It Sounds Like Start of New Error for Rockies

Woody Paige of the Denver Post ridiculed the fielding of the Colorado Rockies’ Todd Zeile on opening day: “Fresh acquisition Todd Zeile plays third base less like Brooks Robinson of the Orioles and more like Mrs. Robinson of ‘The Graduate.’ He couldn’t catch a fish if it jumped into the boat ...

“If you liked Hardy Astrom in goal for the old [hockey] Colorado Rockies, you’ll love Todd Zeile at third for the new baseball Colorado Rockies. Zeile should be wearing a mask and a chest protector.”

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Trivia time: Who is the only player to lose the Masters in a playoff twice?

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East is least: Barbara Barker of Newsday commenting wryly on the NBA’s “elite” Eastern Conference teams: “Forget this Final Four nonsense. Basketball’s real Cinderella story is going to be in the Eastern Conference, where any one of a handful of former scullery maids could find themselves playing for an NBA championship.

“Former lottery teams Detroit, Boston and New Jersey all have what it takes to win the East. Of course, the same could be said for just about any East team that makes the playoffs, and perhaps a few that don’t.

“While Western Conference teams such as the Lakers, Mavericks, Spurs and Kings slug it out, the Eastern Conference elite (oxymoron alert) are limping to the finish line.”

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No lingering for him: Mark Jackson of the New York Knicks, who recently turned 37, said he’ll know when it’s time to retire. “A lot of guys get caught up in ego and they fool themselves,” he said.

“I’m a guy that, when it’s over, I’ll walk away. I’ll be unbelievably thankful that I was able to hang around this long.”

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Dog lovers: The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that baseball fans will eat more than 26.1 million wieners this season. The council says that despite a trend toward other menu items at stadiums, hot dogs and sausages are the most popular selections.

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Yawn: Once again there is talk about building a basketball arena near the USC campus. Other than the Sports Arena, the Trojans have played in the Olympic, Shrine and Pan Pacific auditoriums, the Forum, Cal State L.A. and the USC men’s gymnasium over the years.

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Best they can do: Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun-Times: “It’s not as if anybody would want any of their players. The first 3,000 fans attending the Grizzlies’ game in Memphis on Friday will receive an Elvis Presley bobble-head doll. It will be carrying a guitar and wearing a Grizzlies’ uniform.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1994, Arkansas beat Duke, 76-72, in the men’s NCAA championship game at Charlotte, N.C.

Corliss Williamson of the Razorbacks led all scorers with 23 points.

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Trivia answer: Ben Hogan in 1942 and 1954.

However, he also won the tournament in 1951 and 1953.

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And finally: Skip Bayless of the San Jose Mercury News commenting on Barry Bonds’ two home runs against the Dodgers on opening day: “Bonds’ second homer gave me chills. This was Bonds announcing to pitchers from here to Cooperstown that he has figured out how to hit a home run off nearly any pitch thrown over the plate.

“That was no one-time zone that Bonds discovered last September. That was permanent Bonds.”