Christie Says Lewis Is Running on Empty--but Remains Full of It

Said Britain’s Linford Christie, responding to criticism by Carl Lewis that he is not the world’s best sprinter, since Leroy Burrell lowered the 100-meter world record to 9.85 seconds:

“Lewis is an empty vessel, and an empty vessel always makes the most noise.”

Add Christie: He also told Track & Field News that he prefers to train in Australia during the winter because, “The great thing about Australia is that there are no Americans there.”

Trivia time: Who holds the NCAA Division 1-AA record for interceptions in a season?

Traffic jam: Joe Montana compares standing in a passing pocket during a game to making a left-hand turn in heavy traffic.

“If you’ve ever been stuck in the median and it’s not very wide, and you feel cars whizzing by, and you know if you move in one direction or the other you’ll get hit--that’s about the same thing,” Montana told John Paul Newport in Men’s Journal.

Add Montana: Paul Hackett, offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, says Montana has a near-photographic memory.

“If I put a game plan in, within 20 minutes Joe’s got 70% of it memorized,” Hackett said. “The next day, he’s basically got it all.”

Sticking point: Appropriate penalty for Javelin Guidry, a UCLA freshman defensive back: spearing.

Leave him alone: USC’s Dong Koo, a sophomore offensive guard, holds a second degree black belt in taekwondo. He turned down an offer to become a sumo wrestler in South Korea.

Ultimate plan: Hal Kopp, 85, is believed to be the nation’s oldest college football coach. A special assistant at Rhode Island, Kopp says that when he dies, he wants his ashes sprinkled at RI’s football stadium.

Kopp reasons that during a game against intrastate rival Brown, a Brown runner might stumble and fall while heading for a sure touchdown. Said Kopp: “People will say, ‘Kopp got him.’ I never liked Brown.”

Selling point: A newspaper advertisement promoting Pittsburgh’s opener against Texas last Saturday:

“No strike, no holdouts, no $$ contracts--just football.”

Trivia answer: Dean Cain of Princeton in 1987 with 12. Cain is better known for his role as Superman in the television series, “Lois and Clark.”

Quotebook: Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, on his statue in Jacobs Field: “I like it. It’s 10 feet tall, weighs 1,500 pounds and is home to every pigeon in Cleveland.”