In This Poll, Whitsitt Leads Trail Blamers

Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun-Times: “Portland fans have always been among the most loyal, and the most rabid, in the league. Now we can add among the smartest to the list.

“Responding to an Internet poll asking them to assess blame for the three-and-out flameout against the Lakers, they got it right, I think.

“Thirty-five percent said bad moves by General Manager Bob Whitsitt, 30% said Rasheed Wallace’s temper, 25% said Scottie Pippen’s inability to lead, and 10% said Mike Dunleavy’s coaching.”

*

Trivia time: Who holds the NBA single-game playoff record for three-point field goals without a miss?

*

Disappearing act: Shaun Powell of Newsday writes that Toronto’s Vince Carter is slowly becoming the Barry Bonds of basketball:

“Through six career playoff games, all against the Knicks, Carter has yet to make a difference. The darling of commercials, the poster boy for the next generation and the runaway favorite of the highlight shows now can be viewed another way: as the most overhyped star in the game.”

*

Eerie: Willie Stargell, the former Pittsburgh Pirate star slugger, died April 9 at 61. During eulogies in Pittsburgh’s St. Mary of Mercy Church, Chuck Tanner, his former manager, noticed a chandelier swaying. Of six, it was the only one.

As Stargell’s casket was taken from the church, Tanner said, “I looked back and that chandelier was as still as it could be. Say what you want, think what you want, I’ll always believe that chandelier’s moving--that was Willie coming to bat one more time.”

*

Hi, Shorty: Gene Zertuche of Hayward, Calif., to the San Francisco Chronicle on Bob Costas doing play-by-play for the first T-ball game on the White House lawn next Sunday: “He’ll finally get a chance to interview someone his own size.”

*

The outsider: Bud Geracie in the San Jose Mercury News: “Joining Troy Aikman and Daryl Johnston on the Fox [NFL] broadcast team will be Dick Stockton, who was a cowboy for Halloween one year.”

Looking back: On this day in 1952, Boston’s Ted Williams, who’d lost three years to military service in World War II, returned to active duty for a 17-month tour with the U.S. Marines as a fighter pilot in Korea.

*

Trivia answer: Robert Horry of the Lakers, seven against Utah on May 6, 1997.

*

And finally: Arizona Diamondback first baseman Mark Grace got credit for a bases-loaded triple April 24 when Florida outfielder Eric Owens came up empty on a diving play.

Grace said he briefly considered going for an inside-the-park grand slam.

“Then I realized who was running,” he said.