He Was Given Hook, Even With Excellent Sinker

Pitcher Turk Wendell, who leaps sideways over foul lines, chews black licorice, brushes his teeth between innings, talks to the baseball and doesn’t wear socks, said he would go fishing at 5 a.m. before every minor league start for the Chicago Cubs’ triple-A Iowa team.

He was 5-0 at home, catching bass in farm ponds in De Soto and Van Meter, Iowa, and 0-4 on the road, where he couldn’t find a regular spot. Wendell, who was recently promoted to the major league Cubs, was asked if he had discovered any place to fish near Wrigley Field. “I think there’s a pretty big fishing hole across the street, ‘Michigan Lake’ or something like that,” he told Baseball Weekly.

That’s Lake Michigan, but it won’t matter to Wendell. After going 0-2 with the Cubs, he was sent back to the minors--and his favorite fishing ponds--Tuesday.

Trivia time: What do Travis Grant, Kenny Carr, Earl Jones and Ken Barlow have in common?

Surgical skills: Clete Boyer, third base coach for the New York Yankees, on the gradual decline of the number of pitchers who doctor baseballs: “Some guys are so honest, if the ball is messed up, they toss it to the ump,” he told the Sporting News.

Boyer said he knows of at least three cheaters in the American League and maybe six. He says he’s sure about Nolan Ryan, Alan Mills and Tim Leary. “I know Ryan does it,” Boyer said. “He could probably take a jar of Vaseline to the mound. He can do anything he wants.”

Boomtown Joe: Population in the farming town of Ismay, Mont., has increased by 27% since townspeople decided to rename the village after Kansas City Chief quarterback Joe Montana.

That’s six new people, in addition to the 22 living in Ismay when Kansas City radio station KYYS proposed renaming the town “Joe.” The temporary name change becomes official Saturday, and several thousand people are expected for “Joe Montana Day.”

A day to remember?From a flyer promoting the start of ticket sales for a proposed NFL franchise in Charlotte, N.C.: “To NFL fans across the Carolinas, July 1 (today), will be the most important date in sports history (italics).”

Carolina is competing with four other cities for an NFL expansion franchise. And, if it isn’t granted? “Your full deposit will be returned to you within 10 business days, no interest,” according to the flyer.

Trivia answer: They were all first-round draft choices by the Lakers.

Quotebook: Orlando Magic General Manager Pat Williams on 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley: “He’s a lifeguard in the off-season. He can’t swim, but he’s great at wading.”