He Could Have Tried Shades and a Fake Beard

Evander Holyfield remembers when he was a teenager competing in track meets, and his parents weren’t able to travel to watch him because they couldn’t afford it. So Holyfield wants to make sure he watches his children. But it’s not that easy.

When the heavyweight champion showed up unannounced at the Junior Olympics in Charlotte, N.C., where his four children were competing, he prompted a frenzy of excitement.

“I just wanted to come support my kids,” Holyfield said after he arrived in a stretch limousine. Hundreds of participants and fans rushed him, but police officers managed to form a circle around Holyfield so he could watch the events.

“My stomach did flip-flops,” said Valerie Williams, who won a gold medal in the girls’ long jump.

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Trivia time: How many times have the Lakers failed to make the playoffs in their 48-year history?

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No walk-ons: Says Jenny Hale, a coach at Kansas State, “It’s hard for kids to just come to school and decide to join the team because there are reams of NCAA red tape they have to deal with before they even leave high school.”

And she was talking about rowing.

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Looking back: On this day in 1916, southpaw pitcher Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox beat Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators, 1-0, in 13 innings at Fenway Park.

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Happy ending: Remember Ricks Natural Star, the butt of jokes who became a favorite of the crowd when he sauntered home about 30 seconds and 150 lengths behind winner Pilsuldski in the $2-million Breeders’ Cup Turf on Oct. 26 at Woodbine near Toronto? The 8-year-old gelding is living a life of leisure now in a 12-acre field at Paris, Ky.

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What’s in a name: The Austin (Texas) team in the Western Professional Hockey League is known as the Ice Bats, because as Mark Wangrin pointed out in the Austin American-Statesman, “Austin is home to the largest urban colony of bats in the world.”

It also inspired Wangrin to select his 10 best team names. Among them were the Macon (Ga.) Whoopie of the Central Hockey League, the Lansing (Mich.) Lugnuts of baseball’s Class A Midwest League, the Piedmont (N.C.) Boll Weevils of baseball’s South Atlantic League and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League.

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Nosing around: Ricky Watters, Philadelphia Eagle running back: “I smell it in the air. I smell a Super Bowl. I’ve been there, and I know what it smells like.”

Smells kind of fishy with the Eagles starting off 0-2 in the exhibition season.

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Trivia answer: Four, in 1958, 1975, 1976 and 1994.

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And finally: Buddy Barnes, a spotter for Jeremy Mayfield’s Winston Cup race car, spelled out the importance of a spotter, who sits in the stands and tells his driver via radio what’s happening on the track, as “40% eyes, 40% coach, 15% inspirator and 10% perspirator, or chief worrier.”

Told that it added up to 105%, Barnes said, “Well, you have to include sales tax, I guess.”