Next Gretzky Is Out There Somewhere

How difficult is it to pick the right player in the NHL entry draft?

“It’s almost as difficult as walking into a room of high school students and being asked to choose which kids might be the next doctors in this world,” David Conte, the New Jersey Devils’ director of player development, told the Sporting News’ Larry Wigge.

“They are so young, you just can’t know everything you need to to predict what their future really holds for them. They are far from grown--both physically and mentally.”

Conte picked Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Bill Guerin, Sergei Brylin, Brian Rolston, Valeri Zelepukin, Jim Dowd and Kevin Dean in recent drafts.

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Trivia time: What is the record in earnings for one month on the PGA Tour?

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One man’s view: Denver Bronco quarterback John Elway calls San Francisco 49er wide receiver Jerry Rice the best player in the NFL.

“Just because of his consistency and what he’s done over the years,” Elway told the Denver Post. “Everybody knows the ball is going to him, but they still can’t stop him.”

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Big and strong: A different preseason All-American football team is coming soon.

The September issue of Farming Success will select a team from college players whose families own or manage farms or ranches. The idea is to “recognize athletes who excel despite certain rural challenges, including lesser facilities and coaching in some cases.”

It would seem to be the right time, seeing as how Nebraska is defending national champion.

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Good instruction: Cuban pitcher Ariel Prieto of the Oakland Athletics told teammate Dave Stewart that he learned to pitch watching a bootleg import video of Stewart and Nolan Ryan.

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Not a shank: When Frank Thomas hit a home run into the waterfall beyond the fence in left-center field in Kansas City, Chicago White Sox Manager Terry Bevington said, “I saw a splash. It reminded me of one of my golf shots.”

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Fair trade: The Good Doctor, in Inside Sports, was asked what the Dodgers had to give Japan in return for Hideo Nomo.

His answer: “They had to loan Tommy Lasorda for the 1996 sumo finals.”

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Target time: Next up for Cleveland Indian slugger Eddie Murray--the 3,000-500 club. Only Henry Aaron and Willie Mays have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. Murray needs 31 more homers to join them.

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Trivia answer: Greg Norman won $781,780 last month. He won the Memorial, tied for fourth in the Kemper Open, was second in the U.S. Open and won the Greater Hartford Open.

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Quotebook: Author Brendan Gill, on the difference between tennis and golf: “Tennis is murderous. You want to kill your opponent. But golf is suicide. You want to kill yourself.”