Group Hugs Are Definitely Out With Him

Larry Bird told Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune that he became disgusted with the NBA on June 7, 1988.

“It was Magic and Isiah hugging and kissing before that game,” Bird said, recalling a Johnson-Thomas exchange before Game 1 of the 1988 NBA finals. “That changed the whole league. That’s all that goes on now. It’s a lovefest. It’s like Woodstock in 1969, everyone huggin’ and kissin’.

“I tell guys, ‘I know I’m a little different than you guys, but I could never even speak to an opponent. I could never even look at him.’ Rick Robey was my best friend when I came into the league, but after he got traded I wouldn’t have anything to do with him.”

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Trivia time: The Stanford team that played in the Rose Bowl game during the seasons of 1933, ’34 and ’35 was known as the Vow Boys. Why?

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Running proof: Race horse owner Allan Leonard pleaded guilty in England to charges of fraud, theft and false accounting. Maybe the names of some of his horses in his stable offered clues to his state of mind:

Exit to Rio, No Extradition, Creative Account and Mock Trial.

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No stopping: The Pontiac that Jeff Fuller will drive in NASCAR races next year will be sponsored by Viagra.

“How would you like to be on that pit crew?” says Jay Leno. “Faster, faster, don’t stop, go, go. go!”

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Ah, fame: Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech’s national coach of the year, is recognized in Blacksburg and elsewhere in Virginia. But he learned his fame had spread on a recent trip to Manhattan, where he spoke at a banquet honoring the Heisman Trophy finalists.

“When I started to be recognized in Manhattan, that’s when I started worrying,” he said. “I’m not sure if getting recognized in Manhattan is good or bad.

“I was right in front of Saks, walking down the street, getting ready to head down to the Christmas tree 1/8at Rockefeller Center 3/8 and two or three people said, ‘Go Hokies!’ When I was up there about two years ago, I could have shopped for three weeks and nobody would have known who I was.”

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That’s consistency: Matching his own year-old NBA record, Howie Dallmar of the Philadelphia Warriors missed all 15 of his shots against the Washington Capitols in a 1948 game.

Dallmar’s record stood proudly for 43 more years until Tim Hardaway of the Golden State Warriors missed all 17 of his shots against the Minnesota Timberwolves in an overtime game in 1991.

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Quotes of the century: Dodger announcer Vin Scully: “You don’t need an official scorer at Coors Field. You need a certified public accountant.”

Major leaguer Andy Van Slyke: “I was so bad, I couldn’t even drive Miss Daisy home.”

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He does other things: Bud Geracie in the San Jose Mercury News: “One. The number of passes caught this season by Wisconsin tailback and Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne.”

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More Geracie: “Actual headline: ‘Heavy snow postpones ski event.’ ”

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Trivia answer: As freshmen, Stanford’s players vowed never to lose to USC--and they didn’t.

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For the record: Bill Conlin’s newspaper was misidentified in Monday’s Morning Briefing. Conlin writes for the Philadelphia Daily News.

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And finally: Mike Lupica in the New York Daily News: “We give at least 30 days of rehab, and suspensions, when ballplayers test positive for dope. What do we do now with John Rocker, who tests positive for being a dope, and who needs help as much as any addict or drunk?”