McGraw’s Words of Wisdom Rang True

Tug McGraw, the former relief pitcher who died Monday of brain cancer, was an original.

Reader Scott Parks LeTellier of Palos Verdes said his all-time favorite quote was uttered by McGraw after he had signed a bonus-laden deal and was asked what he would do with the money.

Quoth McGraw, “Ninety percent, I’ll spend on good times, women and Irish whiskey. The other 10%, I’ll probably waste.”

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More McGraw: Here are a few other memorable quotes:

* “I have no trouble with the 12 inches between my elbow and my palm. It’s the seven inches between my ears that’s bent.”

* “Kids should practice autographing baseballs. This is a skill that’s often overlooked in Little League.”

* “Ten million years from now, when the sun burns out and the Earth is just a frozen ice ball hurtling through space, nobody’s going to care whether or not I got this guy out.”

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Trivia time: How did McGraw get his nickname?

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Headlines: The day after USC’s Rose Bowl victory, the headline in the New York Post read, “We’re No. 1.” The day after LSU’s Sugar Bowl victory, the headline read, “We’re No. 1-A.”

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Odd excuse: Andy Reiger, the managing editor of the Norman (Okla.) Transcript, led his game story the day after the Sugar Bowl with: “A few short blocks from a huge Mississippi River casino, Louisiana voodoo trumped Sooner Magic.”

So it wasn’t the LSU defense, it was Louisiana voodoo.

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Good point: Keith Lincoln’s big game for the San Diego Chargers in the 1963 AFL title game was mentioned in Monday’s Morning Briefing, which prompted this e-mail from longtime football writer Bob Oates:

“Keith Lincoln had that big day in large part because Boston feared the other back in the Chargers’ two-back backfield, Paul Lowe, whom it keyed on -- just as Keary Colbert had a big day in the Rose Bowl in large part because Michigan feared Mike Williams.”

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Heartbreak lingers: The dominance of the Minnesota Vikings over the Los Angeles Rams -- a recent Morning Briefing topic -- generated many e-mails, particularly about a 23-20 playoff loss by the Rams in 1969.

Wrote Clayton Cooper of Monterey Park: “The Vikings, as always, were aided by the officials. The Rams, leading 17-7, began the second half with a nice drive, halted by a phantom holding call on tackle Bob Brown. In the fourth quarter, with the score 21-20, the officials wrongly ruled Roman Gabriel was tackled in the end zone for a safety.”

Type-casting: Greg Cote in the Miami Herald, on jockey Gary Stevens saying he wants to concentrate on acting: “Stevens will specialize in small roles.”

Trivia answer: McGraw, whose given name was Frank, was given the nickname Tug by his mother because he used to tug when she breast-fed him.

And finally: Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times: “Coming soon to video stores: ‘Bobby Bowden Remembers Miami: Shanks for the Memories.’ ”

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