This Golfer Misses the Greens but Still Ends Up With Plenty

Jeannine Pelletier hit a golf shot that ricocheted off abandoned railroad tracks and hit her on the nose--and collected a $40,000 judgment from the Ft. Kent Golf Club in Maine.

The Maine Supreme Court’s opinion said, “Although the tracks are not under the club’s absolute control, the club’s duty extends to land which it has invited golfers to use.”

But the court refused a demand for damages by Pelletier’s husband, saying the jury was right when “it found no evidence he had suffered a loss of consortium with his wife.”

Trivia time: What is the highest team earned-run average in major league history?

Party pooper: The NBA lockout is affecting off-season pleasure. The champion Houston Rockets were going to have a weekend of fun in San Diego, courtesy of owner Les Alexander, but now he’s not even allowed to talk to his players, or as the Boston Globe’s Jackie MacMullan commented, “never mind buying them a pina colada.”

Not for southpaws: Left-handed batters are four for 42 (.091) against Jason Christiansen of the Pittsburgh Pirates this season.

Oddsmakers know: Who has done the best job of putting together an NFL expansion team, Carolina or Jacksonville? Oddsmakers say it’s Jacksonville. The Jaguars are three-point favorites in the Hall of Fame exhibition next Saturday when the two new teams meet in the first game for each.

One at a time: Of Larry Walker’s 22 homers for the Colorado Rockies, 15 have been hit with no one on base.

Dire prediction: Oakland Athletic coach Jim Lefebvre, who played five years in Japan, says that Hideo Nomo’s success with the Dodgers may signal the end of Japanese baseball as we know it.

“He’s made the move and the [others] will want to do the same,” he said. “The great players want to play in the best league. It’s going to be like what happened to the Negro leagues when the major leagues finally opened the door for Jackie Robinson.”

Where’s Donald Fehr?Montreal Expo broadcaster Ken Singleton suggested to the National League office that, as part of the effort to speed up games, hitters bring two bats to the on-deck circle in case they break one.

He was told that would have to be cleared with the players’ union. “And next,” Singleton said, “we can check with the batboys’ union.”

Short odds: A bettor at Louisiana Downs had the winning ticket on both the exacta and trifecta in the same race the other day and collected $30.10 for his $24 investment.

Truly international: The top eight seeded players in the Infiniti Open tennis tournament next month at the Los Angeles Tennis Center-UCLA represent eight countries: Australia, Croatia, Germany, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, The Netherlands and the United States.

Trivia answer: 6.70 by the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies.

Quotebook: Advice from the late Alan Kulwicki, former Winston Cup stock car champion: “Work to become, not to acquire.”