Imhoff Simply in Wrong Place at Wrong Time

When Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks in 1962 at Hershey, Pa., one of the players who was “guarding” him was Darrall Imhoff, who had played for Pete Newell’s 1959 NCAA champion California Bears, a defense-oriented team.

Newell sent Imhoff a needling telegram, saying in effect, “I want to congratulate you on upholding the fine standards of California defensive basketball.”

In 1968, Imhoff was one of three Lakers traded to Philadelphia to acquire Chamberlain.

*

Trivia time: As a Laker, what was Chamberlain’s highest scoring game?

*

Roadblock: Times sportswriter Larry Stewart once worked for the Herald-Examiner and, as a young reporter, he made his first trip with the Lakers.

While getting on the team bus in Chicago to cover a game, he encountered Chamberlain in the front seat of the bus, guarding entry with his long legs. Chamberlain stared at Stewart and said, “And who are you, my man?”

The shaken Stewart quickly retreated and was allowed back on the bus only when Laker announcer Chick Hearn assured Chamberlain that Stewart had credentials as a reporter.

*

No-D league: Art Thiel in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “Bad as the Pac-10 is this year, the defense by conference members could not be more embarrassing if they played in orange fright wigs, oversize shoes and red noses.

*

“Check out this stat: USC leads the conference in scoring defense at 24.2 points given up per game. For perspective, that’s nearly a touchdown worse than the highest number since the league began keeping the stat in 1954.”

*

Remarkable Rams: Tony Kornheiser in the Washington Post: “Hey, how ‘bout them Rams? They’re 4-0? Are you kidding me? The Rams have been rancid so long it was like when they moved from L.A. to St. Louis they’d fallen into the Mississippi River and drowned.

“Now they’re killing people. They croaked the 49ers, who they hadn’t beaten in nine years! Who cares if Steve Young didn’t play. Brigham Young and Mighty Joe Young didn’t play either.”

*

No-where division: Skip Bayless in the Chicago Tribune: “I wouldn’t be shocked if the Bears made the playoffs. That’s because I wouldn’t be shocked if just about anybody made the playoffs in the NFC, which stands for No Future Champion.

“This conference has degenerated into Brett Favre and the 14 dwarfs. Just about every team, top to bottom, looks like a wild card.”

*

Trivia answer: Chamberlain scored 66 points against Phoenix on Feb. 9, 1969.

*

And finally: Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun-Times: “I see where people are saying that a match between a man and a woman in Seattle over the weekend made boxing look worse than it already is. I did not know this was possible.”