Tale of Two Cities: Best of Times and Worst of Times

A penthouse-to-outhouse statistic, courtesy of Harvey Pollack’s 1999-2000 NBA Statistical Yearbook:

“Leroy Ellis and John Q. Trapp had the distinction of being members of both the team with the best record in NBA history as well as the worst team in league annals.

“Both played on the Lakers’ 1971-72 team that posted a 69-13 record, including 33 straight wins, en route to the NBA title. They also played for the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers that compiled a 9-73 mark, the worst in history.”

Chicago’s 72-10 record in 1995-96 improved on the Lakers’ achievement. The 76ers’ mark has survived all challenges.

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Trivia time: Which NBA player has the longest name?

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Speed count: USC wide receiver R. Jay Soward made a lasting impression on draft analyst Gil Brandt while running sprints at the recent NFL combine in Indianapolis.

“Soward was unusual because while he ran he was counting, yelling the numbers out loud,” Brandt told the New York Times. “He was extremely boisterous, something we had never seen before.

“We asked him why and he told us that if he can count while running the 40 and not get to the number 19, he knows that he ran under 4.4 seconds. Now, that was a twist.”

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Wait a minute: Peter Vecsey in the New York Post: “From what I’ve seen of Kobe Bryant lately, he has what it takes to become the next Vince Carter.”

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Wah, wah: Steve Rosenbloom in the Chicago Tribune: “Maybe I should rethink this John Starks thing. Maybe he’s not acting like a punk. With his stomping around and doing everything he can to get out of Chicago, like it’s owed to him, as if the millions he makes isn’t enough, maybe ‘punk’ is the wrong word.

“Baby is more like it.”

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More Rosenbloom: “Mark McGwire’s T-shirt, worn under his uniform when he hit homers Nos. 48-70 in 1998, can be had for a mere $150,000 at Sotheby’s auction site. Sweat stains included.”

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FYI: For the first time in their 74-year history, the Harlem Globetrotters are retiring a number: Wilt Chamberlain’s 13. The ceremony will take place Thursday at Overbrook High in Philadelphia, the late Wilt’s alma mater.

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Looking back: On this day in 1996, the Dallas Mavericks set an NBA record with 49 three-point shots against New Jersey. Dallas made 18, one short of the NBA record.

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Trivia answer: Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo.

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And finally: Cleveland Brown General Manager Dwight Clark, asked about the character of possible No. 1 draft pick Peter Warwick:

“We’ve had three people checking into it, and there’s nothing really there.”

Said Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Wonder if he’d like to rephrase that.”