It Is the Kind of Anniversary All Golfers Can Appreciate

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Mulligan, the fourth Earl of Murphy, and golfers everywhere will be asked to honor his memory by taking a “mulligan” on the tee of every hole they play.

A “mulligan,” is defined as taking an extra shot contrary to the rules of golf. It’s a commonplace practice by hackers everywhere.

Today is also the publication date of “Mulligan’s Laws” by Doubleday, honoring the man, who once uttered the immortal words, “I think I’ll take another.”

*

Trivia time: Who was the last Dodger to lead the National League in home runs?

*

Why not 777? Some excerpts from the book “The 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said”:

Boxer Marlon Starling: “I’ll fight him for nothing if the price is right.”

Dale Berra, son of Yogi: “The similarities between me and my father are different.”

*

Looking back: The Angels’ Buck Rodgers and Philadelphia’s Jim Fregosi are managers of first-place teams in their divisions. They were also teammates on the 1962 Angels, who were challenging late in the season for the American League championship before finishing third.

The Angels were in first place on the Fourth of July, recalling this Times headline: “Heaven Can Wait; Angels in First on Fourth.”

*

Smell the roses: Columnist Jim Adams of the Louisville Courier-Journal on the Kentucky Derby: “It’s a defining period of time in Louisville life, a fifth season, the one between spring and summer in which nothing gets done.”

*

Simple fare: Michael Jordan opened his Chicago restaurant to the public Thursday. The menu features Jordan favorites such as steak and potatoes--his habitual pregame meal--and macaroni and cheese, prepared using a recipe from his wife, Juanita.

Jordan said he wants the restaurant to be a place where he and other sports celebrities can go to relax without being hounded by fans.

“You can speak to them, and I’m pretty sure they’d respond,” he said. “But don’t ask them for autographs.”

*

Tipoff: While coaching at North Carolina State, the late Jim Valvano said he knew he was having trouble keeping high school star Rodney McCray away from Louisville.

“I took him to our school cafeteria and he ordered a mint julep,” Valvano said.

Add Valvano: He claimed his Wolfpack teams were smart, but added: “I’ve had teams before that if you told them to ‘go back door,’ they left the gym.”

*

Trivia answer: Duke Snider, with 43, in 1956, while the team was in Brooklyn.

*

Quotebook: Dave Henderson of the Oakland Athletics on his team’s bad start, a 6-11 record: “You can’t judge a movie by the first five minutes.”