Official Winner Gets Nixon, but the Real Winner Doesn’t

The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda is offering baseball fans what can only be described as a unique opportunity--to guess which players Nixon and his son-in-law, David Eisenhower, would include on their all-time favorite team.

Whoever guesses most accurately will earn an opportunity to talk baseball with “America’s 37th president and No. 1 baseball fan,” according to the official ballots.

But the best prizes, one could argue, will go to 25 third-place finishers--”The President and The King” T-shirts, featuring Nixon and Elvis Presley.

Trivia time: Who were the Dodger leaders in home runs and runs batted in during the 1968 season?

He’d only just begun: On this date in 1973, Nolan Ryan pitched the first of his record seven no-hitters as the Angels beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-0. Ryan pitched another no-hitter two months later.

Wishful thinking: Coach Wes Unseld of the Washington Bullets had his mind elsewhere Thursday during the post position draw for this weekend’s Preakness Stakes.

After picking the first number at Pimlico, Unseld called out the name of Louisiana State All-American Shaquille O’Neal.

“Sorry, wrong drawing,” Unseld said.

It’s in the swing: After striking out recently in six consecutive times at bat, outfielder Wes Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Phillies finally got wood on the ball, grounding sharply to Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop Jay Bell.

Returning to the dugout, Chamberlain slammed his helmet, reported Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press.

“I can’t find a hole,” Chamberlain cried.

Watch that man: From Spy magazine: “Rep. John Myers of Indiana spent $4,642 on season tickets to see the pathetic Indianapolis Colts, making one wonder whether he should be permitted to vote on more important federal expenditures.”

Sound advice: Regarding Brian Jordan of the St. Louis Cardinals, his teammate in the Atlanta Falcons’ secondary, Deion Sanders of the Atlanta Braves told catcher Greg Olson: “If it’s a close play at the plate with Brian . . . get the hell out of the way.”

Little recognition: The NCAA has awards for everything. Case in point: the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, whose previous winners have included Texas El Paso’s Tim Hardaway, Wake Forest’s Tyrone Bogues and Virginia’s Jeff Jones.

This year’s trophy went to Wisconsin Green Bay’s Tony Bennett, who now has the distinction of being the nation’s outstanding senior basketball player shorter than 6 feet.

Trivia answer: Len Gabrielson, with 10 home runs, and Tom Haller, with 53 RBIs. In the last season before divisional play, the Dodgers finished 21 games behind the pennant-winning St. Louis Cardinals. Their team batting average was .230.

Oh: From the Associated Press: “Cincinnati is 0-4 against pitchers whose last name begins with the letter O. “

Quotebook: General Manager Neil Smith of the New York Rangers, on the effect of Ranger Adam Graves’ slashing of Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux: “We couldn’t overcome the controversy. We had the image of a goon squad.”