You Can Judge This Book by Its Cover

Bernie Lincicome in the Rocky Mountain News: “John McEnroe loses me three sentences into his autobiography. When McEnroe applies the events of Sept. 11 to his life, national tragedy becomes another incident like his divorce from Tatum O’Neal, his battles with Bjorn Borg, his Davis Cup participation, his anger-management sessions.

“It’s obvious McEnroe’s ego is beyond book binding and there are still 337 pages to go.... Why would I bother with McEnroe’s self-examination other than to confirm that he is exactly as we always thought he was: a brat, a punk, a weasel, a tennis player, interchangeable identities?”

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Trivia time: Who was the first Dodger to hit 40 or more home runs in a season?

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Snobbery: Greg Cote of the Miami Herald commenting on America’s fleeting interest in soccer: “We like our soccer in small, very occasional doses....We not only don’t like soccer, we’re damned proud of the fact.

“That’s what always gets me. Not that most Americans would prefer a 90-minute root canal. That we take such great delight in our disdain.

“I love soccer, personally. Yet I feel like I’m at an A.A. meeting making such an admission.”

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Tennis opposites: Gary Shelton of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, noting the contrast at Wimbledon between Anna Kournikova and Martina Navratilova:

“One has kissed a lot of trophies. The other would like to sell you some lipstick.... Kournikova has won 171 singles matches in her career. Navratilova has won 170 singles titles.... Kournikova has never won a singles title.

“Once a promising teenager, Kournikova has become the WTA’s ultimate one-and-done player.... Guest appearances on Letterman last longer.”

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Too eager: Colorado Rocky shortstop Juan Uribe batted .373 in April, but his average has dipped to .247 since because of a lack of patience.

Said Manager Clint Hurdle: “Until he allows the pitcher to actually let go of the ball before he takes a whack at it, he’s going to struggle.”

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OK, it’s his list: Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel lists his top 10 sporting heroes.

Included are Steve Young, Satchel Paige, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Nancy Lopez. Number one is a bit surprising: Don Shula.

“The man sliced me apart more than once with his laser-vision glare, but during the Dolphins’ perfect season and beyond, he was greatness personified.”

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It’s that bad: Frank Isola in the New York Daily News on the unrewarding drafts of the Knicks over the years:

“If the United States military drafted as poorly as the Knicks, we’d all be speaking German today.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1947, Larry Doby became the American League’s first black player when he struck out as a pinch-hitter in a 6-5 loss at Chicago.

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Trivia answer: Gil Hodges, 40, in 1951 when the club was in Brooklyn.

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And finally: Dave Kindred in the Sporting News: “The nation’s first drive-through barber shop must be in Milwaukee. How else to explain Bud Selig’s haircut?”