Manager Almost Could Sink His Teeth Into This Argument

Just call Rafael Marcial Garmendia the Venezuelan Francis Thomas (Fay) Vincent.

Garmendia, president of his country’s Professional Baseball Assn., fined Domingo Carrasquel, manager of Cardenales de Lara, $1,000 for grabbing umpire Emilio Velazquez by the neck and making a move as if to bite him.

Velazquez called one of Carrasquel’s players out on a close play at first base in the eighth inning of a playoff game between Cardenales and Leones del Caracas.

According to the Associated Press, Carrasquel had to be restrained by players after he stormed the field, berated Velazquez and made his threatening gesture.

Garmendia explained: “We fined Carrasquel so that baseball rules and good sporting behavior in Venezuela would be maintained.”

Trivia time: Before New York Giant running back Ottis Anderson’s touchdown in Super Bowl XXV, when was the last time a player wearing No. 24 scored a touchdown in a Super Bowl?

Boys of the century: The Society of Baseball Researchers came up with a list of major leaguers who lived to be 100.

All three of them.

They were John Daley (1887-1988), who played 17 games at shortstop with the St. Louis Browns in 1912; Ralph Miller (1873-1973), a pitcher who appeared in 23 games with Brooklyn in 1898 and five with Baltimore in 1899; and Bill Otis (1889-1990), an outfielder who played four games with the New York Yankees in 1912.

Add 100-year-olds: Chester (Red) Hoff, the oldest living ex-major leaguer, will be 100 May 8.

In four seasons of pitching, Hoff was 2-4 overall, making 12 appearances with the Yankees from 1911-13 and 11 with the St. Louis Browns in 1915.

Collaring the press: Carol Brzozowski, a religion writer for the Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Sun-Sentinel, recently asked Fr. Leo Armbrust, the University of Miami football team chaplain, about Miami players’ habit of taunting their opponents, as in their victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Armbrust, who also serves as the media representative for the Archdiocese of Palm Beach, said:

“A good percentage of the team is black. They have a way of expressing their values, personalities and culture that a good part of society does not approve of. Why should it be a surprise to sportswriters that Miami could act in a way that seems taunting, aggressive, civilly offensive? Some people stand in support of 2 Live Crew because of the First Amendment rights and the freedom of expression. You can’t defend it on one hand and criticize it on another.”

Check out Darwin, dude: In Sydney, Australia, this week, the surfing magazine Get Wet News published the results of a survey in which the majority of 100 surfers between 16 and 35 said they preferred surfing to sex.

Reuters reported: “Larry Anderson, the magazine’s news editor, told reporters Tuesday that unless surfers changed their sexual habits their numbers could dwindle.”

Trivia answer: Super Bowl XXI, when Anderson scored the Giants’ final touchdown in their 39-20 victory over Denver.

Quotebook: Cincinnati Red Manager Lou Piniella: “I didn’t talk to any of my coaches all winter, but as soon as the Super Bowl was over, I called three of them and started getting ready for the season.”