New Tactics Could Run Into Problems

Marathon organizers in Vienna plan to attach computer chips to runners’ shoes to stop a repeat of last year’s cheating when competitors rode the Metro and took shortcuts.

All runners will have microchips tied to their shoelaces to enable organizers to check that they stick to the route.

Of course, the cheaters might simply change shoes.

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Trivia time: How many times did Ben Hogan win the L.A. Open?

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Strike solution: John Steigerwald of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that if Harry Truman were President, the baseball strike would have been settled a long time ago.

“He would have done what he did to the railroad workers back in 1946. He threatened to draft them and have the Army run the trains. Come to think of it, some of those players could use two good years in the Army.”

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Luxury class: Jayson Stark in the Philadelphia Inquirer commenting on a recent major league players’ meeting in Orlando, Fla.:

“There were 13 cars out in front, all belonging to downtrodden baseball laborers--five Mercedes-Benzes, five Lexuses, one Lamborghini, one Cadillac and one red Mitsubishi sports car.”

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Ice follies: Mark Solis, director of promotions for the San Antonio Iguanas of the Central Hockey League:

“Our popular attraction is sumo hockey. We get two big participants dressed in sumo wrestling outfits and they play one-one-one hockey. It’s funny when they fall down and don’t get up.”

That’s funny?

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Fore! Scott Hoch, the defending champion, recently played with President Clinton, former Presidents Gerald Ford and George Bush and tournament host Bob Hope in the first round of the PGA Tour event in Palm Desert.

Asked by Geoff Russell of Golf World if he learned anything from such a distinguished group, Hoch said, “Sure. Don’t ever walk in front of them.”

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Cool it: In the cornball promotion of the year, fans--who can win prizes--are asked to write letters on “Why I love baseball,” the goal being to generate 10,000 letters and present them to negotiators representing both sides of the strike.

“Quite naturally, we’re for the fans ,” said Steve Martin of the Hunter Fan Co., the campaign’s sponsor. “Cooler heads must prevail in this disagreement, and perhaps thousands of love letters about baseball will make both sides a bit more understanding.”

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Saving what? Arizona set a school record for runs in a single game by routing St. Francis, 40-10, Wednesday in Tucson. The Wildcats scored 16 runs in the seventh inning.

Jason Ford pitched the final 3 1/3 innings for the Wildcats, recording his first save. A save in a 40-10 game?

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Looking back: On this day in 1964, Cassius Clay won the heavyweight boxing title when Sonny Liston was unable to answer the bell for the seventh round at Convention Hall in Miami Beach.

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Trivia answer: Three--1942, 1947, 1948.

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Quotebook: Kent Hrbek, recently retired first baseman of the Minnesota Twins, on the baseball strike: “I have more important things to worry about--like how to get the ice off my driveway.”