Before He Was Gehrig He Was Gerhig

Cal Ripken Jr.’s continuing chase of Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 consecutive games has brought forth historic tales about the legendary New York Yankee first baseman.

Eddie Gold of the Chicago Sun-Times recalled the day Gehrig first gained national attention while still in high school. Gold wrote:

“He hit a ninth-inning grand slam onto [Chicago’s] Sheffield Avenue as New York’s School of Commerce beat Lane Tech, 12-8, at Cubs Park on June 26, 1920. All the newspapers spelled his name ‘Gerhig.’ ”

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Trivia time: What were the circumstances when Gehrig began his streak on May 31, 1925?

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Homebody: There’s more to Darryl Strawberry’s stay in the minor leagues than hitting the baseball. Columbus Clipper General Manager Ken Schnacke explains:

“We are not sending him on the road because there are too many factors in the environment that we cannot control when you put him in a hotel on the road.”

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Close and closer: Butch Miller’s microscopic victory over Mike Skinner in last week’s SuperTruck race at Colorado National Speedway was in keeping with the spirit of the event. The margin was one-thousandth of a second, or about 2 inches. The 11 races in the new series have been settled by an average of 0.874 seconds.

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The barometer: Mitch Williams is only 30, which has caused some people to wonder why The Wild Thing isn’t still throwing bullets in the major leagues instead of saddling broncos on his Texas ranch.

This might be the reason: He is the only major league pitcher with more than 500 innings pitched to have given up more walks, 537, than hits, 526.

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Naughty putter: During the Anheuser-Busch tournament on his home course at Williamsburg, Va., Curtis Strange left his house with three putters. He threw one back and went to the practice tee with a Ping and an Odyssey. He used the Odyssey, and shot a 65.

“If the Ping misbehaves, you’ve got to sit him down for a game or two,” he said.

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Weather vane: Discussing the wind at the British Open, David Feherty of Northern Ireland said: “In the United States, you play target golf, but over here the target moves. You can have the right club at the top of your swing and the wrong one at impact.”

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Olympic cheer: Colin Campbell, columnist for the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, writes on the mood of the city one year before it hosts the Olympic Games:

“Everybody I know is eager to gouge some rich foreigners by renting them our houses. It’s all we talk about. You read it in the shoppers. You see it in the smile of neighbors. Money! Money!”

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Trivia answer: He pinch-hit for Pee Wee Wanninger. The next day, first baseman Wally Pipp sat out the game with a headache and Gehrig took over.

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Quotebook: From “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno: “The Mets say they want to get out of Shea Stadium by the year 2000, and New Yorkers are outraged. They want them out now.”