THE INSIDE TRACK : Trinidad Disputes Tale of This Tape

Felix Trinidad is going to great lengths to psych himself up for his welterweight title fight Sept. 18 in Las Vegas against Oscar De La Hoya.

Trinidad claims that the promotional poster for the fight belittles him because the picture of the fighters standing together makes it appear as if he and De La Hoya are the same height.

“I’m taller,” Trinidad insists.

According to the tale of the tape, De La Hoya is 5 feet 11 and Trinidad is 5-10. But Trinidad says that’s a tall tale.

*

The episode reminds Steve Springer, Times boxing writer, of the feud between quarterbacks Todd Marinovich and Bret Johnson, which developed when they were at rival Orange County high schools--Marinovich at Capistrano Valley, Johnson at El Toro--and carried over to their days at USC and UCLA.

In a 1989 article by Springer, the 6-4 Marinovich claimed that the 6-0 Johnson was so sensitive about the height difference that he agreed to be photographed only once with Marinovich and, on that day, arrived in high-top shoes with something stuffed inside to make him appear taller.

Marinovich said Johnson drove over in his cleats so that he wouldn’t have to change shoes in front of anyone. Johnson denied it.

*

Of the Pacific 10 Conference teams I’ve seen so far, USC looks biggest and fastest. . . .

Perhaps that’s because its opponent, Hawaii, was the smallest and slowest. . . .

The view from the press box made it appear as if Drew Bennett was the freshman and Cory Paus the junior when UCLA beat Boise State. It looked like that on the field too, Bennett said. . . .

“I’ve been here a few more years, and I wanted to start out like he did,” Bennett said Tuesday. . . .

Ultimately, he said he believes he should be the No. 1 quarterback. . . .

“I know the offense a little better and have a little more athletic ability,” he said. . . .

Bennett is among five walk-on players slated to start for UCLA on Saturday at Ohio State. Another is fullback Matt Stanley, a sophomore who went to high school within a few miles of the Buckeyes’ famous horseshoe stadium. . . .

He had no difficulty saying, “Goodbye, Columbus,” because his father, Steve, also was a Bruin fullback. . . .

Coach Bob Toledo said Tuesday that Stanley probably will be rewarded with a scholarship in the next few weeks. . . .

Do you think the Texas Longhorns, beaten by a total of 81 points in 1997 and ’98 by UCLA, might have been taking out their frustrations on Stanford when they scored 69 points Saturday? . . .

An editor asked if things were bleak Monday at Edison Field. No, I said, because I went to the Yankee clubhouse. . . .

Perhaps I should have visited the Angels. With the purge of the big-screen televisions, interim manager Joe Maddon told writers that players are reading magazines and books on the New York Times best-seller list and then organizing groups to discuss them, sort of like the Algonquin Round Table. . . .

I think he was joking. . . .

Maybe you heard it here first: New York Met teammates Rey Ordonez and Luis Lopez came to blows while arguing about singer Ricky Martin. . . .

Wayne Chrebet’s injury means the Jets will have to throw Keyshawn Johnson the damn ball more often. . . .

That’s OK with Coach Bill Parcells, who said this summer that the only player he’s had who was as competitive as Johnson was Lawrence Taylor. . . .

“He understands the technical aspect of the game now a lot better than he understood it a couple of years ago,” Parcells added. “He still needs reminders and everything. But I tell you, I enjoy working with him. He’s fun.” . . .

Gary Payton tells ESPN magazine that his son’s favorite player is Kobe Bryant. . . .

“My son is in love with Kobe Bryant, and it makes me upset,” he says. “He wears his jersey around the house.” . . .

Jerry Springer--no relation to Steve, I think--is considering running for the Senate as a Democrat in Ohio, provoking the state’s Republican Party chairman to say that Dennis Rodman and Tonya Harding must be too busy.

*

While wondering if the NFL meant we were supposed to have a plan for an expansion team by this Sept. 15, I was thinking: USC’s Trojans are the only people who go to Hawaii and then take a week off, the Angels should hire Don Baylor, I don’t want to know anything else about Jennifer Capriati’s past.

Randy Harvey can be reached at his e-mail address: randy.harvey@latimes.com