Replay Showed Boss His Worker Was Way Off Base

After finishing his work, installing beer lines at the Seattle Mariners’ new stadium, Safeco Field, plumber Nolan West indulged his fantasy.

He had a friend videotape him hitting a ball and racing around the bases. Then, he dropped off the video at a television station, which put it on the air.

His employer was not amused and West was fired.

“Running around all those bases made it worth it,” West said.

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Trivia time: Which are the only two schools that won the NCAA men’s basketball championship one season, then had a losing record the next?

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Turned off: Dick Weiss in the New York Daily News: “This may be a minority opinion, but I’m disappointed at the way this NCAA tournament has evolved.

“Duke’s dominance is one thing. But there have been so many upsets early, the tournament has lost some of its sizzle.”

As you say, Dick, it’s a minority opinion.

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Jekyll and Hyde? Veteran boxing trainer Emanuel Steward, commenting on Oscar De La Hoya in a book by The Times’ Tim Kawakami, “Golden Boy:”

“The guy is a little different; he’s a little cuckoo. You look at him, and he’s so sweet, so polite, so nice and classy.

“Then, once the bell rings, after about 45 seconds, you see him transform into a cold-blooded killer, one of the worst I’ve seen in my life.”

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Seeing double: Steve Rosenbloom in the Chicago Tribune: “Tom Izzo: Congratulations on beating defending champion Kentucky. Now the Big Ten has two teams in the Final Four, just like Duke.”

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Praise indeed: New Orleans Saint Coach Mike Ditka is so impressed with Texas running back Ricky Williams that he is willing to trade his whole draft to Philadelphia to get him.

“Why not?” Ditka said. “I think he’s that good. He’s Earl Campbell with speed.”

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Impressed: Magic Coach Chuck Daly, commenting to the Orlando Sentinel after the Lakers had rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit to beat his team Sunday, 115-104:

“[The Lakers] are a traveling all-star team. Shaquille O’Neal is an all-star of all-stars. Kobe Bryant, we probably saw his coming-out party on national TV today. We all know how good he is.”

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Is it scripted? From Jay Leno: “When people go to a boxing match and they see Don King, know what they say? ‘Hey, Don, don’t tell me how it ends.’ ”

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FYI: Gail Goodrich of UCLA still holds the men’s NCAA Final Four record for free throws made in a game with 18 against Michigan in the 1965 championship game.

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Trivia answer: Stanford, 1942, and Michigan State, 1979.

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And finally: Milwaukee Brewer hitters have been in the batting cage this spring trying to read tiny numbers inscribed on tennis balls being fired past them at 150 mph.

The idea is that if you can see something at 150 mph, you can see it better at 90.

“This is great,” pitcher Cal Eldred said. “Now I’ll be able to see the ball and know exactly what kind of pitch it is that I am not hitting.”