New York Would Be Quite a Site for the ’88 Olympic Games

Mayor Edward I. Koch has offered up New York if Seoul is unable to host the Olympics, and Mike Tully of United Press International has come up with some suggested venues.

Swimming: “Since pollution has chased most of the fish from the Hudson River, athletes would have the site to themselves. If racers fall behind, commentators must be careful about remarks like, ‘He’s dead in the water.’ �

Marathon: “The course for the New York City Marathon would do well. To add some local flavor, however, a bus should pull away just as the competitor finishes running the 26 miles.�

Shooting: “Any subway entrance in the city would suffice.�

Gymnastics: “Where else but City Hall. Lately, it’s been one stunt after another there.�

Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback Steve DeBerg told Larry Guest of the Orlando Sentinel: “Basically, if an NFL team wants the top quarterback out of college, they just hire Steve DeBerg. And, presto, the top college quarterback appears.�

DeBerg gave way to Joe Montana at San Francisco, John Elway at Denver and Steve Young at Tampa Bay. Now, he’s prepared to give way to Vinny Testaverde.

Coach Ray Perkins, asked if Testaverde will be a great one, said: “If we don’t mess him up, he will. Even if we do mess him up, he probably will.�

Add Testaverde: Asked by Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post if college players should be paid, he said: “No. First of all, I don’t think they deserve it. I know I didn’t. You need to work real hard to reach the NFL, where you get paid.

“Once they start getting paid they’ll want to make all the rules, run the program. Too many kids would get cocky, think they own the world--when they’re too young to realize what’s going on.�

Trivia Time: What pitcher holds the record for hitting the most batters in a career? (Answer below.)

2 Years Ago Today: On June 30, 1985, Pedro Guerrero of the Dodgers, on his last at-bat in June, tied a major league record by hitting his 15th homer of the month against the Atlanta Braves. The others to hit 15 in June were Babe Ruth and Roger Maris of the New York Yankees and Bob Johnson of the Philadelphia Athletics.

Guerrero’s homer, ending an 0-for-14 slump, was a two-run shot off reliever Bruce Sutter in the eighth inning, lifting the Dodgers to a 4-3 win. That put the Dodgers five games behind the San Diego Padres in the National League West.

Said Bo Schembechler at the NCAA convention at Dallas: “My job as the Michigan coach is, first of all, to fill the stadium, and the legendary Fielding Yost, in all his wisdom, built the damned place to hold 100,000.�

Greater Hartford Open host Sammy Davis, asked his thoughts on Fred Astaire, told Owen Canfield of the Hartford Courant of a five-hour conversation he once had with dancer Gregory Hines.

“We talked about Bill Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers, and Donald O’Connor is always mentioned with great respect, and Gene Kelly, my friend and a brilliant dancer and choreographer,� said Davis, a pretty fair hoofer himself.

“But Astaire was . . . well, look. There was Astaire, and then there was everybody else. He did it over five decades. Only two men I’ve known have lasted that long. Astaire and Cary Grant. Fred Astaire was elegant, the ultimate athlete with elegance.�

Trivia Answer: Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators with 206. His nickname was the Big Train.

Quotebook

Wally Joyner of the Angels, on the profusion of homers this year: “It’s getting to be like basketball. Everybody plays above the rim these days and everybody is hitting home runs.�