Let’s Hope Their Attitude Isn’t Catching

Paul Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells of this conversation between Pirate pitcher Danny Darwin, 40, and catcher Jason Kendall, 21, during a recent game.

“It was a key situation in the game,” Kendall said. “I thought about what he was going to throw. I said, ‘What’s up? Fastball or slider?’ And he said, ‘I don’t know, kid, but you’ve got 60 feet to think about it. Now get out of here.’ ”

That exchange prompted Steve Blass, former Pirate pitcher, to recall a time when St. Louis Cardinal catcher Tim McCarver started out to the mound for a talk with Bob Gibson.

“Gibson waved him back, saying, ‘All you know about pitching is that you can’t hit it.’ ”

Trivia time: Who was the last American to win the 1,500 meters at the Olympics?

Waiting game: Jack Nicklaus has predicted that Tiger Woods is destined to become a dominant player on the PGA Tour. John Cook, who recently set a 54-hole PGA scoring record, agrees, but qualified it by saying:

“I think Tiger is going to be a great player. He’s really impressive on the college level, but he hasn’t impressed us yet. He hasn’t done anything with us yet.”

Next question: Chicago White Sox outfielder Tony Phillips was asked if he’s concerned that he’s considered a “hothead” with his frequent eruptions.

“I am a hothead,” he said.

Sounds messy: Michael Knisley in the Sporting News on the struggling Detroit Tigers: “The Tigers aren’t just rebuilding. They’ve gone back to the primordial ooze to evolve again.”

FYI: Now that Michael Johnson has broken the world record in the 200 meters, the oldest men’s track record belongs to Sebastian Coe, with his time of 1:41.73 in the 800 meters set in 1981.

Looking back: On this day in 1956, Charles Dumas became the first athlete to high jump 7 feet, when he cleared 7 feet, 5/8 inches in the U.S. Olympic trials at the Coliseum.

Trivia answer: Mel Sheppard, in the 1908 Games in London.

And finally: Washington State linebacker James Darling has pleaded guilty to third-degree malicious mischief, damaging a $5,985 gum-ball machine in Oroville, Wash.

Darling said he wanted to put the five-foot-high machine on the car of a person who had put crickets in his hotel room.

Obviously, his plan for payback got gummed up.