Who wants to be a millionaire pitcher?

Regis Philbin learned a little bit about baseball and gained a lot of respect for those who make a craft of pitching when he recently threw out the first pitch at a Florida Marlins game.

Recounting the experience on David Letterman’s show, Philbin said it was intimidating because “you’re all alone out there and there he is -- what is it, 66 feet away? -- and I got it down there. But I wanted to throw a bullet because that’s the kind of guy I am.”

Letterman: “I thought you would because you seemed like you had pretty good heat.”

Philbin: The pitch “almost hit the ground, but it didn’t. It got all the way there.”

Letterman: “So it didn’t bounce? Well, then that’s fine. What are you whining about if it didn’t bounce?”

Philbin: “I want what I do best: Fire the bullet in there!”

Philbin considered the experience nerve-racking because, “The loneliness of standing out there on the mound is psychologically a killer.”

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Trivia time

Which two Lakers players have had their jersey number retired by at least two teams?

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Keep your shirt on

After making a rehabilitation start for the Philadelphia Phillies’ triple-A Lehigh Valley team, Pedro Martinez was asked about former Boston Red Sox teammates Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz showing up on a list of players who tested positive for using performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.

“One thing that’s really caught my attention is -- why is it all Dominicans?” Martinez said. “What’s going on? Why is it all Dominicans that all of a sudden come out positive? The last one standing might be me.

“That’s a big question to ask. What’s going on here? Why is it I’m the only one who might be left standing? All of a sudden, they’re going to come up and say: ‘Pedro [did it] too.’ That’s when I’m going to start stripping my clothes off and showing everybody I’ve never had acne on my back.

“If I did use it, it didn’t help me. They need to give my money back. It didn’t work.”

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Cupcakes, lined up in a row

Mark Kriegel of FoxSports.com took a look at Penn State’s home schedule for the upcoming football season and had a quick question.

“Penn State, which doesn’t play on the road until after hockey season starts, has home games against Akron, Syracuse, Eastern Illinois and Temple,” Kriegel wrote. “What, Brown wasn’t available?”

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Trivia answer

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks) and Wilt Chamberlain (Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors).

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And finally

From Brad Dickson in the Omaha World-Herald, on the NFL conditionally reinstating Michael Vick: “Vick will participate in all team activities except for games. It’s the same deal Matt Leinart has with the Cardinals.”

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mike.penner@latimes.com