Some Pitchers He Has Faced Are Stiffs

In an interview with Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mark McGwire revealed that growing up he wanted to be a coroner.

“My mom had this book about the Los Angeles coroner, Thomas Noguchi, and how he solved so many cases. And I’ve always been fascinated by how coroners can open those bodies up and solve what happened.”

Other revelations from the home run king:

* “My friends say I’m too clean for them. I run a spick-and-span house, everything nice and neat. I’m picky. I give credit to my mom.

* “There are not as many women in my life as you might imagine. The explanation I get is that women say I’m too intimidating. They’re afraid to come talk to me.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NBA record for field goals made in a game without a miss?

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What’s for lunch? After Craig Stadler defeated Colin Montgomerie in the recent World Match Play tournament at La Costa, London’s Express ran the headline: “Monty’s Eaten for Breakfast by the Walrus.”

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Killer smile: In his book on Michael Jordan, David Halberstam, writing about Magic Johnson’s smile, quotes ex-Johnson teammate Mychal Thompson:

“Forget Magic’s smile. That’s not who he was. He was like Ali, and Ali smiled a lot too. But what they both wanted was nothing less than to kill you.”

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Basic instinct: NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield, telling Newsweek about his favorite movie:

“Anything with Steven Segal hitting somebody is my favorite. Hey, I’m a race car driver. What do you expect? ‘Wizard of Oz’?”

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Floor show too? Fran Blinebury in the Houston Chronicle: “Word has it that with Dennis Rodman on board, the Lakers’ locker room will now have a cover charge and two-drink minimum.”

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Humble guy: New Cincinnati Red outfielder Greg Vaughn’s first words on arriving at the Reds’ Sarasota, Fla., complex were: “I just want to be one of the guys, be a small part of the team.”

He said this moments after emerging from a white stretch limousine.

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Who are you kidding? As the Secret Service was preparing for President Clinton’s visit to the Arizona Diamondback camp in Tucson, General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. approached an agent and introduced himself.

“Hi, I’m Joe Garagiola,” he said, extending his hand. The agent, no doubt remembering Garagiola’s father, a longtime catcher and broadcaster, thought it was a joke and said, “Yeah, and I’m Yogi Berra.”

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Trivia answer: Wilt Chamberlain, 18, while playing for Philadelphia against Baltimore on Feb. 24, 1967.

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And finally: Skip Bayless in the Chicago Tribune, on Rodman:

“Admit it: Beneath all his childishly effective attempts to attract our attention--the hats, hair, shades, earrings, nose ring, lip studs, tattoos, nail polish, bisexual attire and sexually explicit language--lies a basketball player who belongs in the Hall of Fame.”