Hitters Prefer Bonds’ Backup in the Lineup

Andy Van Slyke of the Pirates is wistful when he thinks about his former teammate, Barry Bonds, now with the San Francisco Giants.

“I never made it a secret about how much Barry meant to me as a hitter,” Van Slyke told Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It’s not that he was up there swinging the bat for me. But last year, with him hitting behind me, I was seeing a lot of great 2-0 and 3-1 fastballs. I’m not seeing them now. I’m not complaining. That’s just a fact.

“You want to know how much having Barry hitting behind you means? Look what Matt Williams is doing in San Francisco.”

Trivia time: Who holds the all-time NBA playoff record for most steals and assists?

Confusing: From the book “Sports Shorts” by Glenn Liebman: Lee Trevino on playing four different courses in the Bob Hope tournament: “The only problem is that it’s hell to find your way home every night.”

Normally crazy: Pittsburgh Pirate Manager Jim Leyland on the Philadelphia Phillies’ reputation of being crazy:

“That (crazy) stuff is all hype. The fact is, they’re good. Hell, they’ve been crazy for two years now.”

Can’t be me: George Brett of the Kansas City Royals on overcoming a slow start at the plate: “You begin thinking, ‘Gee, who’s this imposter in my body?’ ”

Either way: Rolando Blackman of the New York Knicks on NBA coach of the year Pat Riley: “Pat is a master of motivation, whether he is conjuring up real stories or telling flat-out lies.”

Man on the move: From Caught on the Fly in the Sporting News: “Fly’s favorite endorsement in waiting: ‘Hi, this is Larry Brown for Acme Van Lines.’ ”

Voodoo: A witch doctor named Agustin Surco Machado is willing to “guarantee” that Bolivia will qualify for next year’s World Cup soccer finals, a feat that country has achieved only once, in 1950.

“I can attract the good spirit,” he said. All he wants in return is the same salary and bonuses as the players and an official place on the coaching staff.

Bolivian officials refused the offer.

Keep it simple: USA Today reports that veteran race broadcaster Ken Squier has offered some advice to the Russian sportscasters calling the first NASCAR race to be televised today in Russia.

“There are only two things you really have to grasp. You have to be able to say, ‘There they go,’ and ‘What a wreck!’ ”

Dining tip: From “Baseball Quotations”: Tim McCarver, television announcer and former major league player: “The best way to avoid ballplayers is to go to a good restaurant.”

FYI: Tex Winter, an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls, who is responsible for the team’s triangle offense, is a former USC basketball player and pole vaulter.

Trivia answer: The Lakers’ Magic Johnson, 358 and 2,320, respectively.

Quotebook: Bernie Lincicome of the Chicago Tribune on John Starks of the New York Knicks: “You assume Starks will get his shots. You can’t be too careful of rabies.”