Hitting for Cycle Takes On a Whole New Meaning

When he played for the Cincinnati Reds, Deion Sanders used to ride a bicycle to home games. Now pitcher Pete Harnisch is carrying on the tradition.

Harnisch cycled to Cinergy Field on Wednesday and pitched a two-hitter to beat the Philadelphia Phillies.

Harnisch said he hasn’t been noticed by fans during his short rides to the stadium: “It’s not like I’m a triathlete or something. I live right down the road.”

His teammates, however, have seen him pedaling--to his chagrin. “Eddie Perez tried to run me over one day,” Harnisch noted.

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Trivia time: How many holes-in-one were recorded in 1997 on the PGA Tour compared to double eagles?

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Something in common: Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was in attendance at Saturday’s Chicago Cub-St. Louis Cardinal game at Wrigley Field. She got an autographed bat from Mark McGwire, whom she called “a fellow redhead.”

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More McGwire: Residents of an apartment building on Waveland Avenue across the street from Wrigley Field’s left-field bleachers were hanging out of the windows when McGwire took batting practice.

One even had a fishing net, hoping to snare one of the 13 balls he hit out, much to the delight of the early arriving crowd.

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Resilient: Nick Faldo missed the cut in the Masters last month, followed by a final-round 83 at the MCI Classic, his highest score in 219 rounds on the PGA Tour.

He hasn’t finished higher than 48th in the six major championships since he was fourth in the 1996 British Open. But don’t count him out.

“In 1991 a reporter was sent to the Irish Open to write a story saying I was finished,” Faldo said. “Unfortunately for him I went on to win the tournament.”

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Disturbed “fan”: Shawn Burr, San Jose Shark wingman, a former Red Wing, still owns season tickets in Detroit: “They cost too much,” he said. “The players in this league make way too much money.”

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Curiosity: Seattle Mariner outfielder Jay Buhner wouldn’t let doctors put him to sleep during an arthroscopic procedure on his knee. Buhner wanted to stay awake so he could see exactly what the doctors were doing.

He also had the procedure videotaped.

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Looking back: On this day in 1935, Omaha, ridden by Willis Saunders, won the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Roman Soldier. Omaha went on to win the Triple Crown.

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Trivia answer: Thirty one to two--by David Duval and Peter Teravainen.

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And finally: “Confessions of a Retired Little League Coach” in the New York Times:

* “Do not draft any kid who has a father, mother, grandparents, or lives with adults who might come watch him play.

* “The neater the kid, the cleaner the shoes, the newer the glove, the worse the kid plays. There are no exceptions to this rule. Only dirty kids with torn shoes and gloves have any talent.”