His Coach Discovers That Ward Is Too Good for Words

Charlie Ward, the Heisman Trophy-winning Florida State quarterback, still hasn’t said whether he intends to pursue an NFL or NBA career.

A recent check showed that Ward had started all eight basketball games he has played for the Seminoles, was averaging 35 minutes a game, shooting 36% from the field and 30% on three-pointers, and averaging 9.6 points. He had 41 assists and 21 steals.

“Charlie says all options are open,” a Florida State spokeswoman said. “And he has said it’s possible he’d play in the NBA instead of the NFL.”

Ward is said by some to be a potential NBA first-round draft choice.

Said Mitch Kupchak, Laker assistant general manager: “We’ve watched him for several years now. He has NBA ability. We scout him, and so do other teams. It would not surprise me if he winds up on an NBA roster next year.”

Florida State basketball Coach Pat Kennedy said: “He’s the most Christian kid I’ve ever known. When I first started coaching him, I used earthy language.

“One day he said to my assistant, Tom Carlson: ‘Does Coach have to use those words?’ Tom told me. I stopped it.”

Trivia time: How many former USC assistant football coaches are now NFL head coaches?

Almost unthinkable: Baseball statisticians miss a major league career record? No way, you say? Believe it. It happened last season.

Turns out Baltimore’s Cal Ripken became baseball’s all-time leading home run-hitting shortstop last season . . . and no one noticed until this week.

Ernie Banks of the Cubs, it has been explained, was credited with 16 of his 293 shortstop homers when he actually played first base. Ripken hit his 278th--the new record--last July 15, when the Orioles thought he needed 15 more to tie Banks.

Oriole officials made amends this week. Ripken was given a bat autographed by Banks, and the club said the spot where the July 15 homer landed would be marked by an orange seat.

Ripken, who started his career at third base, has hit 297 homers, 289 as a shortstop. Banks hit 277 of his 512 homers at shortstop.

Said Banks: “I’m not going to hit him on the knee for breaking my record. . . . I’m just so happy he broke the record because it gave me a chance to come and be remembered, too.”

The Splendid Splinter: Joe DiMaggio, 79, was called upon to speak recently at the dedication of the Ted Williams Retrospective Museum and Library in Florida.

“There were great hitters that I did not see,” DiMaggio told more than 3,000 relatives, friends and admirers of Williams, 75.

“Fellows like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, George Sisler . . . all were great hitters. But from 1936 to the present day, I can truthfully say I’ve never seen a better hitter than Ted Williams.”

Trivia answer: Three: Wayne Fontes (Detroit), Norv Turner (Washington), Dave Wannstedt (Chicago).

Quotebook: Two-time Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, on his coach, the late Woody Hayes: “He didn’t know anything about drugs. He thought uppers were dentures.”