You Don’t Have to Ask Why His Other Nickname Was Goofy

Joe DiMaggio loves to tell stories about his former New York Yankee teammate, eccentric pitcher Lefty Gomez.

“There was the time Gomez, on a batted ball, didn’t bother to throw to (shortstop) Frank Crosetti for a force at second or to (Lou) Gehrig at first,” DiMaggio told John Steadman of the Baltimore Sun.

“So what did he do? He looked at Tony Lazzeri, the second baseman, who was between first and second, and suddenly threw him the ball. Lazzeri wanted to know how he could do such a thing.

Replied Gomez: “ ‘Well, I read a newspaper story that said you were the smartest player in the major leagues. I wanted to find out, since you were so smart, what you’d do with it.’ ”

Add Gomez: On another occasion Gomez told Lazzeri, “Look, you’re in charge of second base and spaghetti. Me? I’m in charge of pitching and looking at airplanes when they fly over the park.”

Trivia time: Who holds the NFL record for most fumbles recovered in a career?

Just wait: Rick Barry, who played in the NBA and ABA, is coaching the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) franchise in the Global League. Barry says the Global League is not a comedown for him.

“When I was in the ABA, we played a game in Houston, which is a major city, right? I think there was something like 28 people there,” Barry told the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

“Hell, the Global League is a lot better than the ABA, so for me this isn’t going to be a problem.”

Vanishing breed: Bob Trumpy, a former tight end with the Cincinnati Bengals and now a pro football analyst on NBC-TV, said the position is being replaced by a “multitude of people.”

“The tight end is irreplaceable,” Trumpy told Pro Football Weekly. “Now you have two guys trying to do the job one used to do, and neither does it very well. You don’t get it in one package anymore.

“If you’ve got a good tight end, you better pack him in Styrofoam on Sunday nights and make sure he’s all right for a week.”

Equal opportunity: Blackie Sherrod, writing in the Dallas Morning News: “Say what you want about major league baseball, at least it is not a bastion for male chauvinism.

“Cincy owner Marge Schott has been given every opportunity to make as many stupid mistakes as her male counterparts, and she has taken full advantage of same.”

Corner coach: Bill Laimbeer, of the Detroit Pistons, telling the Detroit Free Press the difference between former coach Chuck Daly and new Coach Ron Rothstein:

“Ronnie is more a hands-on coach. Chuck would sit in the corner and let his assistants do a lot of the coaching.”

Trivia answer: Quarterback Fran Tarkenton, of the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, with 43, all his own.

Quotebook: University of Minnesota football Coach Jim Wacker on quarterback Marquel Fleetwood: “He’s quick as a hiccup.”