It’s House He Would Have Built if He Had Been Right-Handed

Experts were consulted about every detail on the statue of Babe Ruth before it was unveiled at the entrance to Oriole Park at Baltimore’s Camden Yards.

The Orioles researched whether the Babe wore his belt buckle on the left or right side, whether he wore his cap cocked to the side or straight, even the size of his belt loops.

One thing escaped scrutiny.

The bronze 9-foot, 800-pound Babe is clutching on his hip a right-hander’s glove.

Babe was a lefty.

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Trivia time: There are 224 players in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Which state has produced the most?

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Sorry, Hakeem: With apologies to Hakeem Olajuwon, who has scored 31, 34 and 31 points in the first three games of the NBA finals, teammate Mario Elie doesn’t necessarily think Houston’s center should get a second consecutive finals MVP award.

“Right now, I think Robert [Horry] is my MVP of the series,� Elie said. “He’s making every big play. He’s just stepping up.�

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Good reason: Jockey Chris McCarron had three horses to pick from for the Kentucky Derby. He finally settled on Knockadoon because the colt’s owner, William K. Warren, offered a special perk.

Warren, a member of the Augusta National Golf Club, promised McCarron an opportunity to play a round at the site of the Masters. That did it.

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Mistaken identity: Tourists in Las Vegas who spotted tuxedo-clad Andre Agassi squiring a lovely lady at the Treasure Island resort were mistaken if they thought he was stepping out on Brooke Shields.

In reality, the tennis star was playing chauffeur for the night, driving his little sister on her prom night.

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In case you missed it: India defeated Argentina, 3-2, to win the Gold Cup field hockey tournament.

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Gate crasher: Chris Evert won the French Open seven times, a fact she used to her advantage last week.

“A couple of times I forgot my badge and I tried to get in,� she said. “The guard said, ‘No, no, no,’ so I just said, ‘Seven times’ and walked right past them and they let me in.�

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Looking back: Oakland’s Reggie Jackson had his biggest batting day on this date in 1969, knocking in 10 runs with two homers, a double, and two singles against the Red Sox in Boston.

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Can’t argue with that: A minor league official once affectionately described Chicago White Sox Manager Terry Bevington as “a guy with a loose screw.�

To which Bevington replied: “I may have a loose screw, but as long as you have a screwdriver to tighten the screw, you’ll be all right.�

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Trivia answer: New York, with 24. California is third with 16.

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Quotebook: Oakland Manager Tony La Russa on hot-hitting Mark McGwire: “When a guy who’s such an amazing talent does something that’s unbelievable, don’t be surprised. Just be impressed.�