This Gift Might Not Last Him Very Long

Dodger center fielder Steve Finley gave two cases of golf balls, each containing 144 balls, to Manager Jim Tracy, who is not exactly a scratch golfer.

Bench coach Jim Riggleman, noticing the two cases in Tracy’s office, put notes on both. The note on one box read, “Front nine.” The note on the other read, “Back nine.”

Match time: Who is the best golfer on the Dodgers?

Jose Lima claims he has a two handicap and says he once shot a 65 at a Houston country club.

Tim Wallach, after hearing that, said, “I’m a 4.4 [handicap], and I’ll beat Lima every time. He can say what he wants, but I’ll beat him.”

Wallach might want to consider this: Lima has personalized golf balls. Of course, the inscription reads “Lima Time.”

Trivia time: Dodger shortstop Cesar Izturis has committed only seven errors this season and 36 in his career, which spans 453 games. How many errors did Dodger great Maury Wills commit in his Gold Glove seasons of 1961 and ‘62?

Really dumb: Phil Mushnick of the New York Post writes that Jeremy Roenick of the Philadelphia Flyers was found by Florida investigators to have paid a sports gaming service more than $100,000 for betting tips.

“I don’t care how rich you are,” Mushnick wrote, “to spend $5,000 on a scamdicapper is almost unfathomable. To have spent more than $100,000 is incomprehensible.”

Done that: In the new reality TV show, “The Benefactor,” Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban will give away $1 million.

Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun doesn’t get it. “It’s not like it’ll be the first time that Cuban gave $1 million to somebody with no real talent,” he wrote.

Missing Ricky: The Miami Dolphins had 98 yards of offense in a 17-0 exhibition loss to the Washington Redskins on Saturday, completing 10 of 26 passes and rushing for 25 yards in 17 attempts.

Said Coach Dave Wannstedt: “Probably the only good thing tonight was that we didn’t get anybody hurt.”

A boss with a heart: KABC radio’s Dan Avey, in an e-mail to laradio.com, remembered Bill Ward, the former KMPC (710) general manager who died recently, as a kind man.

According to Avey, when Ward called former Angel announcer Don Wells into his office to fire him in 1972, Ward told Wells that he had lined up a job for him at KFWB.

“How many general managers would have gotten a new job for someone they were letting go?” Avey said.

On this day: In 1965, the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants engaged in a 14-minute brawl after Giant pitcher Juan Marichal hit Dodger catcher John Roseboro in the head with his bat.

Trivia answer: 29 in 1961 and 36 in ’62.

And finally: Defensive end Regan Upshaw, quoted in the Washington Times on the Redskins’ physical practices under Coach Joe Gibbs: “There is nothing like beating up on your best friends all day.”

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.