In the USFL, It Was ‘Hush One, Hush Two . . . ‘

Steve Young, who this week announced his retirement after an outstanding career with the San Francisco 49ers, began his pro career as quarterback of the Los Angeles Express in the troubled United States Football League.

The Express played their games at the nearly empty Coliseum.

“There were so few fans that I actually had to whisper in the huddle,” Young recalled a few years ago. “We’d move the huddle farther away so the defense couldn’t hear.”

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Add Young: After Young received his law degree at Brigham Young in 1994, Jay Leno said, “He’ll be the first quarterback in history to play three quarters and be able to bill his team for four.”

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Trivia time: Of the three men who shot 63 at the U.S Open, who is the only one who didn’t go on to win?

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On a mission: Despite having missed four games because of a painful back injury, San Francisco’s Barry Bonds is hitting .340 with a major league-leading 25 home runs.

“I think Barry is trying to prove something this year,” Colorado Rocky coach Rich Donnelly told Jim Caple of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

“Deep down, he wants to prove he’s the best player in the game. I know Barry and he’s tired of hearing about everybody else. Enough about those guys, this is my year.”

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Never enough: Houston’s Jeff Bagwell admittedly had trouble enjoying his 1,000th run batted in when he recently reached that milestone.

“I’m one of those ‘The cup is half-empty’ kind of guys,” he said. “I’m so messed up. If I got 3,000 hits, I’d probably be thinking more about the 7,000 outs I’ve made.”

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For the birds: Jon Heyman in the Sporting News: “With the Orioles, it’s an old story. In their case, a very old story. The average Orioles player is about 33, which might explain why the team already looks like it’s running out of steam. When you go in their clubhouse, the only wonder is why left-hander Jesse Orosco isn’t there anymore. He fits the O’s profile: old and overpriced. Just like last year. And the year before.

“The Orioles are old and slow, and they are an annual disappointment. One Oriole official said on the eve of the season, ‘We stink.’ He said their only real strength was at DH. ‘We have four of those.’ ”

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A nasty little secret? Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun Times: “Here’s Johnette Howard of Newsday with the roughest thing I’ve seen yet on Sports Illustrated’s Anna Kournikova cover:

“ ‘If the women’s sports movement could be killed because of SI’s antagonism and neglect, it would have already happened by now. They work hard at it. I know. I used to work there.’ ”

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Looking back: On this day in 1997, Ernie Els won his second U.S. Open in four years, finishing one stroke ahead of Colin Montgomerie at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

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Looking back again: On this day in 1925, the Philadelphia Athletics, trailing 15-4 in the eighth inning, broke loose for 13 runs and a 17-15 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

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Trivia answer: Tom Weiskopf in 1980.

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And finally: According to Marty Noble of Newsday, the New York Mets will hoist a World Series banner this season--the one they won in 1986.

The flag, taken from Shea Stadium on Opening Day of 1987, was recovered after a former Met employee read on the Internet that it was being auctioned.

Jay Horwitz, the team’s director of media relations, said the banner was taken before ceremonies in 1987 after being attached to the rope that was to be used to hoist it.

A stadium worker left the flagpole for a coffee break and returned to find the banner missing.