Catcher’s Mask Isn’t That Cool to Wear, Either

There are many theories as to why baseball players lag behind other sports, especially basketball, when it comes to endorsements.

Dusty Kidd, a spokesman for a shoe company, has his own theory: People wear basketball shoes, but they don’t wear baseball shoes.

“You can’t wear baseball spikes at the mall unless you want to be kicked out of the mall,” Kidd told Cristina Rouvalis of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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Trivia time: Who holds the major league record for home runs in one month?

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Home run stretch: Ted Williams, the famed slugger of the Boston Red Sox and a native of San Diego, celebrates his 75th birthday today.

To honor Williams, the State Senate unanimously approved a resolution that designates a stretch of State Highway 56 in northern San Diego County the Ted Williams Freeway.

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Uncle Fuddy Duddy: In an unflattering article on Raider owner Al Davis in Sport magazine, Bob Keisser writes that the Raider mystique has disappeared.

“Once upon a time, Davis and the Raiders--they are one and the same--were brilliantly daring,” Keisser wrote. “Now Davis is a stubborn, 64-year-old fuddy-duddy who has become set in his ways. The team is cast in his image, and it’s not a pretty picture.”

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Update: In a recent Morning Briefing, UCLA was identified as the only Pacific 10 school with a winning record, 8-5-1, against Washington during Don James tenure as head coach.

However, the Washington media guide notes that UCLA forfeited a victory in 1977 because of later conference sanctions. The current Pac-10 guide doesn’t alter UCLA’s record in 1977.

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Mush: From the SportsLetter of the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles:

The United States Sled Dog Sports Federation is headquartered in snowless San Bernardino, while the manufacturer of the Zamboni machine, which resurfaces the ice at hockey rinks all over the world, is located in Paramount.

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FYI: Greg Norman has six runner-up finishes in the four major tournaments--U.S. Open, British Open, Masters and PGA Championship.

However, Jack Nicklaus has the all-time record for second place finishes in major events--18.

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Trivia answer: Rudy York of the Detroit Tigers, with 18, in August of 1937.

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Quotebook: Reggie Jackson, a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame, once said: “The only reason I don’t like playing in the World Series is that I can’t watch myself play.”