TIME OUT WITH TANY

TIME OUT WITH TANY -
by Jack Tany

QUICK QUIZ
>From the 1957-1958 season to the 1973-1974 season, only three men led the
National Basketball Association in rebounds. Bill Russell and Wilt
Chamberlain were two of them. Name the third.
A. Lew Alcindor
B. Elgin Baylor
C. Elvin Hayes
D. Bill Bailey
QUOTABLE QUOTES
Dick Versace, on how he hired assistant coaches, "I learned a long time ago
to hire one with three kids. He'll be in the office working at eight every
morning so he doesn't have to deal with getting the kids off to school."
Sportswriter Frank Deford, "Hockey's the only place where a guy can go
nowadays and watch two white guys fight."
Former Major League pitcher Bill 'Spaceman' Lee, "Baseball is a lot like
the army - there aren't many individuals. About the only difference is that
baseball players get to stay in nice hotels instead of barracks."
IDLE THOUGHTS
Did you see the other day where Ford Field was damaged by a fire. Damn! The
Lions' season hasn't even started yet and they're getting burned. The Lions
will make their first appearance at Ford Field August 24 in an exhibition
game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Marty Cordova of the Baltimore Orioles recently missed a game because of a
burn he suffered on his face when he fell asleep in a tanning booth. My
question is why on earth does he need a tan? Doesn't he play baseball for a
living?
A judge recently overturned last month's sentence of a man who got six
months in jail for retrieving lost balls from golf course lakes. Police
caught John Collinson, 36, early on an August day equipped with a diving
suit at Whetstone Golf Course in Leicester, England. He and a colleague
fished out 1,158 balls from Lily Pond. The last time I checked no one owns
a body of water. I'm just glad the men in blue don't follow me around a
golf course. My goal is to find more balls than I lose.
Sometimes it's tough to find enough players to fill out rosters in small
schools. This even happens in varsity football where Caseville hasn't
fielded a team since 1990. But Caseville recently entered into an agreement
with rival Owendale-Gagetown to allow students from Caseville to play
football on the OwenGage team. That's dedication when a student-athlete
will drive 28 miles just to practice each day. The two Class D schools had
to submit a proposal to the Michigan High School Athletic Association which
recently okayed the co-op.
Sportscaster Steve Sabin has an interesting way of getting rid of beanball
wars in baseball. He suggested that if a pitcher hits a batter, make the
pitcher automatically lead off the next inning - designated hitter or not.
Works for me. But I think it would actually lead to more slugfests.
Speaking of the designated hitter, I've never liked it - especially when
only one league uses it. It takes all the strategy out of baseball like
when to pinch hit for a pitcher. Plus, it's always fun to watch pitchers
bat. Some swing the lumber like a wiffle ball. Others, like Bob Gibson,
Earl Wilson and Bob Lemon, were excellent with the lumber. Heck, I remember
when Tigers' manager Mayo Smith would have Wilson pinch hit for
light-hitting shortstop Ray Oyler.
I've been involved in sports one way or another nearly my entire life.
People have asked me my slant on the Hemlock baseball incident. I feel they
should deal with the culprit harshly to make an example out of him. Crap
like that has no business in prep sports . . . which is supposed to be fun.
Need a web site for baseball fanatics? Go to www.askmisterbaseball.com.
This site claims to have the career stats for everyone who ever played in
pro baseball. Simply type in a last name and anyone with that last name
will pop up.
Michael Curry of the Detroit Pistons is president of the NBA Players'
Association. He's been with the Pistons since the 1995-96 season. Prior to
that he played in the CBA and extensively in Europe, including Spain,
Germany, Belgium, France and Italy. I bet his luggage is pretty well beat up

Whatever happened to Champ Summers?