Caller Probably Hasn’t Heard About Lindbergh Baby, Either

Diane Cicora, receptionist at the Baltimore Orioles’ Twin Lakes Park complex in Sarasota, Fla., received a call from a fan inquiring about exhibition games.

“Will the major leaguers be there?” the caller asked.

“No, I’m sorry, they won’t,” Cicora replied.

Caller: “How come?”

Buster Olney of the Baltimore Sun writes, “If Judge Lance Ito is looking for an alternate juror, we have a candidate.”

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Trivia time: Which school holds the NCAA Division I record for most consecutive home-court basketball victories?

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Three for one: John Salley of the Miami Heat on the diminutive Cleveland Cavalier coaching staff of 5-foot-7 Mike Fratello, 5-8 Ron Rothstein and 6-0 Sidney Lowe:

“Put them all together and you’d have one person.”

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Green outfield: Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Most teams have scraped so far down in the baseball talent pool that you might see algae playing left field.”

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Instant celebrity: Joe Cipolloni, a replacement catcher for the Phillies, owns a hoagy and pizza shop in South Philadelphia, prompting a headline in the Philadelphia Daily News:

“He used to make subs, now he is one.”

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Temptation: Don Chaney, Detroit Piston coach, on Oliver Miller’s struggle to lose weight: “He’s got to watch his diet, eat the right things. I think he has more to give us than he has. That’s what I’m trying to pass along to him. Hopefully, he’ll buy it.”

Mike Miller of the Denver Post responds: “More likely, Miller will buy whatever is on sale at McDonald’s for 99 cents.”

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No taste: Milton Kent in the Baltimore Sun: “It would appear that one can sell one’s dignity for $100,000, especially if one’s name is Lawrence Taylor. That’s the amount he’ll receive to appear in the World Wrestling Federation’s next WrestleMania against a guy called Bam Bam Bigelow. Guess that nickname LT really stands for Little Taste.”

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He’ll pass: Nick Canepa in the San Diego Union-Tribune: “The spinnaker on Japan’s America’s Cup boat, Nippon, bears the name POCARI SWEAT. I looked into it. Pocari Sweat is a Japanese energy drink. Suddenly, I’m not thirsty anymore.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1973, Robyn Smith became the first woman jockey to win a stakes race when she rode North Sea to victory in the Paumonok Handicap at Aqueduct race track in New York.

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Trivia answer: Kentucky, with 129 from Jan. 4, 1943, to Jan. 8, 1955.

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Quotebook: Steve Fireovid, replacement pitcher for the Florida Marlins on replacement players: “We’re not the problem--and we’re definitely not the solution.”