Garage Sale Wasn’t Listed in Pennysaver

Race driver A.J. Foyt held an auction in Indianapolis to get rid of a few old things that were lying around, including 28 cars.

“I’m busy with my racing team, and that’s why I haven’t had time to keep this stuff in good condition,” Foyt said.

“I really didn’t do it for the money. I did it because I needed to get the stuff out of my shop and get it to somebody who would take care of it properly.”

Speedway President Tony George paid $410,000 for the car Foyt drove to a record fourth Indy 500 victory in 1977. A pit board sold for $1,200, a worn-out tire from one of Foyt’s cars for $1,000. Fans also bought windshields, broken wheels and trophies.

Foyt made $3 million.

“It’s been a good three days,” Foyt said, echoing the sentiments of any homeowner who spends a weekend in his driveway, “but it’s tiring.”

Nicknames: Angel minor league slugger Tim Salmon is known as “Sock-Guy.”

Mike Francesa, WFAN announcer and hefty first baseman on the New York radio station’s softball team, is known as “Pizza, the Hut.”

Trivia time: None of the six NBA coaches of the year from 1986 to 1991 remained with the same team. Identify them and their old teams.

Reel life: In preparing for next Wednesday night’s Pigskin Classic at Anaheim Stadium, the Texas A&M; coaching staff spent some time pursuing old game films of new Stanford Coach Bill Walsh.

“We’ve looked everywhere,” Aggie Coach R.C. Slocum said Tuesday. “We looked at old Stanford tapes, San Jose State tapes, (San Francisco) 49ers tapes. It has served no purpose other than to confuse us. Bill Walsh teams do a lot of things. That is not good for a young defensive unit.”

Walsh, who will make his return to college football in next Wednesday’s season opener, disagreed.

“Those films will be valuable to A&M;, there isn’t any question,” he said. “We’re doing many of the same things and expecting the same kind of execution and timing. They will have a very solid idea of what we will be attempting to do.”

Optimists: Although Atlanta, site of the 1996 Olympics, ranked 24th among the 25 largest U.S. cities in TV ratings for the 1992 Games, organizers still hope to sell their TV rights for $600 million.

However, media analysts, noting NBC’s losses at Barcelona, are again predicting a decrease rather than an increase.

“Atlanta is the only major American city where a third of the people did not watch the Olympics,” says NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol, whose network paid $401 million for this summer’s Games. “That to me is stunning. . . . It’s something that should be cause for alarm to them.”

Billy Payne, who heads the Atlanta Olympic Organizing Committee, counters: “The ones who raise the issue are simply the networks, who are always poor-mouthing, and they find anything negative they can.

“The Atlanta audience is less than one-tenth of 1% of the total TV audience. It’s insignificant. It’s ridiculous. You don’t sell the rights fees on the Atlanta market. I’m tired of them.”

Trivia answer: Mike Fratello, Atlanta Hawks; Mike Schuler, Portland Trail Blazers; Doug Moe, Denver Nuggets; Cotton Fitzsimmons, Phoenix Suns; Pat Riley, Lakers; Don Chaney, Houston Rockets.

Quotebook: First baseman Todd Benzinger of the Dodgers, who are leading the major leagues in errors: “I thought in spring training our defense was better than everyone said. I guess I was wrong.”