Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 18:07:30 -0500 (EST)
From: "Banana N. Anananana"
Subject: BLAGUES-L: Those forgotten geniuses of the sports arena

Date: Sat, 09 Jan 1999 21:01:41 -0700
From: Earle Smith - Grande Prairie AB (coming from "old friend Basil of
Edmonton")


"Nobody in football should be called a genius.  A genius is a guy like
Norman Einstein." 
(Football commentator and former player Joe Theismann 1996)

"You guys line up alphabetically by height."
"You guys pair up in groups of three, then line up in a circle."
(Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach)

Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson hooking up again with promoter Don
King:
"Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter?  He went to prison for
three years, not Princeton." 

Stu Grimson, Chicago Blackhawks left wing, explaining why he keeps a color
photo of himself above his locker:
"That's so when I forget how to spell my name, I can still find my #%@#
clothes."

Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had visited the Parthenon during his visit
to Greece:
"I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to." 

Lou Duva, Veteran boxing trainer, on the Spartan training regime of
heavyweight Andrew Golota:
"He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning regardless of what
time it is."

1992- Pat Williams, Orlando Magic general manager, on his team's 7-27
record:
"We can't win at home. We can't win on the road.  As general manager, I
just can't figure out where else to play." 

1982 - Chuck Nevitt, North Carolina State basketball player, explaining
to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice:
"My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an
uncle or an aunt."

1981 - Tommy Lasorda, Dodger manager, when asked what terms Mexican-born
pitching sensation Fernando Valenzuela might settle for in his upcoming
contract negotiations: "He wants Texas back."

1966 - Darrell Royal, Texas football coach, asked if the abnormal number
of Longhorn injuries that season resulted from poor physical conditioning: 
"One player was lost because he broke his nose.  How do you go about
getting a nose in condition for football?" 

1981 - Mike McCormack, coach of the hapless Baltimore Colts after the
team's co-captain, offensive guard Robert Pratt, pulled a hamstring
running onto the field for the coin toss against St. Louis:
"I'm going to send the injured reserve players out for the toss next
time."

1991 - Steve Spurrier, Florida football coach, telling Gator fans that a
fire at Auburn's football dorm had destroyed 20 books:
"But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet."

1986 - Jim Finks, New Orleans Saints G.M., when asked after a loss what he
thought of the refs:
"I'm not allowed to comment on lousy officiating." 

1991 - Alan Kulwicki, stock car racer, on racing Saturday nights as
opposed to Sunday afternoons:
"It's basically the same, just darker." 

1996 - Lincoln Kennedy, Oakland Raiders tackle, on his decision not to
vote:
"I was going to write myself in, but I was afraid I'd get shot." 

1991 - Jim Colletto, Purdue football coach and former assistant at Arizona
State and Ohio State, on his 11-year-old son's reaction after he took the
job with the Boilermakers: 
"He said: 'Gosh, Dad, that mean's we're not going to any more bowl games."

1986 - LaVell Edwards, BYU football coach and one of 14 children:
"They can't fire me because my family buys too many tickets." 

1991 - Frank Layden, Utah Jazz president, on a former player:
"I told him, 'Son, what is it with you?  Is it ignorance or apathy?' He
said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care." 

1991 - Torrin Polk, University of Houston receiver, on his coach,  John
Jenkins:
"He treats us like men. He lets us wear earrings."

1987 - Shelby Metcalf, basketball coach at Texas A&M, recounting what he
told a player who received four F's and one D: 
"Son, looks to me like you're spending too much time on one subject."