Clinton’s Economic Proposals Are Taxing Patience of Players

Major league baseball players, a group that averaged $1,028,667 in salary last year, are mostly opposed to President Clinton’s plans to increase the top income-tax rate.

“Most every one of my players who I’ve talked to loves this proposed bill about as much as root canal,” said Tom Reich, an agent who represents several dozen players and voted for Clinton.

“I don’t like it a bit,” said pitcher Jose Rijo, who made $3.5 million last season and was the most valuable player of the 1990 World Series for the Cincinnati Reds. “I hope by the time I sign my contract, he (Clinton) quits.”

Don’t hold your breath, Jose.

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Trivia time: Other than UCLA, how many Pacific 10 schools have won the NCAA basketball championship?

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Arnie’s Army: Tom Weiskopf, on Arnold Palmer’s impact on golf: “The fans would like to see Palmer win, but they don’t really care. They just want to see him. There never has been a guy who has done as much for his sport as Arnie has for golf.”

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Spread the word: Caseville (Mich.) High’s basketball team ended its 66-game losing streak Friday with a 63-56 victory over Carsonville-Port Sanilac. “The articles in the newspapers and the commentary on the radio put us down time and time again, so we want to make sure that everybody knows about this,” Coach Mike Remar said. “We’re no longer a laughing stock.”

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Wilt’s world: The NBA record book identifies former Laker Elmore Smith as the league record-holder for blocked shots in a game, 17 against Portland on Oct. 28, 1973.

However, statistician Harvey Pollack of the Philadelphia 76ers says that Wilt Chamberlain blocked 25 shots in a game as a Philadelphia Warrior when the NBA didn’t keep official records of such things.

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Pac-Zero: Marty Blake, who scouts for the NBA, said it will be a very thin draft this year.

“I’m tired of looking at players who can’t play in our league,” Blake told Glenn Dickey of the San Francisco Chronicle. “There are absolutely no centers. Look at the Pac-10. Who is there?”

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All thumbs: “The big news from major league baseball is that Hillary Clinton will throw out the first ball at a Chicago Cubs’ game,” comedian Jay Leno says. “Here in L.A., finding a celebrity to throw out the first ball is not a problem. The hard part is finding a Dodger who can catch it.”

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Super loser: From Bill Reynolds of the Providence Journal: “There’s no truth to the rumor that Buffalo has changed its area code to 043.”

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Trivia answer: Three. Oregon (1939), Stanford (1942) and California (1959).

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Quotebook: New England Patriot Coach Bill Parcells once described his version of the run-and-shoot offense: “If my quarterback runs, I’ll shoot him.”