Even in Coaching Days, He Was Known for His Use of Language

Buddy Ryan, fired as Philadelphia Eagles coach last season, is trying to break into journalism. He was recently paid $500 to critique the NFL draft for the New York Times.

Ryan is no Red Smith, but the man does have opinions.

Of the Raiders drafting Todd Marinovich with the 24th pick, he wrote:

“I honestly don’t know what Al Davis was thinking when he picked this kid in the first round. The Raiders need a new starting quarterback; that was painfully obvious in last year’s playoffs. But Marinovich is not going to help them this year. The guy deserved to be drafted, but not in the first round.”

--Ryan on Raghib Ismail:

“Don’t be saddened that the Rocket will touch down first in Canada. Any team that would have drafted him early would have made a mistake.”

--Ryan on the first round, which took five hours to complete.

“If the general managers and the head coaches had done their homework, we wouldn’t have been subjected to the most boring first round in NFL history.”

Ryan, ever the needler, criticized his former team for dealing next year’s No. 1 draft pick to trade up for Tennessee offensive tackle Antone Davis. Ryan, however, praised former Bounty Bowl buddy, Coach Jimmy Johnson, for the Dallas Cowboys’ draft.

Add Ryan: The National reports that Ryan is peddling his writing services to other newspapers. An anonymous Eagle front-office man, however, doubts Ryan scripts his own material.

“Buddy is not a literate man,” the source said.

Trivia time: In 1920, the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves played a 26-inning game, the longest in major league history. What two things were unusual about the event?

Only his hairdresser knows: Some people tune in to the NFL draft coverage every year to hear the opinions of ESPN’s draft analyst, Mel Kiper Jr. Others, such as Bob Kravitz of the Rocky Mountain News, tune into to see what’s new with Kiper’s hair.

“It changes every year,” Kravitz writes. “You never know what to expect. In fact, it’s like a living Rorschach test: Every time you look at Mel’s hair, you see something different. A butterfly. A third-round draft choice. A cloud.”

Oops Dept.: Jockey Johnny Longden was probably shocked to read the other day in an Associated Press story that he was dead. Longden is retired and living in California.

Public relations nightmare: It might be some time before the Atlanta Falcons recover from their 10th-round selection of receiver Walter Sutton who, next January, is due to start serving a nine-year sentence for dealing crack cocaine.

Glenn Sheeley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently listed 10 reasons why the Falcons took Sutton. His top three:

3. Fans already know him from his post office photo.

2. The chance to market “Crime Time” with “Prime Time” (Deion Sanders) was too good to pass up.

1. No Falcon is wearing Jersey No. 8766442.

For what it’s worth: The California League Newsletter reports there are 150 former California League players in the major leagues today or, 23% of all big leaguers. It breaks down to 87 in the American League, 63 in the National League, with at least one former California League player on each team.

Next week: California League players who never made it.

Trivia answer: Leon Cadore of the Dodgers and Joe Oeschger of the Braves each pitched 26 innings in the 1-1 tie. Also, only three baseballs were used. Today, five dozen are prepared for a game.

Quotebook: Kansas City Royal first baseman Warren Cromartie, on being back in the major leagues after a tour in Japan: “This if the first time I’ve ever played in the United States. I’ve played in Montreal, Venezuela, Japan and Alaska.”