He Went It Alone and Was Proved Wrong

In 1993, a general partner of the Texas Rangers was the only owner to vote against using a wild-card format in baseball, according to Mike Fitzpatrick of Associated Press.

Fitzpatrick quotes that owner as saying: “I made my arguments and went down in flames. History will prove me right.”

However, history has proved the wild card a success.

That Texas Ranger owner?

George W. Bush.

Trivia time: Fresno State, which opens at Washington today, started the 2001 football season with a bang by defeating which three major colleges?

A major point: Angel owner Arte Moreno, a guest of James Brown on his “Head to Head” special that airs on FSN tonight, is asked about being ranked by Sports Illustrated as the No. 1 most important minority in sports.

“I always joke about it,” Moreno says. “I thought a minority owner was someone who owned 49%.”

What they’re worth: The Washington Redskins were 5-11 last season, but they are the NFL’s richest team, according to Forbes magazine.

The team, which had revenue of $245 million in the last year and an operating income of $69.6 million, is valued at $1.104 billion.

No other U.S. sports franchise has ever been valued at more than $1 billion.

Ranked behind the Redskins in value among NFL teams are the Dallas Cowboys at $923 million and the Houston Texans at $905 million.

Ranked last are the Arizona Cardinals at $552 million.

A different time: These days, professional athletes live in elaborate digs. But that wasn’t always the case.

According to the baseball Hall of Fame publication “Inside Pitch,” after the Dodgers’ 26-year-old first baseman, Gil Hodges, hit four home runs against the Boston Braves on Aug. 31, 1950, he was asked what he thought his overnight fame might bring.

“I hope it brings us a place to live,” he said.

He, his wife, Joan, and their 6-month-old son were living with Joan’s parents in Brooklyn.

“We’ve tried everything to get a decent home to rent,” Joan Hodges told reporters.

The next day they had lots of offers.

No easy feat: At the baseball Hall of Fame induction weekend festivities in July, there was a screening of the soon-to-be-released movie, “Mr. 3000,” starring Bernie Mac.

Among those in attendance was former Dodger Eddie Murray, who apparently is familiar with Mac’s comedic routines.

“When I saw it was a Disney movie, I wondered how they’d clean up Bernie Mac’s act,” Murray said.

Trivia answer: Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin.

And finally: Alex Rodriguez, rationalizing the New York Yankees’ 22-0 loss to Cleveland Indians last week:

“It’s one game. If we win 22-0, we’re not going to get credit for three victories.”

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