He Won’t Get Chewed Out at Meetings

Erric Pegram of the Pittsburgh Steelers commenting on the eating habits of fellow running back Jerome Bettis:

“He keeps two bags of chips with him and a pocketful of candy. Tootsie Rolls, Snickers, Skittles, taffy--all kinds of stuff.”

Bettis said he munches only during meetings: “It keeps me awake.”

Trivia time: What is the NFL record for most safeties in a game?

Naked delivery: Former Cleveland Indian pitcher Phil Hennigan, on a pitch he tried out in 1973: “It’s called a nudist ball. It’s got nothing on it.”

History majors: Jim Colbert, who will play in the Ralphs Senior Classic Oct. 4-6 at the Wilshire Country Club, said his fellow pros are well versed in golf history.

“It’s a little different than some of the other sports, where the young players don’t know the old-timers,” he said. “Keyshawn Johnson was asked about Joe Namath and he supposedly said, ‘Who’s Joe Namath?’ And Shaq asked Lenny Wilkens if he ever played in the NBA.”

Who cares? Headline in the New York Post on Monday after the 1-3 Giants beat the 0-4 Jets: “GIANTS LESSER OF TWO FEEBLES.”

Timber! PGA Tour pro Ken Green had a perfect game recently, hitting all the pins. No, it wasn’t a golf outing. He bowled 300 in a league game in Lake Worth, Fla., according to Golf World magazine.

It was the first time he had bowled in a year, and he was using a new ball for the first time.

Space odyssey: Jayson Stark of the Philadelphia Inquirer putting Hideo Nomo’s recent no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies in perspective: “What are the odds of throwing a no-hitter in Coors Field? About the same odds as traveling to the moon aboard a 1967 Volkswagen Bug.”

Loud and clear: From the Good Doctor in Inside Sports magazine:

Question: Is Tommy Lasorda still yelling at umpires from the Dodger front office?

Answer: Yes, and they can still hear him.

Instant credibility: Carolina Panther tight end Wesley Walls on his team’s 23-7 upset victory over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday: “People are going to be talking about us now. We’re going to be on ESPN and everything.”

Looking back: On this day in 1961, Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit his 60th home run off Baltimore’s Jack Fisher to tie Babe Ruth’s single-season record.

Trivia answer: Three, by the Rams against the New York Giants on Sept. 30, 1984.

And finally: After Pittsburgh was routed, 72-0, last Saturday by Ohio State--the school’s worst-ever loss--Pitt Coach Johnny Majors said: “It’s clear we aren’t even as good as last year.”

That’s pretty bad considering the Panthers were 2-9 in 1995.