For a Price Like That, Give Me Two

The Russians sent a yacht to compete in the America’s Cup, but it was never finished in time to make the starting line. When it was reported that the unfinished yacht was headed for a San Diego-area landfill, a British yachtsman shelled out $1 to save it.

Leonard Gulson wants the unfinished yacht as a high-performance sailing cruiser, said John Knight, president of Knight & Carver boatyard, which houses the sloop.

Gulson has deposited a $1 check with Knight & Carver to keep the 25-ton yacht from becoming junk. The boatyard took possession of the yacht when the Age of Russia team returned home, leaving unpaid bills behind.

Add yacht: The dollar is only the beginning. The boat probably will cost at least another $200,000, and perhaps $1 million or more to finish, Knight said.

There’s still a catch, however. The boat yard has paid a $25,000 refundable import bond to the U.S. Customs Service that required the boat be used only for racing, then exported or destroyed within a year.

Trivia time: Five drivers in the 1970 California 500, the first race at Ontario Motor Speedway, are entered in this year’s Indianapolis. Who are they?

Is enough enough?Former world motorcycle champion Wayne Gardner of Australia fell hard in this year’s first race and suffered a severely broken right leg. In contemplating whether he should resume racing, he said: “I want to live to be an old man and be fit to enjoy the fruits of my success. I love the sport, but I can’t keep doing this to my body.”

Gardner suffered a broken left leg twice in 1989, broken ribs in 1990 and broken bones in his feet three times.

Save our trees: When his father told him that he would have to pick up his broken wooden golf tees because they would be a problem for the mowers, Casey Golden came up with a better idea. He developed a biodegradable replacement that every golfer can leave on the tee.

“If everyone used our tees instead of wood tees, it would save about 40,000 birch trees, 18 inches in diameter and 45 feet tall,” Golden said.

Just wondering: If it is against the rules of baseball to block a runner from reaching first, second or third base, then why is it that a catcher is allowed to block a runner from home plate?

Money motivates: Pro golfer Andrew Magee recently played in a pro-am with Notre Dame football Coach Lou Holtz and the next day played a practice round with Lanny Wadkins. Asked if having Holtz as a partner proved motivational, Magee said: “No, losing $100 to Lanny is a lot more motivational than playing with Lou Holtz.”

Just one more: The Faroe Islands are petitioning to enter the Barcelona Olympics and have produced a 12-page booklet outlining their reasons. The Faroes, located north of Great Britain and southeast of Iceland, have only 47,000 inhabitants.

Spring clearance: Ohio State officials uncovered a new way to get rid of old uniforms, jerseys and other athletic paraphernalia. They held a garage sale and collected about $50,000.

No soft seat: The new Lola Indy car sits so low that Mario and Michael Andretti are almost in a prone position in the driver’s seat.

“We’re sitting down right on the carbon fiber,” Mario said. “Every time the car bottoms out, you get about 50 degrees of temperature change on your fanny.”

Saves on laundry: When Joaquin Andujar, a pitcher from the Dominican Republic, had a poor day on the mound, he would shower fully clothed. He claimed it “washed away the evil spirits that caused the losing performance.”

Trivia answer: Gordon Johncock, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Gary Bettenahusen and Johnny Rutherford.

Life’s not fair: “There’s no explanation why a Nolan Ryan can pitch for 25 years and not have any problems, and somebody like me pitch for six years and have three surgeries,” St. Louis pitcher Scott Terry complained. “I’ve had MRIs, arthrograms, CAT scans, all that kind of stuff.”

Change of heart: PGA champion John Daly now says he wants to marry Bettye Fulford, who filed a paternity suit against him last month. “We had a wonderful, romantic vacation in Venice,” said Daly, who is playing in the Italian Open. “The paternity suit has been dropped.”

Quotebook: Charles Barkley, in defense of Philadelphia 76er Coach Jim Lynam: “Knute Rockne couldn’t make that team win.”