In the Eye of a Tiger, Hitting Is the Most Important Thing

Tony Phillips, a utility player for the hitting-rich Detroit Tigers, wasn’t pleased with rumors that the Tigers would trade Mickey Tettleton for a pitcher.

Tettleton hit 32 home runs and knocked in 110 runs last season.

“How the heck does anybody expect one pitcher to pick up that kind of slack?” Phillips said. “Everybody hops on pitching. Well, isn’t that nice! All a big-name pitcher means is that you’ve got a big-name pitcher. Nine times out of 10, it doesn’t work out. Most of them flop with their new club. Just because you sign a top-notch pitcher, it doesn’t mean you’re going to reap the benefits.”

Trivia time: Who holds the NBA record for highest free-throw percentage in a regular season?

Harding, the song: The Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan figure skating saga has inspired several Portland area composers to record skating scandal songs that take different sides on Harding’s role. Ron Allen and Steve Asplund, calling themselves the Zambonis, concocted the biting satire, “If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Beat ‘Em (Tonya’s Song).”It goes:

“If Nancy looks too good, you just break her knee.

“Then you can kick her butt like you said on TV.”

Harding, flip side: Greg and Linda Lewis of Vancouver, Wash., composed a song that is a little more supportive, “It’s Tonya’s Turn.” The lyrics:

“To us you represent the dreams that we all hold.

“That no matter who you are, you can have the pot of gold.”

Last of his kind? Bob Richards, who won Olympic gold medals in the pole vault in 1952 and ‘56, called meet promoter Al Franken to enter his son, Brandon, in the Sunkist Invitational at the Sports Arena on Feb. 19. While they were talking, Richards told Franken he had vaulted 12 feet 6 inches the other day. Franken asked: “What’s the record for someone in your age bracket?” Richards replied: “I don’t think there are any other 68-year-old pole vaulters.”

Quite an honor: Before Kevin McHale’s No. 32 was retired Sunday at Boston Garden, a roast was held at Brandeis University, with McHale the target of jokes by former teammates and Boston celebrities. The producers of “Cheers,” which featured McHale in two episodes, placed an ad in the roast program. It read: “You are without a doubt the finest actor over 6-10 we ever had on our show. (Kareem turned us down).”

Should have left like McHale: Six NBA stars that stayed one year too long: Bob Cousy, who averaged 0.7 points per game in his final season; Bill Walton, 2.8; Dolph Schayes, 5.6; Neil Johnston, 6.3; Elvin Hayes, 5.0, and Walt Frazier, 3.3.

Familiar pattern: In five of the last six seasons, the Sacramento Kings have had a 12-29 record midway through the season. That’s where they were Tuesday night before beating Portland, 102-97, to raise their record to 13-29. “It’s amazing,” Coach Garry St. Jean said. “It’s a very strange happening.”

Just a fact: Five countries will be participating in their first Winter Olympics this month at Lillehammer, Norway: Israel, South Africa, Central Africa, Thailand and Fiji.

Trivia answer: Calvin Murphy of Houston, 95.8% in 1980-81.

Quotebook: Dallas Cowboy Coach Jimmy Johnson, when his relationship with owner Jerry Jones was likened to that of the one between George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin: “Maybe we are. Which one’s Billy Martin?”