Forget Athletes, Ed Sullivan Would Have Loved This Place

Alan Greenberg of the Hartford Courant writes that Friedman’s Shoes in Atlanta caters to a large clientele of pro athletes and even a boxing promoter. The price is seemingly never too steep.

For example, Bruce Teilhaber, president of Friedman’s, told Greenberg that his biggest sale was the day Don King bought 110 pair of shoes for $65,000.

“Ninety pair for him,” Teilhaber recalled, “and 20 for [Mike] Tyson.”

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Add shoes: Teilhaber accommodates Shaquille O’Neal, who wears a size 22 D. The most expensive shoes Friedman’s sells are $1,200 mink-lined alligator boots, a big seller. Greenberg wrote, “but in Shaq’s size, you pay double.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NBA record for most three-point baskets without a miss in a game?

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Wait a minute: Ron Borges of the Boston Globe on Seahawk owner Ken Behring’s statement that it would cost $90 million to fortify the Kingdome against earthquakes, even though the last significant earthquake in Seattle was 30 years ago:

“That’s like [Chief owner] Lamar Hunt claiming he has no stadium protection in Kansas City from a cavalry charge.”

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What a life: Philadelphia Flyer forward Mikael Renberg after free wristwatches were handed out in the dressing room:

“It’s crazy. When you don’t have any money, you have to pay for everything. And when you have plenty of money, suddenly everything is free.”

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Small change: When Sam Bowie turned down $3-million offers from the Chicago Bulls and Lakers and stayed retired, San Antonio Spur guard Doc Rivers wasn’t surprised.

“That just goes to show you,” he said laughing, “how much he got paid at Kentucky.”

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Lingering image: Michael Jordan, on announcing plans to open a restaurant in Toronto: “[Toronto] is similar to Chicago, but in a good way. There isn’t the Al Capone stuff.”

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Giant image: Remember the Marlboro Man, the tanned and leathery figure featured on billboards wearing a 10-gallon hat while cupping his hands to light a cigarette?

That was former New York Giant quarterback Charlie Conerly, who died Tuesday at the age of 74.

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For the record: In Wednesday’s Morning Briefing, David Greenwood was identified as the first freshman to be a regular starter for the UCLA men’s basketball team. That distinction is shared by Don Bragg and John Moore in the 1951-52 season.

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Trivia answer: Jeff Hornacek of Utah, with eight against Seattle on Nov. 23, 1994.

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Quotebook: Actor Tony Danza: “I’m a washed-up boxer who hasn’t fought for 15 years. Do you know what that makes me today? It makes me a contender.”