You Have to Give Him a Big Hand for Effort

Rick Rielly, head pro at Wilshire Country Club, annually plays in the Mauna Kea Pro-Am in Hawaii with three club members.

Shortly before this year’s event, Rielly broke his wrist skiing. But did that stop him?

Not on your life. Swinging a club with his left arm only, the pro shot 110-108-103.

“I’d have broken 100 the last day but I finished 9-8-6,” he said.

Trivia time: Now that Cal Ripken Jr. has sat out a game or two, who has the longest current streak of consecutive games played in the majors?

Cold slam: The World Bridge Federation has applied for recognition in the Olympic Winter Games. One obstacle is a Winter Games charter that reads, “Those sports which are practiced on snow and ice are considered as winter sports.”

Said the Amateur Athletic Foundation’s Sports Letter, “We have always maintained that the only thing better than watching bridge is watching bridge played on ice.”

Real racer: Drag racer Tony Schumacher was asked during the recent Pomona races what he liked best about Denver and Bandimere Speedway, where the NHRA is running today.

“It’s a great track,” the top fuel driver said. “But you know what I’m most excited about? I’ll get to do some fly-fishing.”

The easy way: Chipper Jones, who has been with the Atlanta Braves through seven consecutive division titles and three World Series, discloses the team’s secret:

“The main thing is to have an owner with a billion dollars.”

A Dale sighting: From motor sports author Brock Yates: “One final thought as the increasingly absurd Dale Earnhardt legend builds--Who will be the first to claim that he is not dead and was seen driving a pickup outside Florence, S.C.? It will happen, trust me.”

Probably so: Everyone’s still talking about Tom Lasorda’s tumble in the All-Star game trying to dodge a broken bat.

From Rick Nelson in the Sporting Green: “Would the bat have missed him if he was still on Ultra Slim Fast?”

Short shots: John Daly, known for his “grip it and rip it” style of golf, is working on his short game.

The 1991 PGA and 1995 British Open champion has set up a 130-yard by 80-yard landing area in his backyard to prepare for this week’s British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

“I spend a lot of time there, time that I used to spend either swimming or sitting on the couch watching TV and getting fat again,” he said.

He’s one of 25: Colorado outfielder Larry Walker is not happy with the way the Rockies are playing.

“We’re pathetic,” he said. “We’ve got 25 guys playing like 25 losers.”

Trivia answer: The Dodgers’ Shawn Green, with 354 through Saturday.

And finally: The Cincinnati Reds signed 32-year-old Pete Rose Jr. for the second time, prompting San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea to comment:

“The word on Little Pete is that once he proves again that he can’t play, he’ll begin a coaching career.”