Now, That’s What You Call a No-Hitter

On May 25, 1952, Ron Necciai had just pitched a no-hit, no-run game for the Class-D Bristol (Va.) Twins against the Welsh Miners in an Appalachian League game.

More impressive, Necciai, then 19, also struck out 27 batters, but he didn’t think much of it at the time.

In a recent interview with Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Necciai recalled, “Me being a smart mouth, I said, ‘Oh, so what? They’ve been playing this game for 100 years. Somebody has done it.’ ”

Anderson: “But no one in organized baseball had. Or has. . . . Necciai’s feat stands alone.”

Footnote: Necciai was 1-6 with a 7.08 earned-run average and 31 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings with the Pittsburgh Pirates later in 1952--his only major league season.

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Trivia time: Who holds the Pacific 10 record for most touchdowns on punt returns in a game?

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Same old Eagles: Bill Lyon in the Philadelphia Inquirer on the Eagles’ loss Sunday to the Arizona Cardinals:

“Presented with a 21-0 first-quarter lead, the Eagles then melted like cheap mascara in a rainstorm.

“They lost, 25-24, because their offense is, in crucial moments, still a chorus line: 1-2-3 kick. It couldn’t buy the beleaguered defense a moment’s rest.”

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Frustration: Cleveland offensive tackle Orlando Brown, who has played against the Steelers 12 times, with the Browns and Ravens, losing 11. “I hate Pittsburgh. I really hate Pittsburgh. Anything yellow and black, I hit it.”

Does that include bees, Orlando?

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Betting frenzy: Kevin Iole in the Las Vegas Review Journal: “Betting on the NFL is huge. It’s nearly a $1-billion business in the state.

“In fiscal 1999, betting on football accounted for nearly 41% of all wagers accepted at the state’s legal sports books.”

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Is that all? Jim Armstrong in the Denver Post: “One man’s list of the [Colorado] Rockies’ biggest needs: “1. starting pitching, 2. relief pitching, 3. left-handed pitching, 4. right-handed pitching, 5. young pitching, 6. old pitching, 7. any other kind of pitching, 8. a center fielder, 9. a catcher, 10. speed.”

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A yawner: When Eric Milton pitched a no-hitter for the Minnesota Twins against the Angels last Saturday, it was in a game that started at 11:06 a.m. The early start was to give stadium workers time to get the field ready for a night college football game between Minnesota and Louisiana Monroe.

Because of the early start, the Twins offered fans who wore pajamas to the game a discount on their tickets, but very few took advantage of the offer.

And the Angels couldn’t have been worse if they’d played in their P.J.s

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Trivia answer: Sam Brown of UCLA against Stanford in 1954, and Mike Garrett of USC against California in 1965, two.

It’s also an NCAA record shared by many.

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And finally: Cincinnati first base coach Dave Collins, on the Reds’ recent home-run-record spree of 17 over four games and 21 over five games: “I’ve had to shake so many hands in the last few days, I had to ice down my arm after every game. “If those guys had been horses, I would have thought I was watching a merry-go-round.”