Don’t Know Much About Their History

Ninety years after serving as the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and Olympics--the first Games held in the Western Hemisphere--Washington University in St. Louis is playing a key role in another major event.

It is housing most of the 3,000 competitors in the U.S. Olympic Festival, which starts today. But the historical significance seems lost on some, including a couple of female soccer players.

“It’s news to me,” said Beth Uydess of Westport, Conn. “I’m not historically literate, unless it’s concerning my sport.”

Tammy Pearman, of Fairfax, Va., said, “I was figuring in the back of my mind that the school was in Washington state. I would honestly say that most people are quite oblivious.”

Add Washington U.: In 1904, the World’s Fair was a lot more important than the Olympics. The Games were conducted informally with 12 countries playing second fiddle to athletic clubs from the United States. The New York A.C. was first in overall medals, followed by Chicago, New York and Milwaukee, with Germany a distant fifth.

The Olympics also lacked women and there were no tryouts, with many vendors from the St. Louis World’s Fair taking part in events that included tug-of-war.

Trivia time: Who were the first MVPs in the major leagues?

Regional Rockets: The cover Sports Illustrated wouldn’t print for the rest of the nation--and almost didn’t print at all--was a sellout in Houston.

The special cover of NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon and the champion Houston Rockets was only available in Houston and only on 300,000 copies. The rest featured World Cup soccer out front.

SI had planned to publish a special edition only if the New York Knicks won the championship. But the New York-based magazine reversed the decision after outraged Houstonians swamped their switchboards with complaints.

Thinking too much: John Starks says he has finally figured out his poor showing for the Knicks in the seventh game of the NBA finals, in which he made only two of 18 shots.

“I had too much time to think about the game,” Starks said. “I was over-prepared.”

Role models: Lori McNeil was asked if upsets by her and Bryan Shelton in the first round of Wimbledon would inspire other African Americans to play tennis.

“I would hope it inspired Americans, period,” said McNeil, who ousted top-ranked Steffi Graf. “I think we’re pretty good sports on the court. I think we could be a great role model for American youngsters of all races.”

Trivia answer: Hack Wilson, Chicago Cub outfielder, and Joe Cronin, Washington Senator shortstop, in 1930.

Quotebook: Bruce Coslet, former New York Jet coach, on free agency in the NFL: “It’s like recruiting for college, only the money’s on the table instead of under it.”