Riggins Is Hitting as Hard as He Ever Did

John Riggins, Hall of Fame running back who played for the Washington Redskins, doesn’t pull his punches when criticizing Redskin Coach Marty Schottenheimer on television and radio.

“I definitely think he’s lost the players. I don’t see how he’s going to hang onto these guys. He’s mucked things up so bad [that] he doesn’t even have any talent to bail himself out to possibly get ‘em back. ... They could lose all 16 games.”

And, before the season began, he called quarterback Jeff George, since released, “passionless,” saying: “The thing that fascinates him, not unlike a pyromaniac setting a house ablaze, is the ball spiraling 70 yards downfield.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NFL record of being sacked the most?

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Enough is enough: Phil Mushnick in the New York Post: “The most difficult thing to endure about Fox’s exclusive postseason baseball coverage is its airing of programming promos, over and over and over, until you first swear never to watch the shows, then finally surf between half-innings rather than be subjected to further torture.”

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Struggling pro: One player forgot to bring his photo ID to Wednesday morning’s practice round for the National Car Rental golf tournament. According to the Orlando Sentinel, security guards at Walt Disney World golf course “momentarily were perplexed.”

PGA Tour player Mark O’Meara stuck up for his colleague at the checkpoint, telling the guards, “He’s played here a couple of times. But he’s not a very good golfer.”

That’s how Tiger Woods got in.

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First sight: A short-sighted greyhound at a British track is winning races after being fitted for contact lenses. According to the tabloid Sun, the dog used to keep finishing second because it had trouble seeing the hare and because it would stay behind the lead hound to avoid getting lost.

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Iron-man manager? Well before Larry Dierker resigned as manager of the Houston Astros, Kirk Bohls of the Austin American Statesman said owner Drayton McLane Jr. might go after Cal Ripken Jr. Said Bohls: “At least Drayton would know his manager would never call in sick.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1973, Fred Dryer of the Los Angeles Rams became the only NFL player to record two safeties in a 24-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

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Looking back again: On this day in 1950, Tom Powers of Duke scored six touchdowns, three rushing and three receiving, in a 41-0 victory over Richmond.

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Trivia answer: John Elway of the Denver Broncos, 516, 1983-1998.

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And finally: Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram objects to the new national sentiment of loving the Yankees because of the terrorism in New York: “It’s never OK, OK? Not now. Not ever. To love the Yankees would mean, among other things, that you’ve cuddled up with owner George Steinbrenner....

“And another thing. During these troubled times, our leader, George W. himself, has asked for a return to normalcy.

“Is there anything more abnormal in America than loving the Yankees?”