After One Tough Cookie, Everyone Else Is a Cupcake

A follow-up to Friday’s Morning Briefing item on Louisville-Courier Journal reporter Russ Brown, who once covered the University of Louisville and football Coach Howard Schnellenberger:

Brown said Schnellenberger was “someone who wants to make sure you know he’s boss.”

Brown didn’t buy it.

“I said, ‘Look, I just got done dealing with Bob Knight for 13 years, and you can’t hold a candle to Bob Knight. You’re not going to intimidate me, so don’t even try.’ ”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NCAA tournament record for most three-point baskets?

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Super goal: Miami Dolphin Coach Jimmy Johnson in the Sporting News: “As much as I want Dan [Marino] to get a Super Bowl ring, I want a third one, and I guess selfishly I want it more for me than I do for him. I could say I want it for Dan Marino, but the hell with that. I want it it for Jimmy Johnson.”

At least he’s honest.

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Confession: Utah basketball Coach Rick Majerus before his team was eliminated Thursday from the NCAA tournament by Kentucky:

“The kids are mentally tough. That doesn’t come from me. I mean I am definitely not mentally tough. You can see that because I’m a fat guy.”

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Outfield adventure: Luis Polonia, a nonroster player who has a chance to become the Seattle Mariners’ starting left fielder, is nicknamed “Catch 22.” Why is that?

Reportedly, for every 100 fly balls hit to Polonia, he’ll catch 22.

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Signals off: A follow-up on the big free-agent contract that former Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Neil O’Donnell signed with the New York Jets:

After a recent USAir flight from Buffalo to Pittsburgh, the flight attendant got on the loudspeaker and said: “Welcome to Pittsburgh, the city without a quarterback.”

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Bottled up: Tennis player Alexander Volkov after losing, 6-2, 7-5, to Mikael Tillstrom in the first round of the St. Petersburg Open in Russia: “My only desire now is to get drunk. I’ve lost all my skills as a player.”

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Bulletin: From David Letterman: “Signs of spring in New York City: Drug arrests soar as Yankees return to town. The Mets are mathematically eliminated from the pennant race.”

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A lousy eagle: Legendary golfer Ben Hogan, commenting once on his competitive nature: “I dreamed one time--and this sounds crazy--that I made 17 holes in one, and on the 18th hole I lipped the cup. And I was madder than hell.”

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Hair today, gone tomorrow: Ira Berkow in the New York Times: “I once asked Dennis [Rodman] if he was concerned that he’d lose his hair from all that bleach and dye. ‘When you get old,’ he said, ‘you lose your hair anyway.’ ”

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FYI: Dean Smith of North Carolina holds the NCAA coaching record for most tournament appearances with 26.

Trivia answer: Bobby Hurley of Duke, with 42, from 1990 to 1993, 20 games.