Here’s a Chance to Give Martina Fitting Sendoff

Want to say a personal goodby to Martina Navratilova? Here’s your chance. Write her a letter.

Navratilova, 37, the nine-time Wimbledon champion who is retiring from singles competition at the end of the year, will be presented a scrapbook of letters from well-wishers when she plays her final local tournament in the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles, Aug. 8-14, at Manhattan Country Club.

As a farewell gift, Navratilova fans can send their letters and contributions to the Red Cross in her name for earthquake relief: Martina Navratilova Farewell, P.O. Box 570506, Tarzana, 91357.

Trivia time: How many times did Joe DiMaggio keep his 56-game hitting streak alive with a hit in his last time at bat?

Silence award: It goes to the most puzzling reaction of the week, the one from USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett, who refused to comment when George Raveling decided to stay at USC.

Excuse me, but how can the athletic director say nothing when his basketball coach almost takes a job at another major college program, then stays on?

Numbers game: New Giant Darryl Strawberry’s uniform No. 17 has previously been worn in San Francisco by such players as Ozzie Virgil, Cap Peterson, Randy Moffitt, Charlie Hayes, Kirt Manwaring, Dave Martinez, Angel Escobar, Kevin Bass and Luis Mercedes.

History: On this date in 1967, Eddie Mathews of the Astros hit his 500th home run, against San Francisco’s Juan Marichal at Candlestick Park.

And just to show that history repeats itself, on this date in 1968, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 500th home run, against the Giants’ Mike McCormick.

Old news: AEI Speakers Bureau promotes and represents a bunch of sports figures, but it must be working from an old roster. On a recent list, they sort of blew their clients’ jobs.

On the list, for instance, Whitey Herzog is manager of the Angels, which he did 20 years ago for four games as a fill-in; Lou Piniella is manager of the Cincinnati Reds, whom he left after the 1992 season, and Jerry Tarkanian is coach of the San Antonio Spurs, who fired him 20 games into the 1992-93 season.

There’s more. Kansas City running back Marcus Allen is an “LA Raider great,” and Greg Bell is an “LA Rams running back,” even though he left the Rams five years ago and has not played for two years.

Trivia answer: Seven times.

Quotebook: Writer-commentator Bud Collins, after he was enshrined in the Tennis Hall of Fame along with Hana Mandlikova: “Hana went in under the Czech flag and I’ve had a checkered career.”