the names and drawings of the 11 legends: Elroy Hirsch, Tom Fears, Rosey Grier, Marlin McKeever, Tom Mack, Jack Snow, David (Deacon) Jones, Merlin Olsen, John Cappelletti, Jon Arnett and Bill Munson.

Add T-shirt: Salata said he was tempted to buy the shirt for its comic value, but decided that $12.96 was too much to pay for elevating quarterback Bill Munson (No. 11 on the Rams’ all-time passing yardage list) to legendary status, over Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin.

“Besides,” Salata said, “it didn’t even have Jack Youngblood, although it did show McKeever as No. 85, Youngblood’s number. McKeever was No. 86.”

Trivia time: After two games of the American League playoffs, Carney Lansford has a lifetime playoff batting average of .382 (21 for 55). Who has the highest playoff batting average for hitters with 50 or more at-bats?

Slam dunkin’: Vince Lascheid, the organist at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium, was ready for the Cincinnati Reds Monday.

Lascheid played “The Charleston” for Red pitcher Norm Charlton. He played “What’s New Pussycat?” for Red first baseman Hal Morris.

And he played the Dunkin’ Donuts jingle for Mariano Duncan, who went three for five with a home run and four runs batted in in Cincinnati’s 6-3 victory.

Sport and society: The Associated Press noted Sunday that it had been 15 years since ultra-marathon swimmer Diana Nyad tried to swim around Manhattan, only to call off the attempt after completing 20 of the 28 chilling miles in six hours.

Said Nyad: “I’m amazed that my involvement in such a minor, eccentric sport got such attention. I suppose in the mid-1970s it was symbolic. Women were making their mark in sports and my swimming gave respect to the new marathon ethic.”

The new what ?

Those eastern fans: Steve Kelley, Seattle Times columnist, visited former major leaguer Larry Parrish on a recent trip to Japan. During the 1989 Japanese season, Parrish led Cecil Fielder in home runs (42-38) and was leading again this year before knee problems forced him to retire.

Parrish on Japanses fans: “It sounds more like a college football crowd than a baseball crowd. They’re amazing here. We could be down, 10-1, in the seventh inning, and they’ll still be cheering.

“This definitely isn’t Philadelphia.”

Priceless remark: Late in the regular season, Pittsburgh center fielder Andy Van Slyke was batting .405 and had 27 RBIs whenever Doug Drabek was the Pirates’ starting pitcher.

Van Slyke told Pittsburgh writers: “(Drabek) told me he’d give me half of his Cy Young incentive bonus if he won it. I asked him how much it was, and he said, ‘Nothing.’ So I guess I’ll get a handshake and a phone call in the off-season.”

Trivia answer: Mickey Rivers tops the list at .386, followed by Lansford, Pete Rose (.381) and Dusty Baker (.371).

Quotebook: Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, on why he doesn’t think the drafting of underclassmen by the NFL will ruin college football: “If our game depends on young men sacrificing better opportunities, it deserves to go down the drain.”