Pleading Insanity for Bad Parking?

The “Herman” comic strip (see accompanying) brought back real-life memories for Richard Amerian, a retired state Court of Appeal judge.

“Thirty years ago I was the L.A. Traffic Court judge,” he writes. “Parking ticket citees then were entitled to a jury trial. One day a man did plead not guilty by reason of insanity to his parking ticket.”

Amerian promptly set his case for trial, which would be held in another courtroom.

“I may not have known much,” Amerian quipped, “but I knew enough not to question him.”

TALK ABOUT A COMPANY THAT’S BEEN AROUND AWHILE . . . : A colleague purchased a lemonade and was relieved that the expiration date wasn’t followed by “BC” (see accompanying). Presumably, too, the label refers to May 22, 2001, and not the year 2201.

WHO’S WHAT? “How’s this for a warm, personal letter of recognition?” asks Diane Licciardi, enclosing an invitation from National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals (see accompanying).

I’m not sure if the “unknown” in the P.S. was the first or last name of the letter’s recipient.

KILL ‘EM WITH LAUGHS: When Tommy Lasorda managed the Dodgers, celebrities were welcome in the locker rooms before and after the games. And retired Mets pitcher Tug McGraw suspects they were a secret weapon against the Dodgers’ opponents.

Funny men like Jonathan Winters, George Gobel and Milton Berle would help the rival team lose its competitive edge, and “that’s why it was so hard to beat the Dodgers in L.A.,” McGraw told ESPN radio the other day.

He recalled a disastrous performance at Dodger Stadium in which he gave up a grand slam homer and the Mets lost. “Jonathan Winters was in the clubhouse before the game and had us laughing,” he said. “And he was in the clubhouse after the game and we were laughing then, too.”

Obviously, it’s time for the Dodgers to sign Winters to a multi-year contract.I’d even settle for Fritz Coleman.

L.A. INSULT OF THE DAY: Robert Moest saw this quote from Robert Ludlum in the mystery author’s obituary in the New York Times: “What I don’t like in this country and the world is largeness--large corporations, large governments, and everybody in the city of Los Angeles.”

I have to say that I’ve largely avoided Ludlum’s novels.

WEBBED SIGHT: The earthquake that struck Seattle seemed to shake up United Airlines’ departure and arrival monitors at LAX, too. Jon and Natalie Olson of Seal Beach noticed that the board announcedthat flights to the Pacific Northwest city had been canceled due to an “earthquack.”

STUPID CRIMINAL TRICKS: Peter Michailov of Burbank, owner of an automotive shop, heard this tale from a customer who is an L.A. County deputy sheriff:

One night a deputy began pursuing a motorist, who cagily turned off his lights. The chase covered several blocks, with the suspect making frequent turns. But following the car in the darkness wasn’t as difficult as you might expect. Reason: Every time the suspect made a turn, he reflexively signaled with his blinkers.

miscelLAny:

Reader Melinda Peterson notes: “You can tell it’s spring in L.A. when all the colorful little sports cars come out.”

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.