His Support Is Hardly the Size of Montana

You don’t think Joe Montana is a tough act to follow?

This season, Steve Young has led the San Francisco 49ers to the NFL’s best record. With his NFL-leading quarterback rating of 107.7, he is about to become the first passer in history to earn a rating of 100 or more in consecutive seasons. Young also won the passing title last year.

Young leads all NFL quarterbacks with 540 rushing yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He is a leading candidate for the league’s most valuable player award.

Yet Bob Glauber of Newsday writes that when Young was introduced by the public address announcer at a recent Golden State Warrior game, many in the crowd booed.

“One Warriors official said it was because Young had failed to show up for a pregame speech to season ticket-holders,” Glauber reports. “Others weren’t so sure.”

Glauber asked 49er receiver Mike Sherrard about the crowd reaction to Young.

“I can’t believe they’d be booing him,” Sherrard said. “I mean, what more can the guy do around here?”

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Add Young: One of the quarterback’s most vocal critics in the past has been wide receiver Jerry Rice, who has complained that Young doesn’t look his way as often as Montana did.

When it comes to touchdowns, the numbers suggest otherwise. Of Rice’s 103 career scoring receptions, 55 have been thrown by Montana, 32 by Young.

From 1985 through 1990, Montana averaged a touchdown pass to Rice every 29 completions. Young, who did not join the 49ers until 1987 and is completing his first full season as the starter, has averaged a scoring pass to Rice every 20 completions.

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Last add Young: If he does not throw an interception in his last game, Young will finish the season with seven. Montana has never thrown fewer than eight interceptions in a season since becoming the team’s starter in 1980.

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Trivia time: How many times has Denver quarterback John Elway thrown for 20 or more touchdowns in a season?

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Say what? In its annual edition, the National Sports Review looks back at some of the facts and foibles of 1992.

The magazine’s award for the player misquoted most in his own autobiography goes to the Phoenix Suns’ Charles Barkley for his book, “The Life and Flagrant Good Times of Basketball’s Irresistible Force.”

Barkley on the book, which was co-authored by Roy S. Johnson:

“I have already seen three quotes that are inaccurate.”

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Add Review: The magazine deemed the worst sports event of 1992 to be the best-of-13 America’s Cup defenders series, which “droned on forever” before the actual finals.

“Best of 13?” one critic wrote. “Magellan’s whole career was shorter.”

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Last add Sports Review: The Strongest Prediction For 1993: Annie Rodman, estranged wife of Detroit Piston Dennis Rodman, on their divorce trial next month:

“I don’t care if he’s the one who went out and bounced the ball, if I can clean him out, I will do it.”

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Wallflower: Green Bay Packer star receiver Sterling Sharpe, who needs five receptions today to break Art Monk’s single-season record of 106, says that he doesn’t want to be famous.

In a rare interview, he told the Sporting News he fears the attention that will come with breaking Monk’s record.

“That’s one reason I wish I could avoid it,” he said. “I see stories about Michael Jordan and Joe Montana and how fame has intruded into their lives, and that is not the life I want to have. I like going out to dinner and being with my friends or shopping in a mall and not attracting attention.

“People want to be a part of something like a record . . . they want to touch you and get an autograph. I am not a big autograph person. I kind of like to be left to myself. That’s why I would like to stay in secluded Green Bay and not be known at all.”

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Trivia answer: Once. In 1985, Elway threw for 22 touchdowns. He also threw 23 interceptions that season.

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Quotebook: John Mackey, former All-Pro tight end, on how he was informed that he had been inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: “A hotel operator called and said I had been indicted. I panicked and said, ‘For what?’ ”