This Baby Will Be Dressed to the Nines

The 99 Cents Only stores offered to give $99 in store coupons to the parents of any 9.9-pound baby born in the Southland on 9-9-99.

Nice going, Megan Alexandra Haggard, who entered this world at La Palma Community Hospital at 6:39 a.m. Thursday (nines have really been big in her life so far).

Since she was the only newborn in the area who qualified, the 99 Cents Only people threw in a check for $999.99, as well as the coupons.

And the parents didn’t name her Nina?

“We had already picked out this name,” explained Megan’s mother, Lourdes Haggard.

Sounding a bit tired, mom said she was delighted over the birth in more ways than one.

“The baby was due Sept. 4,” she said. “Nobody thought she was going to be that big.”

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SPEAKING OF DIAPERS: Chris Geltz of Monrovia spotted an ad on the ebay Web site that contained a colorful misspelling of “potpourri” (see accompanying).

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NOT TO BE A GRINCH: L.A. school board member David Tokofsky applauded Mayor Richard Riordan’s involvement in a tutoring campaign started by Jewish leaders on the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year.

But Tokofsky couldn’t help quipping that the book Riordan read to a group of second-graders the other day wasn’t exactly kosher.

It was Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham.”

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100% FEMALE: The L.A. City Historical Society’s newsletter points out that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the first national organization of women pilots.

The original membership numbered one less than 100. So, naturally, they called themselves the Ninety-Nines.

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AND 99 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL? John Yozzo of L.A. came across a rental property that has a built-in wine salesman (see accompanying).

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WILL WORK FOR PEANUTS: While the Dodgers won’t match their disastrous 1992 record (when they lost 99 games), this has been a disappointing year. One of the few dependable performers has been the guy with No. 3,436 on his uniform.

It belongs to Dodger Stadium vendor Roger Owens, now in his 41st year of pitching peanuts via his behind-the-back delivery.

And what does the No. 3,436 on his uniform badge mean?

“That’s how many events I’ve worked--but not counting this year,” Owens told the Christian Science Monitor. “The rookies look at the number and shudder.”

Wait until Owens reaches No. 9,999.

miscelLAny:

Cruising the Web, David Novak discovered that City Councilman Joel Wachs is gaining on the 2,000-Year-Old Man, not to mention Methuselah, 969 (see accompanying). Still, when Wachs runs for mayor in 2001, I hope age does not become an issue.

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Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 237-7083, by fax at (213( 237-4712, by e-mail at [email protected] and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.