There’s No Caviar, but the Entree Is a Winner

Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post lavishingly praising Phil Mickelson before the start of the Kemper Open in Potomac, Md.:

“[He] has talent, charisma and charm. . . . [He] is the PGA Tour’s Sir Lancelot--a throwback to gallantry on the course and high-minded sentiments off it. Sometimes he seems quaintly archaic, so earnestly sincere you wonder if he’s pulling your leg or polishing the teacher’s apple.

“What’s more, his left-handed game combines power, touch imagination and daring. If you want to see birdies and eagles, only one man on earth is more worthy of attention than Mickelson. And Tiger’s not here. . . .

“Mickelson is a class act who only needs a couple of coats of major championship polish for a perfect shine.”

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Trivia time: What is the Laker record for points in a playoff game?

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Fairway remedy: Michael Jordan, the Washington Wizards’ president of basketball operations, said in a recent conference call that he has been too busy to say whether getting the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft will influence his decision to come out of retirement.

As David Whitley of the Orlando Sentinel points out: “He was calling in from the 12th hole at an undisclosed golf course. M.J. said his return has been sidetracked by back spasms. His doctor must have told him to take two 6-irons and see him in the morning.”

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He has had better years: Writing for America Online, Norman Chad attributes the Atlanta Braves’ sub-.500 record to the ouster of Ted Turner as their kingpin.

“Under the new AOL Time Warner,” says Chad, “Turner lost control of CNN, lost the Braves and Jane Fonda all in the same year.”

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It’s college country: Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Birmingham [Ala.] has had six pro football teams go belly up--Bolts, Americans, Vulcans, Stallions, Fire and Barracudas.

“The city was going to build a Football Failure Hall of Fame, but the funding fell through.”

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Like it or . . .: Also from the San Francisco Chronicle: “Adweek magazine reports that in Cal Ripken’s standard contract for doing a ‘milk mustache’ ad, he can’t ‘make any statements which disparage or reflect unfavorably on the [advertising] campaign or milk as a healthy and nutritious dietary supplement’ for three years.”

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Home sweet home? E. Garry Hill of Track & Field News reports that British sprinter Dwain Chambers, who finished fourth in the Olympic 100 meters last year, escaped with cuts and bruises when his $10,000 900cc motorcycle struck a car and was wrecked.

There’s worse news. It happened in his driveway and the car was Chambers’ BMW, which suffered thousands of dollars of damage as well.

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Words of wisdom: From former major league manager Sparky Anderson: “You’re gonna lose some ballgames and you’re gonna win some ballgames, and that’s about it.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1948, Ike Williams retained his undisputed lightweight championship by winning a split decision over Enrique Bolanos before 25,000 at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.

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Trivia answer: 153, against Denver on May 22, 1985.

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And finally: An unidentified British man won $715,000 when Bayern Munich defeated Valencia, 5-4, in a penalty shootout in the Champions Cup soccer final Wednesday, completing a staggering 15-event wager.

He wagered only 42 cents with bookmakers William Hill on the outcome of the 15 events at total odds of 1,666,666 to 1.