Even Chicago Has to Be Safer Than Kuwait

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Sun-Times recalled that new Loyola of Chicago basketball Coach Larry Farmer, the former UCLA coach and player, coached the Kuwaiti national team back in the early ‘90s.

“He was all set to return to Kuwait from the United States when Iraq invaded, precipitating the Gulf War.

“Timing is everything. The building he was living in was destroyed by tank fire.”

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Trivia time: Who was the first two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500?

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Wait a minute: Shaun Powell writing in Newsday: “The advantages for [Mike] Piazza to remain a Met are pretty simple. Being a star in L.A. doesn’t compare to being one in New York, a far greater sports town.”

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Far greater? Granted, Los Angeles doesn’t have an NFL team, but New York doesn’t have any major universities to match UCLA and USC.

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Time stands still: Before Gale Sayers was an All-American running back at Kansas and an NFL star with the Chicago Bears, he was a Nebraska state high school record holder in the boys long jump.

In fact, he still holds the state record--37 years later. He jumped 24 feet 10 inches on May 19, 1961.

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Moon-shots: Mike Piazza on the long-distance home run power of Mark McGwire: “It’s hard to believe that Babe Ruth could hit them higher or longer than that. You see [McGwire] and it’s unbelievable where he hits them.”

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Place rut: Blackie Sherrod of the Dallas Morning News points out that Victory Gallop could become the second colt ever to run second in all three legs of the Triple Crown.

“Only other was Alydar, who was thrice runner-up to Affirmed for the 1978 Crown.”

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Much bigger catch: Before a game between Moises Alou’s Astros and Felipe Alou’s Expos, the son gave the father keys to a new Mercedes.

“He said he had something for me. I thought it was a fishing rod,” Felipe said.

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Quicksand: Colorado Rockie catcher Kirt Manwaring, after being thrown out at first base by Pittsburgh right-fielder Joe Guillen on what looked like a line-drive single:

“It’s like when you’re sleeping and you have this dream somebody’s chasing you . . . and you can’t move.”

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Stage-struck: Colorado Rockie outfielder Curtis Goodwin on his home-run trot: “I’m a showboat. I grew up watching Rickey Henderson.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1965, Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston a minute into the first round in the rematch for Ali’s heavyweight title. It was listed as the fastest knockout in a heavyweight title bout.

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Trivia answer: Tommy Milton in 1921 and 1923.

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And finally: Florida Marlin coach Rich Donnelly, who will likely serve up pitches during the home-run contest at the All-Star Game in Denver: “I want to give up the longest home run in history. McGwire should carry around a seismologist from MIT, just to figure it all out.”