Lasorda Wasn’t the Only One Taken In by It

It wasn’t until last week that Tom Lasorda learned about a prank Jerry Reuss had played on him several times when Reuss pitched for the Dodgers in 1979-87.

“I used to come back from a road trip and put on these (Dodger-logo golf shirts) and they would be tight,” the Dodger manager said, “and I would yell at Nobe Kawano (then the clubhouse attendant): ‘What are you doing when you wash these shirts? You must be shrinking them because they are tight.’ ”

But Kawano had done nothing. Reuss was getting Lasorda’s shirts altered.

“I would have his shirt taken in a half-inch on each side, then put it in his closet and take the other shirts away,” said Reuss, who never told Lasorda about the prank. Lasorda was told by a family friend.

Trivia time: Who was the quarterback Joe Montana replaced on the San Francisco 49ers and was the last quarterback to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a playoff victory?

Thaaat’s Reggie: Cartier’s Jewelers in New York recently paid tribute to Reggie Jackson for his induction into the Hall of Fame. Ralph Destino, chairman of the firm’s Fifth Avenue store, said of the former slugger:

“Over the years, Cartier’s has honored warriors, artists, philosophers, leaders, authors and businessmen. Today, we honor all of those wrapped up in one man--Reggie Jackson.”

Forward looking: Phil Jackman wrote in the Baltimore Sun: “Methinks Jim McKay had strange dreams as a kid if, as he says, becoming a small investor of the Orioles is ‘a boyhood dream.’ ”

New Mr. Good Guy: Justin Strzelczyk is toning down his tough-guy biker’s image to avoid offending Pittsburgh’s large ethnic population.

Strzelczyk, an offensive lineman with the Steelers, used to wear a German military-style helmet as he rode his Harley-Davidson around town, but he has changed helmets since realizing some might object to his garb.

“I didn’t want to keep on wearing it because of the skinheads and the racism,” he said of the helmet.

Vacation priorities: Dan Saleaumua, the Chiefs’ nose tackle, can’t understand why many fans from Kansas City used their vacations to visit training camp in River Falls, Wis., to get their first glimpse of new quarterback Joe Montana.

“It’s like if you were planning a vacation and someone said, ‘Where would you like to go--Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas or River Falls?” Saleaumua said. “If I had my choice, I’d be in Cabo San Lucas.”

Quick service: Peter Gammons of the Boston Globe noted that the first batter Scott Service faced as a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds was catcher Scott Servais of the Houston Astros, and last year, while pitching for the Montreal Expos, the first batter Service faced, naturally, was Servais.

The formula: Did you ever wonder how the NFL computes its quarterback passer rating? “Football Digest” explains it: (Completion percentage) + ((Average gain/attempts x 5) + 2.5) + (touchdown percentage x 400) - (Interception percentage x 500) x 5 divided by 6.

Got it?

Trivia answer: Steve DeBerg.

Where’s Babe Ruth? In another example of basketball’s hold over the American public and baseball’s fall from the top, current or former NBA players took four of the top five slots in a Harris Poll to determine America’s best-known athletes. Michael Jordan topped the list, followed by Joe Montana, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Larry Bird.

Quotebook: Bruce Lehnhard, a Senior PGA Tour rookie golfer: “I know I can shoot low scores. The challenge is for me to shoot them more often.”