Even Speaking to Them, He Won’t Be Intimidated

There once was a day when stock car champion Dale Earnhardt, a ninth-grade dropout in North Carolina, couldn’t say much more than, “Get outta my way, I’m coming through.”

Now, having won seven Winston Cup titles and with his diction polished by NASCAR, racing’s “Intimidator” has been invited to be the keynote speaker at the National Press Club’s newsmaker luncheon Tuesday in Washington.

Since 1932, presidents, foreign heads of state, cabinet members, members of Congress, entertainers, business leaders and other notables have addressed the club.

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Trivia time: How many times have the Dodgers or Angels had the No. 1 pick in the baseball draft?

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Metal ball, perhaps: Is baseball played with metal bats really baseball?

On the day that USC defeated Arizona State, 21-14, in the College World Series final, Newton North defeated Medford, 20-18, in a Massachusetts high school playoff game.

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Magic moment: From Associated Press television writer Frazier Moore, on Magic Johnson’s TV talk show debut:

“Johnson’s sidekick, Craig Shoemaker, seemed like a pizza delivery guy waiting around for his tip.”

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How they see us: Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun analyzes the change that has overcome baseball:

“The baseball world has turned upside down. The New York Yankees are now the quiet, professional team that has gained the grudging respect of everyone looking up at them in the standings. The Dodgers--who used to fit that description right down to their matching T-shirts--have undergone a personality change so profound, they might as well switch to pinstripes.”

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Early departure: After noting that Shaquille O’Neal and his entourage had first-class accommodations on a Sunday red-eye from LAX to Orlando, Fla., the Boston Globe’s Peter May wrote:

“Earlier in the day, Shaq and the Lakers had been eliminated by the [Utah] Jazz, which makes you wonder: Did Shaq have reservations?”

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Long time ago: Bucknell may have the oldest record in college basketball. John Anderson scored 80 points in 1903 against the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. It’s still the school record for a single game.

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Trivia answer: Two, catcher Danny Goodwin in 1975 and outfielder Darin Erstad in 1995 for the Angels. The Dodgers have never had an overall No. 1.

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And finally: Bill Walton had this to say about the prospects of UCLA’s Toby Bailey, J.R. Henderson and Jelani McCoy in the coming NBA draft:

“Toby is an incredible athlete, but he doesn’t have a real game. J.R. is going to have trouble in the NBA playing power forward because that is where the meanest, nastiest, dirtiest guys play. Jelani is an incredible talent, but he hasn’t shown yet he can respond to coaching.”