He Simply Basked in Fans’ Glow

Bob Samuelson of the U.S. Olympic men’s volleyball team, who is bald, told Times staffer Vittorio Tafur that he is often razzed when the team plays outside the United States.

“Once we were playing in some Latin American country and the fans were chanting at me, ‘Bobbia, Bobbia, ‘ “ Samuelson said. “I went to a Spanish-speaking guy on our team . . . and asked him, ‘Why are they calling me ‘Little Bobby?’ He laughed and said, ‘No, they’re calling you Bombilla, which means light bulb.’ ”

Trivia time: Who holds the major league record for games played in one season?

A league of her own: From Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe: “In ‘A League of Their Own,’ Geena Davis makes Madonna look like a sack of doorknobs.”

Political basketballs: The Democratic National Convention will resemble a reunion of the early 1970s New York Knicks, with four of the team’s players and Coach Red Holtzman in attendance at Madison Square Garden.

Sen. Bill Bradley (D-New Jersey) will give one of tonight’s three keynote speeches, while former teammates Dave DeBusschere, Earl Monroe and Phil Jackson, coach of the Chicago Bulls, are scheduled to be in attendance.

DeBusschere, Monroe, Jackson and Holtzman were invited to attend the convention by Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton.

Scout’s honor: Bernie Lincicome of the Chicago Tribune, on Larry Bertuzzi, arbitrator in the Eric Lindros case: “He was better-qualified than anyone realized to settle a dispute among National Hockey League owners. In addition to being a high-powered lawyer, he’s leader of a Cub Scout pack.”

Surprise, surprise: Writes Norman Arey of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution: “The Golden State Warriors reported no increase in season-ticket sales after drafting Latrell Sprewell on the first round.”

Costly touchdown: Mark Dienhark, assistant athletic director at Minnesota, told Blackie Sherrod of the Dallas Morning News about an incident during Dienhark’s rookie season with the Buffalo Bills:

“We played Green Bay in an exhibition and they ran a kickoff back for a touchdown. The next day, Lou Saban cut the entire kickoff team, including the kicker.”

Cool receptions: From Phil Jackman of the Baltimore Sun: “A couple of weeks ago, when the Washington Bullets selected Tom Gugliotta of North Carolina State as the sixth pick in the NBA draft, great cries of anguish went up among the fans in attendance at the Capital Centre.

“It must be a ritual throughout the league. Stories in out-of-town newspapers detail how the same thing happened in Denver (LaPhonso Ellis), Atlanta (Adam Keefe), Milwaukee (Todd Day) and a couple of more towns.”

Including Los Angeles, where the Clippers’ selection of La Salle’s Randy Woods with the 16th pick was booed by about 2,000 at the Sports Arena.

Elbow room: Meeting with the Detroit media after being acquired in a draft-day trade last month, former Clipper Olden Polynice was reminded that it was his elbow that fractured the cheekbone of Piston center Bill Laimbeer in October.

The injury required Laimbeer to wear a mask throughout the regular season.

“I did that, didn’t I?” Polynice said, smiling. “But Bill knows I didn’t do that on purpose. We’re teammates now, so hopefully I won’t have to do that again.”

Trivia answer: Maury Wills, who played in all 165 games for the Dodgers during the 1962 season.

Quotebook: Riddick Bowe, asked what he knew about opponent Pierre Coetzer: “I know come Saturday night, he’s going to take a nap.”