It's Silly to Judge Billy on One Round

It’s Silly to Judge Billy on One Round

By Larry Stewart

April 13, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Billy Casper may long be remembered for the unofficial 106 he shot during the first round of the Masters last week, and that’s unfortunate.

He ranks sixth on the PGA Tour’s all-time victory list with 51, won three majors and five Vardon Trophies -- for lowest scoring average -- and played on eight U.S. Ryder Cup teams.

The 73-year-old San Diego native also was the non-playing captain of the victorious 1979 U.S. Ryder Cup team and earned high praise for his performance.

Lee Trevino, a member of that team, said, “He fouled up just once. He never got the bar set up in the players’ lounge.”

Trivia time: Duke Snider, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Dodgers’ home opener Tuesday, finished his major league career when and with what team?

Double loyalty: Attorney Larry Silverstein of the Boston firm of Bingham McCutchen, which represents Dodger owner Frank McCourt, was at the Red Sox’s home opener Monday, then flew to L.A. on Tuesday morning for the Dodgers’ home opener.

Silverstein, a lifelong Red Sox fan, got to see his team beat the New York Yankees, 8-1, and then witnessed the Dodger thriller.

So if the Red Sox and Dodgers met in the World Series, which team would he root for?

“I get asked that question quite a bit,” Silverstein said. “Now that the Red Sox have won a World Series, probably the Dodgers.”

Analysis: Tiger Woods on his chip shot on the 16th hole Sunday at the Masters: “It looked pretty good, and all of a sudden it looked like really good, and it looked like how could it not go in, and how did it not go in, and all of a sudden it went in.”

Clear-cut answer: Karl Malone, a guest on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Monday night, was asked who his choice would be in a Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant matchup?

“Who would I root for?” Malone said. “Shaq.”

Queen for a day: Laker players and other celebrities will take part in the team’s second annual Casino Night charity fundraiser in a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport on Thursday night, and Marge Hearn will serve as honorary casino queen.

“The good thing about being a queen is I will get kissed a lot,” Hearn said.

Rings mean bling: The nine championship rings the Lakers have earned since moving to L.A. in 1960 will be on display at Thursday’s event, then auctioned off June 10 by Sotheby’s.

The rings are expected to bring in a winning bid of more than $100,000, with proceeds to be donated to the Lakers’ Youth Foundation.

Looking back: On this day in 1970, Casper won the Masters in a playoff with fellow San Diegan Gene Littler.

Trivia answer: 1964 with the San Francisco Giants.

And finally: Former Houston Astro manager Larry Dierker, in a guest column in the Houston Chronicle, recalled this classic Casey Stengel quote about two 20-year-old New York Met prospects in 1965: “In 10 years, Ed Kranepool has a chance to be a star, and in 10 years, Greg Goossen has a chance to be 30.”

Kranepool never became a star, but Goossen, a brother of boxing’s Dan and Joe Goossen, did turn 30.

Larry Stewart can be reached at [email protected].