Diamondbacks May Be Getting Too Much Sun

Columnist Bill Madden of the New York Daily News is appalled at the huge amounts of money being thrown at untried baseball rookies.

“The signing of San Diego State first baseman-outfielder Travis Lee by the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks for a mind-boggling $10 million has set baseball back 30 years and only serves to underscore just how dumb the owners really can be,” Madden wrote.

“As Braves superscout Bill Lajoie observed: ‘This is absolutely nuts. More than 90% of all the players drafted never make it, and now we’re giving out $10 million to them.’ ”

Major league baseball has rejected the contract but only because of a technicality, which probably can be remedied, not the money involved.

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Trivia time: Don Shula is the NFL’s all-time winningest coach. What distinction belongs to his son David, Cincinnati Bengal coach?

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Breaking out: Fazeh Hashem, the daughter of Iran President Hashemi Rafsanjani, wants the International Olympic Committee to do more to promote sports for Muslim women.

“Muslim women are ignored because of their moralities as stated in their religion. There are 500 million Muslim women in the world, one-fourth of the world’s female population, who cannot do sport in the existing conditions.”

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On the other hand: Hassiba Boulmerka of Algeria, who won the 1,500 meters at the Barcelona Games while wearing a normal runner’s outfit, might question Fazeh Hashem’s wisdom.

Her victory prompted a Muslim preacher in Algeria to denounce those who “dare display their nudity before the whole world.” Death threats followed. Boulmerka became an outcast, afraid to return to her own country.

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Feathers may fly: Bill Robertson of Disney Sports isn’t quite sure what’s going to happen when the Mighty Ducks hold their annual charity golf tournament Nov. 4 at Dove Canyon Country Club. Said Robertson: “There could be some Mighty Duck hooks off the tee.”

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Think about it: Should the wave in stadiums in the northern hemisphere go counterclockwise, like toilets and hurricanes? And what about the southern hemisphere?

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Cyberspace golf: Want to know anything about the life and times of Arnold Palmer? Or get some free golfing tips and lessons from the man himself? He has his own web site: https://palmer.sportsline.com

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Trivia answer: David Shula reached 50 losses in his 69th game, quicker than any other coach in NFL history. Don Shula didn’t lose his 50th until his 15th season, when he was 151-50.

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And finally: Thoroughbred trainer Henry Moreno has difficulty remembering the names of his horses. He often refers to them by color or size. So owner Jack L. Finley tried to accommodate his trainer when naming a chestnut colt two years ago.

Moreno had no trouble remembering that Red won Monday’s California Sires Stakes at Santa Anita.