It’s a Good Way to Finally Test McGwire’s Mettle

Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals continues to hit missile-like home runs in pursuit of Roger Maris’ record of 61 homers in a season.

Jayson Stark of the Philadelphia Inquirer calls him the “Slambino.”

“I think it would be better to get him an aluminum bat and see how far he could hit it,” teammate Gary Gaetti told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Dispatch.

“But you’d have to clear everyone off the field. And you’d have to warn the fans: ‘He’s using an aluminum bat. We’re not responsible for his actions.’ ”

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Trivia time: Which NFL team holds the record for consecutive games lost?

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Got that right: Colorado outfielder Ellis Burks, on teammate Larry Walker’s chances of winning the National League most-valuable-player award:

“It’s going to be the same. . . . The press with Coors Field and all that. It’s unfortunate that voters--whoever does the voting--consider Coors Field a joke.”

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Edgy: How nervous was Cincinnati’s Pete Rose Jr. when he finally got his chance to play in the big leagues? Said Rose: “The pitcher could be picking up the resin [bag] and I’d swing at it.”

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Scary guy: Phoenix Coyote enforcer Jim McKenzie lost four front teeth during a workout when teammate Mike Gartner caught him with a high stick.

“Ugly, isn’t it?” McKenzie said. “I look like one of those guys from ‘Deliverance.’ ”

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Jumbo report: The heavyweight team in the NFL is the Miami Dolphins, who lead the league with 13 players weighing at least 300 pounds.

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No room: Defensive tackle Warren Sapp, on the surprising 3-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “If you’re going to doubt us, stay off our bandwagon. Don’t jump on it. We didn’t ask you to ride. We’ve got a full load right now.”

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Add Buccaneers: Tampa Bay has appeared on “Monday Night Football” only three times since entering the league in 1976.

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Same old Aints: Art Spander in the Oakland Tribune, on the 0-3 New Orleans Saints: “The Saints are the NFL’s version of ‘Men Behaving Badly.’ They are an awful team performing worse than would seem possible. On Sunday [against the 49ers], they had fewer points--seven--than turnovers, eight.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1981, Marcus Allen had 40 carries for 274 yards and scored two touchdowns in USC’s 21-0 victory over Indiana.

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Looking back again: On this day in 1968, Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers won his 31st game, the most in the American League since Lefty Grove recorded 31 victories in 1931.

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Trivia answer: Tampa Bay, 26 in 1976 and ’77.

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And finally: ESPN’s Ron Jaworski, on Oakland quarterback Jeff George, a former Falcon, taking a victory lap in the Georgia Dome after the Raiders beat Atlanta last Sunday: “He had a chance to show real class and he blew it.”