Patrick McEnroe Does His Part to Keep Family Tradition Alive

“Audible obscenities” is the polite English expression for longshoremen’s language by tennis players.

American players at Wimbledon are traditional offenders, but not to the degree they were previously.

“So far we’ve had only five audible-obscenity violations,” said Sue Youngman, a Wimbledon spokeswomen. “It’s certainly not a record, but there do seem to be quite a few Americans on the list. I think they’re just trying to keep the McEnroe-Connors family tradition alive.”

Offenders fined so far are Americans Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Patrick McEnroe--John’s brother--Australian Wally Masur and South African Wayne Ferreira.

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Trivia time: Since Ted Williams had a .406 batting average in 1941, which major league player has come the closest to that figure?

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Beating the drumsticks: Ted Giannoulas, baseball’s famous Chicken, on his prospect of making the Hall of Fame:

“Maybe one day I will be in there. Who knows? I mean, they have a broadcasters wing. They have a players wing. Maybe one day they’ll have a chicken wing.”

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Short end: Scott Ostler writing in Sport magazine on pro football players’ salaries compared to other sports:

“Of all team-sport athletes, football players have always gotten the biggest hosing. They do more, at greater risk, for less.

“Baseball players average more than $1 million a year and take days off if they get tired. Do you think Lawrence Taylor ever gets tired? When he reads about a baseball player sitting out a game in order to get his mental focus back, Lawrence must spit out his protein shake.”

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Bad sign language: From Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle quoting Sal Varriale, a coach in Italy’s baseball league:

“We warn American players when they flash the sign for two outs not to raise the index finger and the pinkie.

“That’s the cornuto , the horns, the worst insult you can give. It means, ‘Your wife is playing around,’ and can get you kicked out of a game.”

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X’s and O’s: Joe Kapp, the former California football coach, recalled the memorable game against Stanford in 1982 when Cal players executed five laterals on a game-winning touchdown while weaving through the Cardinal band:

“It was my sound coaching that got the trombone player in the right position.”

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Ho hum: Benoit Benjamin on the Laker trade that sent him to the New Jersey Nets for Sam Bowie:

“As far as I’m concerned, the real basketball games are on the East Coast. I’ve been on the West Coast for eight years, itching to come East. Now, here I am and we’ll see how I do.”

We can hardly wait.

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Trivia answer: George Brett of Kansas City, .390 in 1980.

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Quotebook: Times staffer Rich Roberts, on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ new agreement with the Red Army team: “How would you like to be told you’re being farmed out to Russia?”