Good Thing They Don’t Give Medals for Armed Robbery

A few years ago, boxer Oscar De La Hoya was walking the five blocks to his girlfriend’s house in East Los Angeles when five guys with guns got out of a truck and took his wallet, which contained $150, and a camera, but they didn’t take his gold rings and leather jacket.

“They were amateurs,” the 1992 Olympic gold medalist told Ed Schuyler of the Associated Press. They also apparently realized whom they had victimized, because two hours later, De La Hoya found his wallet with the money in it on his front porch.

“They kept the camera, though,” he said.

Save those nails: The man who is tied for baseball’s all-time saves lead is trying to become a knuckleball pitcher. And Cincinnati’s Jeff Reardon thinks he can pull it off--if he remembers not to bite his nails.

“When I bite my fingernails, I can’t get them into the seams,” Reardon said. “I’ve got to remember not to do that.”

Reardon, 37, never worried much about his manicure while racking up 357 saves to tie Lee Smith. The right-hander’s fastball had enough bite then to get hitters out.

Trivia time: Who is the only person to have won both the national motorcycle and Indy car championships?

Friendly fellow: Don’t bother trying to make small talk with the San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds.

Bud Geracie of the San Jose Mercury News was chatting with some of the Giants, speculating on what life would have been like had the Giants moved to Tampa as nearly came about.

Someone asked Bonds and he snapped back: “How the hell do I know? The team didn’t leave, so why even talk about it? It’s like asking a woman if she’d be pregnant if she stopped taking the pill.”

New Cary Grant? Dan Marino’s movie debut--he plays himself--calls for him to be kidnaped in a comedy called “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” The Miami Dolphins’ mascot, a field-goal kicking dolphin named Snowflake, is abducted along with Marino, the Dolphins’ real-life quarterback. With a Super Bowl victory on the line, off-beat detective Ace Ventura is called in to unravel the mysterious chain of events that follows.

Second generation: The Freeport-McMoRan golf tournament in New Orleans had some famous names: Nicklaus, Boros and Maris. They were Gary Nicklaus, son of Jack; Guy Boros, son of Julius; and Randy Maris, son of Roger.

Soccer mania: AC Milan, Italy’s most successful soccer club, has a telephone information service for its fans.

For 60 cents a minute, a caller can hear a tape giving the latest team news, interviews with team officials and players, details on ticket prices and traveling with the squad.

Quick fix: Golfer R.W. Eaks missed 20 putts from within five feet in the first two Nike tour events, so he had his eyes checked and found that his old contact lenses were giving him 20-60 vision. After getting new glasses, he scored a two-stroke victory.

Coach’s convention: The tab for the Artesia High basketball banquet is $22, but it should be a bargain for the coach who lands prize recruits Charles O’Bannon and Avondre Jones, who led Artesia to the state Division II championship.

Kentucky’s Rick Pitino might have an inside track--he will be the featured speaker at the April 22 event.

Trivia answer: Joe Leonard, motorcycles in 1954, 1956 and 1957, and Indy cars in 1971 and 1972.

Madness in ‘94: New Orleans had gumbo, crawfish, the French Quarter and the Superdome.

Charlotte has barbecue, a motor speedway, a cozy coliseum--and a tough act to follow.

North Carolina’s biggest city will be the site of college basketball’s ultimate spectacle next year when the Final Four posts up for a week of parties, special events and fan frenzy.

Quotebook: Ben Crenshaw after missing the cut in the Masters: “I can’t explain my game. It’s good one week and terrible the next. It’s been like that for a long time.”