The Sheriff Is Running Out of Ammo

Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone is no longer proclaiming there is a new sheriff in town, but he sure is putting his best PR spin on the prospects of a better season next year.

During a radio interview with Jim Rome this week, Malone sang the praises of Andy Ashby.

“We think he is going to be the key,” Malone said. “We think Andy can be most effective as a third or fourth starter.”

Asked Rome, “Bottom line 2001. Ashby is in. Todd Hundley is out. Other than that, the team is pretty much the same. Why would next year be any different than last year?”

Replied Malone, “Leadership. With a new philosophy and a new approach, we’re going to play the game differently. We’re going to play it more National League-style, more aggressive.

“We’re going to do the little things. We’re going to work on fundamentals. Defense is going to be a priority. . . . To me, it’s approach, it’s philosophy, it’s aggressiveness, it’s style of play.”

Does Malone really think anybody is going to buy that?

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Trivia time: Joe Namath spent 13 seasons with the New York Jets. His 14th and final NFL season was spent with which team?

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Questionable credentials: Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle points out Jim Deshaies is on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot, even though his pitching record was 84-95.

Deshaies summed up his credentials to ESPN.com. “I struck out the first eight batters I faced in a game, which is a record. I set the record for pickoff attempts to first base in a season, which I think is still standing. And I set the major league record for most at-bats without an extra-base hit, which I think still stands.”

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Good divers: The NHL is cracking down on diving--a player trying to dupe the referee into believing the player was tripped or otherwise assaulted. One of the best divers ever, Bill Barber, recently became coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Says Garth Woolsey of the Toronto Star: “Today’s practitioners couldn’t carry Barber’s goggles and fins.”

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Crime watch: According to the Charlotte Observer, “Court TV” is “getting better-than-average ratings” for its coverage of Rae Carruth’s trial. But the “early numbers are not as high as other high-profile trials this year, such as the Ray Lewis murder trial in Atlanta.”

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‘Tis the season: New Orleans Saint Coach Jim Haslett is learning about the price of success.

“[The fans] all want a piece of you,” he said. “I went to the mall the other day and it was ridiculous. We left after 15 minutes. I still haven’t bought a Christmas present.”

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Go figure: Under the heading, “This Week’s Sign of the Apocalypse,” Sports Illustrated reports that, according to an ad for a sports memorabilia show, the price for a Cade McNown autograph is $35, while Otto Graham’s goes for $25.

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Trivia answer: The Los Angeles Rams in 1977. In the fourth game of the season, on a Monday night in Chicago, Namath threw four interceptions in the first half against the Bears, was replaced by Pat Haden and didn’t play again.

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And finally: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in a pregame ceremony Monday night, honored two long-time Florida sportswriting icons who will be retiring in the new year--Tom McEwen of the Tampa Bay Tribune and Hubert Mizell of the St. Petersburg Times.

Both have covered the Buccaneers since the team began playing in 1976.

Said Mizell, “Yeah, we’re two guys who have probably seen more losses by one team than anyone in the country other than the last two commandants at Virginia Military Institute.”