THE INSIDE TRACK : Morning Briefing : Fried Pitcher Decides to Counter Attack

Carlos Castillo, the wild-throwing Chicago White Sox pitcher, is being booed by fans, and he retaliated:

“I don’t care what the fans think. All they are is character killers. They’re jealous. When we go to Burger King or McDonald’s, we don’t yell at them if our burgers are not cooked right.

“I don’t think they should yell at us about our family or appearance.”

Advice to Carlos: Stay away from fast-food places.

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Trivia time: New York Yankee center fielder Bernie Williams has a chance to win successive batting titles. Who was the last Yankee to accomplish the feat?

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It won’t work: Florida Panther Coach Terry Murray wants his players speaking only English on the ice, on the bench and in the dressing room this hockey season.

The Panthers could have eight Europeans on the roster, and Murray said he’s trying to make the team closer and make communication more efficient by using English only.

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Career crisis: From comedy writer Earl Hochman: “It’s been only a few days since those 22 umpires were ousted, but already, instead of calling balls and strikes, fans swear they heard them calling, ‘Cold drinks, get your hot dogs.’ ”

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No field of dreams: Pittsburgh pitcher Mike Williams, commenting on Coors Field, before learning Rocky Manager Jim Leyland intends to retire at season’s end:

“I don’t know how anybody lasts here mentally for 80 days, especially the manager. If you don’t have gray hair when you get here, you will when you leave.”

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Ultimate game plan: The Rev. Gary Dantinne, eulogizing the late Green Bay Packer defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur: “Maybe he’s formulating God’s new defense against evil.”

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Lost soul: Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Quarterback Bubby Brister’s demotion from Denver’s starting lineup brings to mind what a Pittsburgh writer once said of Brister when he was with the Steelers:

“If they painted his front door to look like the end zone, he’d never find his way home.”

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Experiment: Chicago Bear Coach Dick Jauron plans to alternate quarterbacks Shane Matthews and Cade McNown on Sunday against Kansas City.

“This gives us the best of two worlds,” Jauron said. “It makes our opponents have to be a little more thoughtful about what they’re going to do against us.”

McNown was the Bears’ first draft choice in April; Matthews has played two quarters in a six-year NFL career. From a proven experience factor, this is not a Bob Waterfield-Norm Van Brocklin combination.

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Trivia answer: Joe DiMaggio, who hit .381 in 1939 and .352 in 1940.

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And finally: Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden, on outspoken Florida Coach Steve Spurrier: “Steve has thrown some darts most other coaches haven’t thrown. Understanding Steve, I don’t let it bother me. I try to slip a dart back in when I think it’s the right time.”