He Might Very Well Have Been Left in a State of Confusion

Karl Malone, taken by the Utah Jazz with the 13th pick of the 1985 NBA draft, recalled his first conversation with Frank Layden, who was the team’s coach.

“He asked me if I knew much about Utah,” Malone told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I told him I didn’t, but that I heard it was a beautiful city.

“There was silence. Frank said, ‘Son, I don’t know where you come from, but Utah is a state, not a city.’ “We both laughed.”

Trivia time: Who was taken before Malone in the 1985 draft?

Radio parlay: On Cincinnati’s WSAI, Pete Rose’s radio show comes on after a program conducted by former NFL quarterback Art Schlichter, both of whom were suspended for gambling.

The station bills the package as “the daily double.”

Goon squad: With Bob Kurland, a three-time All-American and one of basketball’s first 7-foot stars, the late Hank Iba won NCAA championships at Oklahoma State in 1945 and 1946.

But Iba’s coaching rival, Phog Allen of Kansas, apparently was not impressed. According to Dave Kindred of the Sporting News, Allen called Kurland “a glandular goon.”

Touche: In response to the question, “What is a ‘nickel back’ in football?” Inside Sports magazine’s the Good Doctor answered: “A nickel back is what you get when you ask free agents to give you a million dollars’ worth of effort.”

Rated R (for radioactive): Phil Jackman of the Baltimore Sun, on the Super Bowl: “What was Bear Bryant (uh, actor Gary Busey) doing on the Dallas sideline? Are they already planning a movie on the life and times of Jimmy Johnson? Maybe they can get Mel Kiper to play his hair.”

Hair-raising hops: Coach Dan Issel of the Denver Nuggets, commenting on a spectacular leap by Robert Pack, a 6-foot-2 guard from USC: “Pack’s waist must have been even with the bottom of the net on that dunk. He’s such a quick jumper that the big guys can’t get coiled up to block his dunk. I don’t think he’s afraid of anyone.”

Brotherhood: Reader Steve Wennerstrom of San Diego points out that, had it not been for an assist from his brother, George Brett of the Kansas City Royals might still be looking for his 3,000th hit. Brett, who ended last season with 3,005 hits, had six against his brother, Ken.

Trivia answer: Patrick Ewing, Wayman Tisdale, Benoit Benjamin, Xavier McDaniel, Jon Koncak, Joe Kleine, Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Charles Oakley, Ed Pinckney, Keith Lee and Ken Green.

Quotebook: Alan Meersand, agent for Darrin Jackson of the San Diego Padres, after the Padres argued during an arbitration hearing that defensive statistics were overrated: “Since the club spent 20 minutes on how unimportant Darrin Jackson’s defense was to the San Diego Padres, he has decided to play the 1993 season gloveless.”