New Meaning to a Pitcher’s Kind of Park

Even Cecil Fielder might have had trouble hitting one out at the old Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston, home of the first World Series in 1903.

According to Michael Gershman’s “Diamonds: The Evolution of the Ballpark,” it measured 635 feet to straightaway center field, making it the deepest center field in baseball history.

And if anyone hit one all the way to the fence, the center fielder had to contend with hip-high weeds, an uphill slope and a tool shed left over from the site’s days as a circus lot.

Trivia time: What do Bill Bradley, Bill Walton and Bill Russell have in common besides their first names and being in basketball’s Hall of Fame?

No walking: Links magazine, in listing the best and worst of 1993, says the greatest tragedy in golf is that, “Most new courses are being built with so much distance between greens and tees that it will never be possible to walk them.”

For the record: Morning Briefing erred Wednesday in identifying Jim Courier as a former U.S. Open champion.

Second thoughts: The Mathews Foundation for Prostate Cancer Research in Sacramento named senior golfer Jim Ferree its man of the year. Ferree’s response:

“That’s a nice honor, but the problem is, you have to get cancer to get it, so it’s not such a good deal, is it?”

Family man: Evander Holyfield, discussing his future with Arsenio Hall: “I just want to get back to see my kids. I want to see my son play football.”

Bear talk: When California quarterback Dave Barr injured his shoulder against Arizona State, the job went to Pat Barnes, who had been hoping to sit out the season as a redshirt. Barnes, a freshman, threw three interceptions and completed 10 of 33 passes. Barr’s words of encouragement:

“I took a line right off of George Bush’s desk: ‘There’s got to be a storm before there’s a rainbow.’ ”

Baseball fan: When King Coach Barry Melrose bought figurines of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Hull, it wasn’t surprising. But what do you make of his buying likenesses of Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Stan Musial, Carl Yastrzemski and Ted Williams?

Gross product: Jim Gallagher Jr., who lives in Greenwood, Miss., had this to say about the prize money before he won the PGA’s Tour Championship in San Francisco:

“It’s hard not to think about $540,000. That’s a lot of cash. I could really increase the average income of the state of Mississippi.”

Add Gallagher: One of the perks he received after helping the United States win the Ryder Cup was an invitation to country-western singer Vince Gill’s concert in Jackson, Miss.

“When Vince Gill introduces you at his concert in front of 8,000 people, that’s big!” Gallagher told Gary Van Sickle of Golf World.

Trivia answer: None ever averaged 20 points a game in an NBA season.

As in panache: When television commentator Chris Economaki was asked to name motor racing’s most colorful personality, he selected drag racer John Force, followed by stock car driver Kyle Petty.

Quotebook: Country singer Mary Chapin-Carpenter, in a song called “The Bug:” “Sometimes you’re the Louisville Slugger, sometimes you’re the ball.”