No Petty Feelings of Jealousy Arise Over Poll Position

Richard Petty, the winningest stock car driver in NASCAR history, lost in his bid for the Secretary of State job in North Carolina, but his wife, Lynda, was successful in retaining her position on the Randolph County school board.

As Petty and his wife were leaving Republican headquarters on election day and headed for their home in Level Cross, a young boy seeking an autograph rushed up with a T-shirt to be signed. Petty stopped to accommodate him, but the boy handed the shirt instead to Lynda for her signature.

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Trivia time: Who is the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Amateur golf championship?

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Future book: When New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter was an eighth-grader in Kalamazoo, Mich., under a list of “most likely to” items in his yearbook was this: “Derek Jeter, most likely to play shortstop for the New York Yankees.”

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In a hurry: An 18-hole round of golf was played in 9 minutes 28 seconds at the Tatnuck Country Club in Worcester, Mass.

Ninety-nine players were positioned around the course, the ball being played like a relay. Remarkably, their score was an even-par 70.

They made it into the “Guinness Book of Records,” with 11 seconds to spare.

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Scouting report: After Terry Francona signed to manage the Philadelphia Phillies, he was asked if he might sign Michael Jordan, whom he managed in double-A.

“I hope we hit the curveball better than he did,” Francona said.

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Handsome hunks: Before the Notre Dame-Navy game in Dublin, an Irish woman television reporter who acknowledged she knew little or nothing about the American game, had her way of plugging the contest.

“If you want to see a lot of good-looking, single American men, come out to the game Saturday,” she suggested.

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That’s our Lou: The Irish folks were also surprised when hungry Notre Dame players refused to line up for food until Coach Lou Holtz entered the dining room.

“He’s sort of like God, then, isn’t he?” an onlooker said.

Very perceptive, the Irish.

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Infatuation: Spied at a Chicago Bull game--a Dennis Rodman fan wearing pink Spandex pants and a feather boa, holding a sign that said, “Dennis will you marry me?”

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Why, indeed? Jaromir Jagr, the Pittsburgh Penguin star, couldn’t understand it when an autograph-seeking crowd met the team bus during a losing streak.

“Why would anyone want autographs from a bunch of losers like us?” he asked.

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Bruins could use him: Columnist Norman Chad on former UCLA lineman Jonathan Ogden: “Baltimore Ravens guard Jonathan Ogden doesn’t block people, he trash-compacts them.”

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Trivia answer: James Oh of Lakewood, who was 14 years 4 months 20 days old when he played this year. That was 10 days younger than Bobby Jones in 1916.

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And finally: What does a 20-year-old college dropout with $60 million do for fun? This is Tiger Woods’ answer:

“I play some hoop, ping-pong, basically just chill out. I go out fishing, water skiing, that kind of stuff. I’m just having a good time.”