These Fantasy Camps Provide Much Glitter, Little Substance - Los Angeles Times
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These Fantasy Camps Provide Much Glitter, Little Substance

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Have you signed up for one of those summer sports camps at which you get to meet and learn from great athletes? There’s still time, and Tony Kornheiser of the Washington Post has made up a list. Here are a few:

--â€Andre Agassi’s Ultimate Garbo Camp: Achieve a top-five ranking without ever playing a tournament. You’ll have all the free time you need to do your hair.

--â€Sugar Ray Leonard Camp: For adults 50 and up. Box with people at least 20 years older than you until ultimately you go 10 rounds (or less) with Irving Berlin.

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--â€Ralph Sampson Fantasy Basketball Camp: A highly specialized camp open only to 7-footers who want to be point guards.

--â€Ben Johnson Sprint Camp: Do whatever you want. Nobody will check up on you.â€

Only in Hollywood: Dallas running back Herschel Walker has a role in the HBO series “First and Ten,†scheduled for fall release. In one scene, Walker is involved in a barroom brawl. Walker doesn’t drink.

Walker was asked once if he wasn’t even curious about taking a drink. He said, “I’m curious about jumping off a cliff, and I don’t do that either.â€

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Add Cowboys: In the August edition of Esquire, Coach Buddy Ryan of the Philadelphia Eagles takes a dim view of Jimmy Johnson’s chances to make Dallas a winner.

Ryan: “You want to win in this man’s league, you find yourself a good NFL assistant.â€

And he relayed a message to Johnson through Cowboy linebacker Garry Cobb, a former Eagle: “Tell your coach there ain’t no University of Cincinnati up here in this league. Ain’t no East Carolina, either.â€

Trivia time: What two Olympic middleweight boxing champions went on to win world heavyweight titles?

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Would-you-believe-it-Dept. The men who hold the major league records for most home runs, triples and doubles in a season never approached those totals before or after those seasons. Roger Maris’ next-best total after his 61 homers was 39. Owen Wilson’s next best after 36 triples was 14. Earl Webb’s next best after 67 doubles was 30. Wilson set his mark for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1912, Webb for the Boston Red Sox in 1931.

Wilson’s record looks to be the toughest to break. The marks of Maris and Webb have been approached, but the closest to Wilson is 26 triples, by three men, one of them Shoeless Joe Jackson. Last year’s leaders were Andy Van Slyke of Pittsburgh (15) in the National League and Harold Reynolds of Seattle, Willie Wilson of Kansas City and Robin Yount of Milwaukee (11) in the American League.

Anchors aweigh: After a San Antonio Spurs’ intra-squad game, in which David Robinson had 31 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocked shots, General Manager Bob Bass told Jan Hubbard of Newsday: “No big man has ever been like this. Nobody. Name even a 6-9 guy with that quickness. I tell you, James Worthy can’t run like David.â€

Said Spur guard Willie Anderson: “Right now he could step into the league and be the best center except two, Akeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing. And that’s only because they have more experience. Given time, he’ll be the best there’s ever been.â€

Trivia answer: Floyd Patterson, 1952, and Michael Spinks, 1976.Quotebook: Reggie Williams, Cincinnati Bengal linebacker, asked his attributes: “Speed, strength and the ability to recognize pain immediately.â€

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