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This Editor Didn’t Mind Copying From Others

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Times Staff Writer

Reader Jerry Clark sent an item from Roger Kahn’s book, “Into My Own,” that points out what can happen when a copy editor changes someone else’s newspaper story.

According to the item, Stanley Woodward, sports editor of the New York Herald Tribune who was classically educated and proud of it, would cover a New York Yankees game about once a year. His game story would always include this line: “Casey Stengel stared out of the Yankees’ dugout under brows of dauntless courage and considerate pride.”

One time a copy editor changed the word “considerate” to “considerable.” The next day, Woodward marched into the sports department and yelled at the editor: “I don’t mind you changing my stuff, but you just changed John Milton. ‘Considerate pride’ comes from ‘Paradise Lost.’ ”

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Trivia time: An e-mail from reader Doug Hays of Glendale inspired this one: Who was the golfer from Pasadena who won the 1962 British Amateur at Hoylake, England?

An unsafe bet: Actor Tom Hanks and show business friends Ron Howard and Dennis Miller are in the middle of visiting seven baseball parks. Hanks, who turned 50 on July 9, said the mini-tour is a birthday present he gave himself.

The Associated Press reported that while the three men were at a game in Cincinnati between the Reds and New York Mets last week, Hanks recalled that Pete Rose loved baseball so much he would have run through fire in a gasoline suit to play.

Said Miller: “Unfortunately, he would have bet whether he made it through or not.”

High stakes: When Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros and Greg Maddux of the Chicago Cubs squared off last week in a game won by the Astros, 4-2, the pitching matchup pitted two guys with a combined 667 victories and 11 Cy Young Awards.

Barry LeBrock, host of FSN’s new highlights show, “The Final Score,” said, “Just the Cubs’ luck. Maddux is one step from Cooperstown and he ends up facing a guy who has more experience, more strikeouts and more victories. In a Hall of Fame game of pitchers’ poker, Roger Clemens sees Greg’s Four Cy Young Awards and raises him three more.”

Looking back: On this day in 1976, John Naber of Pasadena became the first swimmer to break the two-minute barrier in the 200-meter backstroke on his way to winning four gold medals and one silver at the Olympics in Montreal.

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Trivia answer: Dick Davies, who was a neighbor and basketball teammate of Jerry Tarkanian at Pasadena High and Pasadena City College. Former Stanford and Chicago Bears running back Harry Hugasian was also a teammate at PHS.

And finally: From Scott Ostler in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle: “With South Africa prepping to host the next World Cup, Cape Town plans to build a 68,000-seat stadium for $420 million. The 49ers plan to build a 68,000-seat stadium for $800 million. Maybe the 49ers should have their stadium built in Cape Town and barged over.”

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

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