That Hogan, He Just Never Would Shut Up

Former San Francisco Chronicle sports editor Art Rosenbaum, remembering Ben Hogan in Golf Today:

“Ray Hayward was named golf writer of the Oakland Tribune. He knew nothing of golf and was advised by pro Howard Capps to watch young Ben Hogan in the Oakland Open.

“In those days, incidentally, there were no gallery ropes. Hayward reported back to Capps, ‘I went right up to Hogan and he even spoke to me.’ ‘He did? What did he say?’ ‘Get your shadow out of the way, bud.’ �

*

Trivia time: Before 1965, who were the only three Pacific Coast Conference players to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season?

*

Bet on it: From comedy writer Earl Hochman: “Pete Rose, banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling, will apply for reinstatement after the World Series, and is laying 2-1 odds his ban will be lifted.�

*

Intrigue: Alan Truex of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Phillies complained that New York Met Manager Bobby Valentine was growing tomato plants in his bullpen to block opponents from seeing which pitcher is warming up.

*

Golf’s home run: Bill Mazeroski, whose dramatic homer beat the New York Yankees in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, still has a sweet swing.

Mazeroski, 61, had a hole in one recently at the par-three, 216-yard No. 16 hole at the Champion Lakes Golf Club near Ligonier, Pa.

*

Almost popular: Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Two of the biggest crowds at interleague games [50,792 for Giants at A’s and 60,230 for Angels at Padres] can be explained by postgame fireworks displays.

“A’s assistant general manager Billy Beane says of the pyrotechnics: ‘They never go into a slump.’ �

*

Bear facts: John Mullin, writing in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune: “The Bears must defeat the Detroit Lions or [Dave] Wannstedt will be the first coach since [Jim] Dooley in 1969 to preside over an 0-3 start.�

The Bears dropped to 0-3, which is not a good omen for Wannstedt.

*

FYI: If he wins it, Frank Thomas would be the first Chicago White Sox player to win the American League batting title since Luke Appling in 1943.

*

Looking back: On this day in 1954, Rocky Marciano knocked out Ezzard Charles in the eighth round at Yankee Stadium to retain his world heavyweight boxing title.

*

Trivia answer: Morley Drury, USC in 1927; Jackie Jensen, California in 1948, and Hugh McElhenny, Washington in 1950.

*

And finally: Rick Gosselin in the Dallas Morning News: “A city that embraced the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League in the 1970s, the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League in the ‘80s, and even the Memphis Mad Dogs of the Canadian Football League in the ‘90s wants little to do with the NFL circus that Oiler owner Bud Adams has brought to town.�