Wise Guy Reaches Pitching Milestone

Chicago Cub pitcher Greg Maddux became only the 13th member of the 3,000-strikeout club this week when he threw a called third strike past San Francisco’s Omar Vizquel.

Maddux has relied on his control rather than power to reach the milestone.

He has only 16 10-strikeout games, 199 fewer than fellow 3,000-strikeout club member Nolan Ryan, and only one 200-strikeout season; Ryan had 15 200-strikeout seasons and six 300-strikeout years. But Maddux’s bases on balls total, 894, is the lowest in the group, compared with Ryan’s high of 2,795.

“He has made a living reading hitters the same way great poker players read the guy across the table,” wrote Tim Kurkjian of ESPN the Magazine of Maddux, who grew up in Las Vegas.

“Once asked how smart Maddux is, Don Sutton, another 3,000-strikeout club member, said, ‘Very, but he is wiser than he is smart. I don’t know if he could be the president of Harvard, but he could run Bally’s.’ ”

Trivia time: Who is the only driver to win three consecutive Nextel Cup, formerly Winston Cup, series championships?

Downsizing: “It’s a whole new era in hockey, a whole new game,” wrote Dan Daly of the Washington Times. “Because of the desire to increase scoring, for instance, goalies will wear smaller pads. And because of the 24% salary rollback, players will have to live in smaller pads.”

Added Daly: “The news isn’t all bad for the players, though. Yes, the new [collective bargaining agreement] calls for a salary cap of $39 million -- less than half of the NFL’s -- but there’s a bright side: Dental coverage doesn’t count against the $39 million.”

Hot-diggity dog: Minnesota Twin fan Marty Braverman, 92, who can trace his baseball-watching days back to Babe Ruth in New York, was asked to compare the 1930s Yankee Stadium hot dog to today’s fare.

“That was during the Great Depression,” he told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Who had 10 cents for a hot dog?”

Dog-gonnit: Misty May, who partners with Kerri Walsh to dominate the beach volleyball scene, owns a canine boxer by the name of Gruden.

“I really like Jon Gruden,” she explained to Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel, “and my dog makes the same facial expressions when he’s mad.”

Looking back: On this date in 1959, in his major-league debut, Willie McCovey of the Giants had two singles and two triples in four at-bats against Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Who’s the boss: Andre Agassi is changing his shoe and apparel deal from Nike to Adidas, which is the same company that has an endorsement deal with his wife, Steffi Graf.

“Now if anyone wonders who wears the pants in that family,” wrote Elliott Harris of the Chicago Sun-Times, “at least they will be suitable for either one.”

Trivia answer: Cale Yarborough, who won in 1976, 1977 and 1978.

And finally: “To be fair,” noted reader Janice Hough, “the Dodgers are dealing with a number of injuries. In fact, they’re thinking of changing the team slogan to ‘Think Black and Blue.’ ”