World Was a Lot Nicer Place When Graham, Browns Reigned

Otto Graham, who knew something about winning when he quarterbacked the Cleveland Browns to seven championships in 10 years, is not happy with the current win-or-else philosophy of football.

“Back then (1946-55), I don’t think the fans or media were anywhere near as cruel as they are today,” he told Mark Woods of Florida Today. “The picture has changed. Not just in sports, but all walks of life.

“People in the stands--and I’m talking about high-class people, doctors, lawyers--they get up there and have a few drinks and turn into animals. I wish there was some way you could take all the fans into a locker room when their team has lost. Let them see those 300-pound guys with tears rolling down their cheeks and blood flowing from different wounds. They’re human beings, too.”

Add Graham: The 72-year-old Hall of Famer is not pleased with some of the players, either.

“Every time I see a player get in the end zone doing one of those crazy dances, my stomach hurts,” he said.

Trivia time: What is Jack Nicklaus’ playoff record in regular PGA Tour events? Faint praise: Peter May, the Boston Globe’s pro basketball writer, apparently doesn’t think much of the Lakers. In writing about the Celtics’ Acie Earl, he noted that Earl played well against the Lakers.

“In NBA terms, that is akin to saying your blind date had a good personality and didn’t perspire too much,” he wrote.

Mighty optimistic: If nothing else, the Mighty Ducks are optimistic in their first year. On March 4, they started printing playoff tickets.

No change: After Charles Barkley of the Phoenix Suns was ejected from a game against the New York Knicks, he took a shot at the Knicks.

“I would have been worried, but the Knicks can’t score,” he said. “I watched (the rest of) the game on TV. They couldn’t score on TV, either.”

Trivia answer: Nicklaus has a 13-10 record.

Quotebook: Oscar De La Hoya, commenting on the fighting style of Jimmi Bredahl, whom De La Hoya defeated last Saturday: “He was holding me. I would hit him, hurt him, and (he would) just hold me. I believe he wanted to make me his girlfriend.”