Near Perfection Responsible for the Longest Bath

Andrew Bagnato of the Chicago Tribune, a native of Pittsburgh, on growing up in a family of Pirate fans:

“My late father used to tell a story about a night in 1959: He flipped on a Pirates’ game on the radio as he hopped into the bathtub.

“Pirates’ pitcher Harvey Haddix was mowing down the mighty Milwaukee Braves, and when he carried a perfect game into the late innings, my dad naturally refused to get out of the tub, fearing he’d jinx Haddix.

“He risked pneumonia until Haddix lost his perfect game in the 13th inning.”

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Trivia time: How many Lakers have scored 50 or more points in a game?

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Elementary: David Justice, who was traded by Atlanta to Cleveland and has also moved from right field to left, when asked about his new position:

“First of all, it’s way over on the other side of the field.”

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Doubtful: St. Louis Cardinal first baseman-outfielder John Mabry when told teammate Willie McGee predicted he could win a batting title some day: “I think he had one too many sarsaparillas.”

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Dangerous alliance: Bob Verdi of the Chicago Tribune, writing on golfer John Daly before he admitted himself to the Betty Ford Center: “And now has [Daly] reacquainted himself with his old war pal, Jack Daniels?

“ ‘All I can do is talk to John,’ [Fuzzy] Zoeller said. ‘Life is precious, but you can’t lock a horse in a barn.’ ”

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Sick outlook: Baltimore Oriole outfielder Brady Anderson, who plans to play today despite a cracked rib:

“My goal is to mess up every internal organ I have. I’ve been resting [the rib] so much that I have no idea how it will feel when I test it.”

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Occupational hazard: NBA television announcer Marv Albert on Dennis Rodman’s knee injury: “It just goes to show what happens to those guys who wear high heels.”

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FYI: Charlie Whittingham didn’t saddle his first Santa Anita Derby runner until he was 40. On Saturday, 43 years later, Effect will be trainer Whittingham’s 33rd entrant.

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Looking back: On this day in 1985, Villanova upset Georgetown, 66-64, for the NCAA men’s basketball championship. Villanova shot 78.6% from the field, making 22 of 28 shots.

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Trivia answer: Seven: Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, George Mikan (when the franchise was in Minneapolis), Gail Goodrich, Rudy LaRusso and Cedric Ceballos.

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And finally: Tony Smith of the Charlotte Hornets, who was with the Lakers during Magic Johnson’s 16-game coaching stint in 1994:

“It was kind of weird. He wasn’t cut out to be a coach. He was way too intense. His emotions were up and down. He probably would have had a heart attack sooner or later.”