If Belle Dislikes Question, He May Berate Himself

Albert Belle, the Baltimore Oriole slugger who refuses to talk with the media, has started moonlighting as a columnist for a new newspaper, the Baltimore Press.

“Does Belle’s new job permit him to talk to himself?” asks the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “And if he is brave enough to ask himself a question . . . will he answer or just walk away?”

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Trivia time: Who was the first American golfer to win the British Open?

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No party guy: Johnny Magnus, longtime Los Angeles disc jockey, wonders if USA Today writer Chuck Johnson’s comments about the New York Mets are any more reliable than his one about champagne.

Johnson wrote, “Mike Piazza is the corkscrew that could lead to a champagne celebration in the Mets’ future.”

“Johnson apparently has never opened a bottle of champagne,” says Magnus. “A corkscrew just won’t do it.”

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No goal: Mystery has surrounded how the 106-year-old Stanley Cup got badly dinged after the Dallas Stars got their hands on it, but Vinnie Paul, drummer for the Dallas-area rock band Pantera, told the Texas Journal that he knows exactly how it happened.

“It really got dented when Guy Carbonneau threw it off my balcony into my pool,” Paul said, referring to the Stars’ 39-year-old center. Carbonneau did not make a clean shot, Paul said. “It’s his fault, Mr. Hockey himself.”

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Scary moments: Who is the most frightening opponent for a pro athlete?

It’s running back Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to a survey taken for On, a magazine for subscribers to DirecTV satellite sports.

Trying to tackle Bettis earned 45% of the votes; fighting hockey’s Bob Probert, 25%; facing pitcher Randy Johnson, 20%; and stopping the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal, 5%.

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Laker legacy: Jim Cleamons, the new Laker assistant coach, played one season with the Lakers in 1971-72, the team’s first championship season.

Actually, “played” is a stretch. As a rookie, he appeared in only 38 games, averaging 2.6 points.

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More all-stars: Gary Sheffield won’t be the only Dodger at Tuesday’s All-Star game. Also at Boston’s Fenway Park will be Dodger Stadium vendors Robert E. Sanchez and Jeffery E. Rose, both chosen as Aramark Vendor All-Stars.

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Changing times: With the tremendous success of the Women’s World Cup, it is difficult to realize that only seven years ago it was announced that the indoor Major Soccer League was folding after 14 seasons.

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Trivia answer: Walter Hagen, in 1922.

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And finally: Most NASCAR drivers are avid baseball fans and look forward to the All-Star game. However, as Jeremy Mayfield points out, there is quite a difference between baseball’s All-Star game and racing’s version, The Winston:

“In their all-star game, if they make a mistake they call it an ‘error.’ In our all-star game, if you make a mistake they call it a ‘big wreck.’ ”