What Were Odds That Someone Would Ask Them?

What are the odds that the only two graduates of Point Loma High in San Diego to pitch in the major leagues, Don Larsen and David Wells, would become the only New York Yankees to pitch perfect games?

Jayson Stark of the Philadelphia Inquirer did the research and here’s the result:

“It’s 80 billion to one,” Point Loma Athletic Director Lois Craig told Stark. “One of our math teachers already figured that out.”

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Trivia time: What was unusual about USC’s 3-1 victory over Yale in the College World Series in 1948?

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Icebreaker: After starting the year 0 for 31 at the plate, Pittsburgh’s Mark Smith broke his drought with a double on May 19.

Then, he was taken out of the game for defensive purposes. “You hate to come out when you’re hot,” he said.

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Bats, not sticks: Darryl Strawberry on the Yankees’ recent brawl with the Baltimore Orioles: “It was like a hockey game.”

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Keep walking: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle noticed a sign above the entrance to Dennis Rodman’s Illusions restaurant in Chicago that read: “Proper attire required.”

Said Schulman: “I was frightened to ask exactly what that meant.”

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Fear of flying: Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes of the problems big people have on planes, such as 6-foot-6, 340-pound Steeler lineman Jamain Stephens.

“Even on first class it’s a tight fit,” Stephens said. “You can imagine what it’s like in coach.”

Stephens once got stuck in an airplane lavatory for five minutes while trying to squeeze out.

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Pizza pardon: Andre Agassi left his car unattended Sunday at Roland Garros Stadium, blocking several official vehicles transporting players and VIPs for the French Open to their hotels around Paris. Agassi apologized, then ordered a dozen pizzas and salads for the frustrated drivers. He was on his way home by Tuesday, after losing to Russia’s Marat Safin in the first round.

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Progress? The winning long jump at the Pacific 10 Conference meet last weekend was 24 feet 10 1/2 inches. UCLA’s Jackie Robinson jumped 25 feet in the 1940 meet.

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Looking back: On this day in 1956, Pittsburgh first baseman Dale Long hit a home run in his record eighth consecutive game as the Pirates defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers, 3-2.

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Trivia answer: The Trojans executed a 1-2-3-5 triple play in the ninth inning. (USC beat Yale and first baseman George Bush two out of three games to win the NCAA title.)

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And finally: Bowie Kuhn, the former commissioner of baseball, says the game needs a real commissioner. His candidate? Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of England

“She’s the model of who baseball needs,” he told the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. “She’s intelligent, far-sighted, gutsy. She is the model. All those things are what a commissioner ought to be.”