Reinsdorf and Veeck: Two of a Kind?

Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago White Sox, has been severely criticized for saying, “Anyone who thinks we can catch the Indians is crazy,” but old-timers point out that he isn’t the first White Sox owner to make such a statement.

“We don’t have enough power to beat the Yankees,” Bill Veeck said of the 1959 team at the time he bought it.

That White Sox team won its first American League pennant in 40 years.

But then, everybody always thought Veeck was crazy.

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Trivia time: Which quarterback, with a minimum of 12 starts, has the best winning percentage in the NFL?

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The other side: Lots of big-time stars are into selling something these days but you don’t necessarily have to buy something to get close to your sports idol.

Take Crystal Ross, 13. She showed up at a shopping mall in Raleigh, N.C., to get stock car driver Jeff Gordon’s autograph and even though she didn’t get it, she left happy.

After Gordon left, she clutched a plastic cup that had held his soft drink.

“He spit in this cup,” she said. “And I sat in his chair after he left. I saw him, too. He looked me right in my eye, and he waved. This has been the best day.”

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Not in Louisiana: Former Oklahoma lineman J.D. Roberts says he isn’t quite sure why he was chosen for the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

But he said he is sure of one thing--it wasn’t his 7-25-3 record as coach of the New Orleans Saints for three years in the early 1970s.

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The way it is: After twice stumbling and falling over first base on ground balls, John Cangelosi, a utility player for the Florida Marlins, explained it this way: “The bases are too high.”

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Snort and tell: Oakland Raider center Curtis Whitley admits in a new book that he snorted speed while he was with the Carolina Panthers.

“I’m a wild child. I’ve done some bad things,” said Whitley, who was released by the Panthers before training camp and subsequently signed with the Raiders.

“Obviously I’ll never get to the Hall of Fame--maybe the wall of shame.”

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Farewell Marlena: A judge in Warrenton, Va., kicked Jack Kent Cooke’s widow out of the couple’s mansion and denied her a $10,000 monthly allowance from the estate of the late Washington Redskin owner.

Marlena Ramallo Cooke had asked to stay in the $3-million Washington house, and for living expenses, while her husband’s complicated will is settled in court. Lawyers said she violated a premarital agreement by maintaining a separate apartment during the marriage.

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Trivia answer: Steve Bono, the Green Bay Packer backup, who has a 28-12 record and .700 percentage, slightly better than MVP starter Brett Favre’s 50-27 and .649.

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And finally: Does Bill Walsh want his job back as San Francisco 49er coach? This is his assessment of the current team:

“I don’t want to put Ed DeBartolo on the spot, or Steve Mariucci, but I don’t think there’s a better team out there than the 49ers. There are probably four or five who are comparable but none that I think are distinctly better.”