Now You Can Call Them the Odd-Even Couple

New York State Supreme Court Justice Marylin Diamond gave an equal number of pro basketball and hockey season tickets to Leonard Dobbs, 65, and his wife Gloria, 64, who are splitting up after 43 years of marriage.

However, the judge ruled that “This court will not compel them to team up once again at courtside.”

Beginning next season, the judge said, the husband will get all even-numbered Knick tickets and all odd-numbered Ranger tickets, which means they would attend different games; the wife gets odd-numbered Knick tickets and even-numbered Ranger tickets.

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Trivia time: Who holds the Laker record for most field goals made in a game without a miss?

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Cash disparity: Gene Sarazen, one of four players to win golf’s four major championships--Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship--will turn 96 Feb. 17.

He was only 20 when he won the U.S. Open and PGA titles in 1922. “I was younger than Tiger Woods,” Sarazen said. “The only thing is, Tiger has millions in the bank. I had pennies.”

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Final word: Bob Watson, who resigned recently as New York Yankee general manager, answered questions in generalities when confronted by reporters at the expansion draft in Phoenix.

Jon Heyman of Newsday told him: “I need more. You’re killing me.” Replied Watson: “You’ve thrown me under the bus a few times too.”

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Attention Carlesimo: Boston Celtic Coach Rick Pitino on the thin line between yelling at his team or humiliating the players:

“There’s nothing wrong with yelling. It’s how you yell. It’s one thing if you’re yelling instructions and you’re an intense person. But if you’re demeaning to an individual and putting that person down, killing his self-esteem, then yelling is harmful to any business, any team.

“I’m very intense, and that’s the way I coach--I’m not changing. But on the other hand, I put my arm around the player, I cajole, I prod, I do all those things. But I don’t try to humiliate, embarrass or demean anybody.”

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The right stuff: San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich on veteran Spur center Will Perdue, formerly with the Chicago Bulls:

“He’s not impressed with himself when he does something that’s astounding. He’s not depressed when he makes a mistake. He’s got no MTV in him at all.”

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Trivia answer: Wilt Chamberlain, 14 of 14 on March 11, 1969, against Detroit.

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And finally: Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland’s rookie center from Lithuania, who was the most valuable player of the NBA rookie all-star game, has picked up most of his English from association with fellow players.

One day he was invited to teammate Bob Sura’s house with Sura’s parents. Instead of reaching across the table for a bowl, even though he could have at 7 feet 3, Ilgauskas said: “Please pass the . . . potatoes.”

Comment from Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune: “Yes, that’s how they speak in the NBA.”