McDaniel’s Gone, so Barkley Lines Up as Scapegoat

Xavier McDaniel of the Boston Celtics, who formerly played for Seattle, Phoenix and New York, recalled his playing days with the Suns.

“When I was there, all they wanted me to do was rebound and play defense,” McDaniel told Jackie MacMullan of the Boston Globe. “But when we didn’t go as far as expected, the guys who took all the shots didn’t blame themselves, they wanted to blame me.

“And if the Suns don’t win it all this year, you know they’ll blame Charles (Barkley).”

Trivia time: Who is the all-time leading scorer in the NBA playoffs?

Just a pussycat: Pitcher Trevor Hoffman of the Florida Marlins dyed his glove and cleats completely black. A goatee adds to a menacing image.

However, he told the Miami Herald that he isn’t “as psycho” as Rob Dibble, his former Cincinnati teammate. “I don’t have anger, only focus,” Hoffman said. “I wish I could get angry sometimes, look like a mean, unapproachable ogre. But I just don’t think that I could intimidate anyone at this level just because I look like death.”

Heavy metal: Dibble has a plate and seven screws in his broken left forearm. He is carrying photos of the operation in case he sets off metal detectors at airports.

Pagliacci? Columnist Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, commenting on the Giants’ Barry Bonds:

“He cut short one postgame interview by telling the gathered reporters, ‘I’ve got to go to the opera.’

“Yes, the old opera excuse.”

Playing the odds: From Kevin McHale of the Boston Celtics, whose wife is expecting their fifth child: “The key for me is to have enough children so I have a better chance of one liking me and I’m able to move in with that one when I’m old.”

Request for replay: George Brett on Manager Hal McRae’s tantrum last week in the Kansas City Royals’ clubhouse: “Jeez, I just missed it,” said Brett, who was taking a shower. “You think if I asked him, he’d do it again for me?”

Some doubt: Veteran NBA scout Marty Blake isn’t sure that Duke’s Bobby Hurley is a cinch to be a standout NBA player. “Bobby Hurley is a nice point guard, but this is the NBA. Hurley’s father thinks he’s as good as Bob Cousy, but Cousy is 66 now. I like Hurley, but I ain’t taking him early.”

Trivia answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 5,762 points.

Quotebook: From Houston Oiler defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan: “We’re going to have an all-Texas Super Bowl (next season)--if Dallas can get there.”