Writers Cut a Chinese Giant Down to Size

Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times, commenting on China’s 7-foot-5 center Yao Ming, who recently worked out for NBA officials:

“He’s a nice young man and an interesting basketball player. But the hype is killing me. ‘Yao Ming doesn’t belong to any team,’ said one of Yao’s translators. ‘He belongs to the world.’

“Please. Until further notice, he’s an 18-minute-a-game backup.”

More Ming: Li Yao Min, the general manager of the Shanghai Sharks, told the New York Times that Yao Ming “will be better than Shaquille O’Neal, especially now in the free throw. If they bet steak for free throw, Shaquille O’Neal will invite Yao Ming every time.”

Comment from Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Maybe so, but Shaq wouldn’t go hungry. In games, he’d be having Yao for lunch.”

Trivia time: Who holds the NBA single-game playoff record for assists?

Ouch! Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that new Colorado Rockies’ Manager Clint Hurdle was nicknamed “Hurricane” as a player with the Kansas City Royals.

Gordon recalled one incident in particular:

“The Royals Stadium artificial turf was blistering on hot summer days. So the Hurricane decided to insulate his feet with aluminum foil before putting on his spikes.

“Uh-oh! The foil literally cooked his feet, causing the skin to peel off the bottom.”

Say what? Receiver Kevin Johnson of the Cleveland Browns, who is pushing the team to give him a long-term contract after he caught 207 passes in his first three seasons, told the Akron Beach Journal:

“I know what I can and can’t do, but when the game’s on the line, I guarantee you want the ball to go through my hands.”

Look out! Tommy Bolt, newly chosen World Golf Hall of Fame member, on his reputation for having an explosive temper:

“I’ve been blown out of proportion. I don’t think John Dillinger was as mean as I’ve been portrayed to be.”

Perhaps not, Tommy, but Dillinger didn’t throw clubs.

Ding-dong: Pittsburgh Pirate catcher Jason Kendall drove in four runs in a game shortly after sustaining a concussion.

“If I had known this was going to happen,” Manager Lloyd McClendon said, “I would’ve hit Jason over the head a few days ago.”

Looking back: On this day in 1925, Detroit’s Ty Cobb had a six-hit, three-homer game against the St. Louis Browns, setting a modern major league record with 16 total bases.

Looking back again: On this day in 1978, Cincinnati’s Pete Rose collected hit No. 3,000 in a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Expos.

Trivia answer: Magic Johnson of the Lakers against Phoenix in 1984 and John Stockton of Utah against the Lakers in 1988, each with 24.

And finally: Ken Rudulph of Fox’s “The Best Damn Sports Show Period”:

“The Mooresville (N.C.) town council has voted to let police officers drive cars that are replicas of NASCAR stock cars.

“Future arrests will be sponsored by Valvoline.”