Umpires Can Admit Mistakes Sometimes

Is it possible to win an argument with an umpire? According to what Paul Lo Duca of the Florida Marlins told Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald, it is.

The former Dodger catcher described a conversation he once had with umpire Wally Bell.

“He called me out on a strike three call in the first inning, and it wasn’t even close,” Lo Duca said. “I argued with him, and told him, ‘I’m going to give you eight innings to admit it wasn’t a strike.’ ”

Lo Duca said that every inning he’d say, “That wasn’t a strike,” and Bell would say, “Yes, it was.”

“In the sixth inning, he finally said, ‘All right, I missed it,’ ” Lo Duca said.

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Trivia time: Former Dodger catcher Roy Campanella was the National League’s most valuable player in 1951, ’53 and ’55. In ’51 and ‘55, a catcher was also the American League’s MVP. Who was this other three-time MVP?

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Tour of duty: Mighty Duck goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov took a roundabout route to get to the World Cup, where he is playing for Russia. He had to go from Cincinnati to Moscow to get a new passport, then traveled to Canada, Switzerland and Germany over the next week to get necessary visas.

“If you need international paperwork explained, I can help you,” Bryzgalov said. “I am an expert now.”

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Hair always there: After John McEnroe made a strong pitch for Vitas Gerulaitis to be voted into the tennis Hall of Fame, his CBS colleague Dick Enberg asked, “Did he always have the long hair?”

Said McEnroe: “He came out of the womb with that hair.”

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It took practice: McEnroe, during the USA Network’s U.S. Open coverage, talked about the art of racket tossing. He said he worked hard at perfecting it.

“Throw it face down,” he said. “That way you can save yourself some money, and possible injury. And fines and defaults and all that other stuff.”

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Ace in the wrong place: Columnist Phil Mushnick of the New York Post, an avid golfer, wrote that he got his first hole in one at a recent charity event.

When his five-iron shot on the 178-yard hole went in, one of Mushnick’s playing partners pointed at a sign and said, “You won a car.” Problem was, the sign had been misplaced. It belonged on another hole.

“Worst hole in one in my life,” Mushnick wrote.

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Looking back: On this day in 1979, Tracy Austin, at 16, became the youngest player to win the U.S. Open when she upset Chris Evert, 6-4, 6-3.

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Trivia answer: Yogi Berra, who was also the AL MVP in 1954.

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And finally: Arena Football League Commissioner David Baker, referring to an item in Tuesday’s Morning Briefing, says he’ll have a talk with his son, Sam, an offensive tackle for USC.

“My rims were only $4,000 [not $40,000], and I have never weighed 450 pounds,” David Baker said.

When he has that talk, David Baker might consider saying, “I’ve told you at least a million times not to exaggerate.”

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