But They Can Still Hang Over With the Best

Glenn Dickey of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the Raiders aren’t as close-knit a group as they were in Oakland:

“The Raiders started to unravel when they moved to Los Angeles, and the team that has taken the field in recent years has only sporadically looked like the team that was either a contender or a champion for almost 20 years.

“There are many reasons for that, but a significant one is that, when the team moved to Los Angeles, players started to go their separate ways. The team partying is a distant memory.”

Don’t bet on it, Glenn.

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Trivia time: What pitcher holds the major league record for giving up the most home runs in a season?

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Learning fast: Dino Radja of Croatia, who recently signed with the Boston Celtics, telling Alan Greenberg of the Hartford Courant the difference between Boston and New York:

“It’s like the difference between a jungle and park.”

One guess as to which is the jungle.

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So there: Eric Dickerson, the former Ram and Raider running back now playing with the Atlanta Falcons, told USA Today: “Even if I’ve lost a step, I still have a step a lot of backs never had.”

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Air Bonds? Bobby Bonilla of the New York Mets on his former Pittsburgh Pirate teammate, Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants:

“People say there’s no Michael Jordan in baseball. How about this guy, No. 25? If Barry ain’t the Michael Jordan of baseball, I don’t know who is.”

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True test: From Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Examiner: “Troy Aikman says his back feels ‘great’ after surgery. Well, I’ve got a roll-top desk that needs moving.”

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Real pain: Two months ago, Chi Chi Rodriguez slipped while bounding up the steps of a private plane at a Dallas airport. He suffered a cracked rib when he landed on a step.

“And I couldn’t even sue anyone because it was my plane,” Rodriguez said.

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Name game: From Track & Field News: Canadian walker Alison Baker accepted a marriage proposal at the World Cup--from Aussie Simon Baker.

Said Simon: “We can be called ‘Baker squared.’ ”

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Spice of life: Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe quoting NASCAR legend Bill Elliott on another legendary driver:

“Ka-yul? A real gentleman out there. If yew gave Ka-yul spice, Ka-yul will give yew spice. If yew bump Ka-yul, he’ll bump yew. But just give Ka-yul his spice, and he’ll give yew spice.”

Translation: Ka-yul is Cale Yarborough. Spice is space.

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Signature pitch: “I hated to bat against (Don) Drysdale,” said Mickey Mantle, who played against the late Dodger pitcher in the World Series and All-Star games. “After he hit you, he’d come around, look at the bruises on your arm and say, ‘Do you want me to sign it?’ ”

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Trivia answer: Bert Blyleven, 50 with Minnesota in 1986.

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Quotebook: Bob Kravitz of the Rocky Mountain News: “Anthony Young is still waiting for Ray Mercer to call with that $100,000 bribe to throw a game. The perfect crime.”