Historic Season Was No Walk in Park for Him

Brian Jordan, now with Atlanta, told Ken Daley of the Dallas Morning News that he is relieved that he no longer bats behind Mark McGwire as he did last season with the St. Louis Cardinals:

“Hitting behind him put a ton of pressure on me. It was the most pressure I’ve felt in my career. When you hit behind a guy like Mark, who was chasing the [home run] record all season, you have to produce, or he won’t get the pitches he got to hit.

“If I didn’t hit, the pitchers would have pitched around him to get to me.”

Wrote Daley, “Often, they still did. McGwire walked 162 times last season, a National League single-season record.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the Pacific 10 Conference record for most blocked shots in a game?

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Lasting fame: Outfielder Mike Zywica of the Texas Rangers is the last player listed in the current “Baseball Register.”

Said another Z, Ranger Todd Zeile, “That’s one of the best Scrabble names in baseball history. You’ve got to get a double bonus out of Zywica.”

For the trivia minded, outfielder Jeff Abbott of the Chicago White Sox is the first player listed.

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Rabbit ears: Boston Celtic Coach Rick Pitino went ballistic recently at some heckling directed at well-traveled center Eric Riley by a rotund fan in Cleveland:

“Who are you to criticize anyone?” Pitino yelled at the fan. “What an athletic body you’ve got! Have another beer. Hey, Budweiser man! Get a Bud over here!”

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Fantasy ride: Minor league hockey teammates Shayne Stevenson and Kevin McKinnon were arrested last week in the predawn hours for allegedly stealing a taxi in Bossier City, La.

Both were charged with unauthorized use of a movable object. Their team: the San Angelo (Texas) Outlaws.

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Small talk: Peter Schmuck in the Baltimore Sun: “Following the announcement of the four latest Hall of Fame inductees, someone asked Veterans Committee member Yogi Berra which of today’s catchers he liked the most. His choice: perennial Texas Ranger all-star Ivan Rodriguez. Why?

“ ‘I like him because he’s as short as I am,’ Berra said. “ ‘I like small catchers. They make a good target for the pitcher, and it’s easier to get down there.’ ”

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FYI: USA Today oddsmaker Danny Sheridan has listed the Florida Marlins as million-to-one shots to win the World Series. Another longshot was Kansas City at 500,000 to one.

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Trivia answer: Jelani McCoy of UCLA, 11, against Maryland on Dec. 9, 1995.

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And finally: Atlanta Brave relief pitcher Mike Cather underwent surgery last year to remove a three-inch piece of rib that had been pinned against an artery, limiting the blood flow to his right arm.

He asked surgeons to give him the chunk of rib instead of sending it off for testing. “I was going to feed my bone to my dog so we could bond,” he said.