At 71, Buffalo’s Levy Remains Merely a Kid

At 71, Marv Levy of the Buffalo Bills is the second-oldest coach in NFL history, closing in on George Halas, who was 72 in his final season with the Chicago Bears in 1967.

When asked about passing Halas, Levy said, “I don’t know about Halas, but I think Connie Mack’s record is safe.”

Mack was 87 when he managed his last major league baseball game for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1950.

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Trivia time: Hall of Fame baseball player Stan Musial earned most-valuable-player awards at three positions. What were they?

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Rally cry: From Jay Leno: “Have you heard the Jets’ new slogan to kick off the season? Let’s get ready to fumble!”

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Wrong bird: Jerry Magee of the San Diego Union-Tribune asked retired Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Chuck Heaton to comment on the nickname, Ravens, for the Baltimore franchise that used to be the Cleveland Browns.

“I don’t like the name at all,” Heaton said. “You think of something eating things that are dead.”

Magee replied: “Ravens, Chuck, not vultures.”

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Banjo hitter: Woody Paige of the Denver Post finds some discrepancies in the movie, “The Fan,” in which Wesley Snipes plays a Giant slugger who is stalked by an insane fan:

“The Giants wear home uniforms on the road, and Snipes swings the bat through the movie as if he couldn’t reach the Mendoza line, much less the fence.”

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Scary Devils: In the original nickname department, Arizona State is the Pacific-10 Conference leader with free safety Michael “Fright Night” Freedman and fullback Ryan “Jurassic” Paulk.

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Net needle: John Jeansonne reports in Newsday that at a masters doubles match in the U.S. Open, Billie Jean King, 52, asked opponent Sharon Walsh how old she was. When Walsh indicated that she was 44, King replied, “When I was 44, I could still play.”

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Idle millionaire: Cincinnati catcher Joe Oliver, spotting Reds’ pitcher Jose Rijo, who is making $5.5 million but sat out the season because of elbow surgery: “There is this year’s baseball lottery winner.”

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Wishful thinking: Steven B. Sample, president of USC, had mixed emotions when the Trojans played Illinois on Saturday. Sample is a graduate of Illinois.

“Why, these same two teams might meet again in the Rose Bowl in January,” Sample said before the game. Unlikely, since Illinois, now 0-2, lost to USC, 55-3.

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Trivia answer: Left field in 1943, left field and first base in 1946, and right field in 1948.

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And finally: Golfweek magazine reported that when Scott Hoch finished his third round in the PGA Championship, he had something to say to kids seeking golf balls from players:

“They sell them in the pro shop. Go buy one.”