To Dykstra, Commissioner Was St. Vincent

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Lenny Dykstra acknowledges the help he got from former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent.

Less than three years ago, Dykstra was baseball’s bad boy. He was in trouble because of his drinking and gambling. He was certainly not viewed as baseball’s ambassador of good will.

But he was sensational in a losing cause in the World Series, then represented major league baseball in a brief tour of Europe. He held clinics, made public appearances and signed autographs in Duesseldorf, Germany; Paris and Amsterdam.

Dykstra says: “Things began to change for me when Vincent put me on probation in March, 1991, because of that high-stakes poker game in Mississippi.

“Vincent was out to help me, not harm me. We became friends through that whole deal. To me, he was a good man. He helped me through a bad time.”

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Add Dykstra: The runner-up to Barry Bonds for the National League most-valuable-player award, he said it was obvious why he was picked to go to Europe.

“I was fresh on everybody’s minds,” he said. “(The World Series) was televised in 100 countries, so I was well known. Also, I have a little personality and things have changed for me. I’ve changed personally.

“I was the logical one to send.”

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Trivia time: What do former Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis and baseball player Steve Sax have in common?

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The Big Game: Although no Cal rooters attacked members of the Stanford band, as they had in 1992, there were some anxious moments Saturday at Stanford.

The Bear fans wouldn’t leave until the Axe, symbol of victory in the game, was brought out on the field and presented to the winning team. Cal won, 46-17.

There were of course, the usual high jinks beforehand.

The Daily Californian published a special edition that included this quote from Cal quarterback Dave Barr:

“I remember reading last semester about a Stanford athlete who fell from his top bunk and out a window, landing two stories below. Accident? Or was it just another example of how waking up next to a Stanford woman is bad for your health?”

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Neatness doesn’t count: Columnist John Eisenberg of the Baltimore Sun writes that he really loves the mess at the top of college football.

“I love the disorder,” he says. “I love the regionalism, the myopia and bowl officials wearing fuchsia jackets. I love the fans in red hog-snout hats turning blue in the face making arguments with white-hot vehemence even though they can’t prove a thing, which no one can.

“Just look what’s happening. With Notre Dame’s loss, five teams are staking a claim for No. 1. Who is the rightful No. 1?

“If I had a vote (which I don’t) it would go as follows: Auburn, Florida State, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Miami.”

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Absenteeism: Phil Jackman of the Baltimore Sun thinks it is unfair that Glenn (Pop) Warner isn’t given credit for 22 college coaching victories recorded by Iowa State in the 1890s because he wasn’t at many of the games.

Writes Jackman, “If the same applied to to all the wins Earl Weaver recorded after he had been thrown out of games, the fiery little field leader probably would have retired with a below-.500 record.”

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Trivia answer: Both were born Jan. 29, 1960.

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For the record: Part of the answer to Wednesday’s trivia question was incorrect. Cal was beaten by Ohio State for the NCAA basketball championship at the end of the 1959-60 season, not 1960-61.

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Quotebook: Jack Nicklaus pooh-poohing the idea of Ryder Cup pressure: “It’s not like coming down the stretch in a major. Good gracious. If you make a mistake you still have 11 other guys helping you.”