They Won Game but Something Was Lost in the Translation

When Albright College players saw a headline about the Vichy Classic in the Centre France Dimanche newspaper that translated to “Hartman Scores Twice as Albright Wins American Football Game” they were puzzled. Rob Hartman, Albright’s free safety, did not play because of a back ailment.

Fullback Jon Thorpe was the one who scored the two touchdowns in a 41-0 victory over a French national team. According to the NCAA News, the confusion came about after Thorpe forgot his jersey at home in the United States and borrowed one for the game from Hartman--and no one told the French press.

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Lots worse: So you think the sports scene in Los Angeles has been tough this year. Well, think about Chicago. According to Eddie Gold of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Windy City has never had a year in which the Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls all had winning seasons.

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Trivia time: Who is the only defensive back to have been named Super Bowl player of the game?

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Timely joke: Bernhard Langer has a reputation as one of the slowest golfers on the PGA tour. One day he showed up with two days growth on his face. After Langer putted out on the 18th hole, Lee Trevino--one of the fastest players--said to the gallery: “Bernhard’s got a beard. He was cleanshaven when we teed off.”

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The true test: The Montreal Expos not only finished second in the NL East at 87-75, they apparently restored Montreal’s interest in baseball, too.

“I live in the community and I see a lot of children wearing Expos’ caps now, something I never saw before,” Expo Manager Felipe Alou said. “I see that blue hat everywhere, even though it’s hockey season now. Young people are starting to identify with wearing the colors of the team.”

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Conflicting reports: Drag racer Mike Brotherton, after winning his first major race: “I’ve been told many times that winning your first national event is the toughest, and truer words never were spoken.”

Golfer John Daly, after winning his second PGA tournament: “I don’t care what anybody says, the first tournament is not the hardest one to win. It’s always the second one.”

Brotherton hasn’t won his second yet.

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New game, new name: When France’s Jean-Michel Bayle rode motocross, he was all but unbeatable. After winning nearly everything in both the United States and Europe, he switched to road racing with a prediction of similar success.

In his first race, the French Grand Prix, he failed three times to post a qualifying speed. After finally getting in, he finished last. This earned him a new name in the French press: Jean-Michel Snail.

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Trivia answer: Jake Scott of the Miami Dolphins in 1973.

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Quotebook: John Hart, Cleveland Indian general manager, on the upcoming expansion draft: “It’s like a freight train bearing down on us. We’re going to be hit, and we’ll have to let the debris settle.”