Oh, Say, Can You See Them?

Reebok had its “Dan and Dave” marketing fiasco, in which it hyped an Olympic decathlon confrontation that isn’t to be.

Now, the cellar-dwelling Dodgers have their “Darryl and Eric” dud.

The slogan “See you at Dodger Stadium” can be seen around town on RTD buses and billboards featuring pictures of outfielders Darryl Strawberry and Eric Davis.

Trouble is, fans have rarely seen the high-priced, frequently injured superstars this season.

Strawberry, who played in just 38 games this year, is officially out for the season with a bad back and will undergo surgery soon for a herniated disk. Davis has missed about a third of the Dodger games this year due to injuries and may need hand surgery.

Toll-Free Calls Took Their Toll

Now that Bill Clinton is the Democratic presidential nominee, life is back to normal at Bert Jessup Transportation in Gilroy.

Back in April, the flower shipper was deluged with calls from supporters of former candidate Jerry Brown. As luck would have it, the former California governor’s much promoted “1-800” number was just a digit away from a toll-free number used by one of the transportation company’s executives when he called the office.

Tracy Cazee, whose father founded the firm, says that the calls finally eased in May and June as Brown’s campaign began to wither, although they picked up again briefly during the Democratic convention last month.

“We got two or three the day he spoke at the convention, but generally it’s been quiet,” she said.

These Folks Deserve a Fiver

A telephone survey conducted for the Plus System network of automated tellers asked more than 1,000 people which historical figures deserve to have their faces pictured on a bill.

Five of the respondents answered “Abraham Lincoln.”

Briefly . . .

Is Bill Gates the next Juiceman?: Software maker Microsoft confirmed that it is considering selling its products using the popular “infomercial” format that is proliferating on late-night cable channels . . . United Airlines refers to its customer service representatives, pilots, skycaps and air freight representatives as “public-contact employees” . . . We’ll believe it when we see it: A Western Union survey of bill collectors reports that collectors plan to emphasize more of a “people approach” in getting deadbeats to pay up.