The Profits Aren’t Hard to Swallow

The refreshment of Rose Bowl champions can be yours, Wisconsin Badger fans, courtesy of the makers of Badger Max, a new sports drink.

According to the Sporting News, the University of Wisconsin is marketing the drink, with proceeds going to the school. In a test, 8,000 cases were shipped in June. By August, it had orders for 100,000 cases.

Badger Max is a fruit-flavored mix of vitamins and minerals.

“Our version of Gatorade,� says David Ellis, the nutritionist who developed it.

Gatorade was developed by Dr. Robert Cade for University of Florida football players in the mid-’60s, then marketed.

It does $900 million to $1 billion in sales annually.

Trivia time: Designated hitter Bob Hamelin recently broke the Kansas City Royals’ record for most home runs by a rookie. Before the strike, Hamelin had 24 home runs. Who holds the American League record for most homers by a rookie, and whose record did he break?

Field general: Dave Brown, who had a dual major in history and political science at Duke, recently was chosen as the probable regular-season starting quarterback by New York Giant Coach Dan Reeves.

But Brown sounded more affected by practicing at Maifeld in Berlin, where the Giants played the San Diego Chargers on Saturday and where Adolf Hitler once mustered 500,000 troops.

“It’s awesome,� Brown told Newsday’s George Willis. “I could envision the troops lined up here.�

Willis estimates that the stadium, which is surrounded by concrete seats, could accommodate four football fields.

“I wish we had half this (space) back at Fairleigh Dickinson,� offensive line coach Pete Mangurian said, comparing it to the Giants’ training facility.

Won’t get fooled again: At least one NFL player looks at the way the baseball players union is handling the current impasse and wishes the NFL players had the same kind of leadership.

Minnesota Viking kicker Fuad Reveiz blames executive director Gene Upshaw of the NFL Players Assn. for the football union’s problems.

“He was the one who came to all of our meetings and said under no circumstances is there going to be a cap,� Reveiz said.

“All of a sudden, we wake up one day and there’s a salary cap. It was just deceitfulness. Why do you think the guy hasn’t come to any training camps yet this year?�

Of the baseball players, Reveiz said, “Obviously, they have better leadership in their union. Without a doubt, they’re sitting back there thinking, ‘Do I want to be as stupid as the football players are?’ �

Trivia answer: On Aug. 11, 1987, Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics broke Al Rosen’s American League rookie record by hitting his 38th home run. McGwire finished his rookie season with 49 homers.

Quotebook: Montreal Expo Manager Felipe Alou as his first-place team headed into the strike: “I feel like the fisherman who has made a record catch, but has to throw the fish back.�