Well-Rested Olajuwon Not Retiring Type

Hakeem Olajuwon, who is 31 and has been in the NBA 10 years, has no intention of retiring if the Houston Rockets win the NBA championship by defeating the New York Knicks tonight in Houston.

“Retire to what?” Olajuwon asked Michael Arace of the Hartford Courant. “What can you do that is better? You come in after the game, stretch, eat and have a good night’s sleep. What can you do that is better than this?”

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Trivia time: Who holds the record for the most points in the NBA finals?

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Alerted: Scott Huffman, who recently set an American pole vault record of 19 feet 7 inches, on challenging world-record holder Sergei Bubka of Ukraine:

“All I did now is equivalent to a bee stinging a bear. It’s just going to make him mad and jump higher.”

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Ejection notice: Larry Young, American League umpire, when Kansas City second baseman Jose Lind pulled out a harmonica during a break in play:

“I better not hear ‘Three Blind Mice’ coming out of that thing.”

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Turnoff: Blackie Sherrod in the Dallas Morning News: “Oh no. Here come those NFL commercials again, the ones with Dennis Hopper babbling in some unknown tongue, thereby creating indecision whether Hopper is promoting football or some funny cigarette.”

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His number isn’t up: Chicago White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura, who wears No. 23, the same as Michael Jordan did with the Chicago Bulls and Ryne Sandberg did with the Cubs:

“No, I’m not going to retire tomorrow.”

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Confidence booster: If Baltimore Oriole Manager John Oates is worried about his job, he has a right to be, considering these comments from owner Peter Angelos in the Washington Post. Said Angelos of Oates:

“This guy’s a problem. He’s obstinate. An insecure man. Not a very good manager. I don’t think he’s a good leader.”

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Who needs it? Marvin Freeman, a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, has a 6-1 record but he wants no part of the All-Star game.

“I’m old (31), broken down and I’m tired,” Freeman said. “I need the three days off. I’ve got incentives for games pitched. I don’t . . . for the All-Star game.”

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News flash: Art Spander in the San Francisco Examiner: “Item: The new president of the American League says he’s opposed to brawling. Wow! And all the time we thought he was supportive of it.”

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Good riddance: While complimenting NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe took a shot at the previous regime:

“It wasn’t long ago that determination in the NHL front office meant only that both the tie and handkerchief went well with the suit coat.

“The John Ziegler regime was well dressed and out to lunch--morning, noon and night.”

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Trivia answer: Jerry West of the Lakers, with 1,679 points.

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Quotebook: Eric Wynalda, whose free kick gave the United States a 1-1 World Cup tie with Switzerland: “It’s the greatest thing I’ve done in my life.”