MORNING BRIEFING : He May Have Been the Fish Who Stirred the Pond

Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Catfish Hunter, who died Thursday at 53, was quotable as well as likable.

On Reggie Jackson in 1977: “He’d give you the shirt off his back. Of course, he’d call a press conference to announce it.”

On whether he ever tasted one of Jackson’s Reggie Bars: “I unwrapped it, and it told me how good it was.”

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More Catfish: Hunter said in 1987, on the occasion of his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame: “My three brothers taught me how to throw strikes, and thanks to them I gave up 379 home runs in the big leagues.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NFL record for touchdown passes in a season and career?

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Fascinating: From the Gallery column of the San Diego Union-Tribune: “Fitness note of the week, courtesy of ‘Entertainment Weekly’: Karaoke singing of ‘We Are the World’ burned 20.7 calories, but singing ‘Stand by Me’ burns only 6.6.”

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More Gallery: “Just in time for football season and baseball postseason, La-Z-Boy Inc. has introduced the first reclining chair with a built-in electric cooler.

“The chair, called the Oasis, features an armpad that flips up to reveal a cooling unit that can hold up to six 12-ounce cans.

In the other arm is a phone, suitable for ordering, say, pizza.”

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Let’s wait: Bob Kravitz in the Rocky Mountain News, on Brian Griese: “They keep telling me about his quarterbacking bloodlines, which might mean something if they could name me another former quarterback’s son who has gone on to NFL fame and fortune. . . .

“Here’s what you want to know about [him]. He is, for all intents and purposes, a rookie. And rookie quarterbacks struggle. All of them. Even--oh, the sacrilege--John Elway, whose defining moment came when he tried to take the snap from a guard.”

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Deprived: Phil Mushnick in the New York Post: “College football begins so early players haven’t even had the chance to not attend classes.”

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Clip and save: Steve Rosenbloom in the Chicago Tribune:

“You watch, Randall Cunningham will flop big-time as the Vikings’ starting quarterback. Last year he kept thinking he was a backup because that’s the way he started the season.

“This year he’s the man, and I think his head will explode, along with the overrated Vikings’ chances.”

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Trivia answer: Dan Marino of Miami, 48 in 1984, and 408.

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And finally: NBC’s Dick Enberg, commenting in the PGA Tour’s Partners magazine:

“Golf is increasing in popularity, participation and TV viewing because the players care about the game. Me-ism is at an absolute minimum, while tennis is right there at the top.

“It might take Arnold Palmer an hour to walk from the 18th green to the clubhouse. He wants to shake every hand and sign every autograph. A tennis player, he’s liable to swing his bag and knock you out of the way.”