He's Not the Fridge, but Who Is?

He’s Not the Fridge, but Who Is?

L.A. Times Archives

Sept. 10, 1987 12 AM PT

Michael Dean Perry, 270-pound defensive tackle at Clemson, needs eight sacks this year to break the school career record of 25 set by brother William (The Refrigerator) Perry.

Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Harper told the Sporting News: “Michael Dean has strengths William didn’t have. He’s an overachiever. If you told him to come in at 220, he’d come back at 219. I can’t say he can whip William, but then, William is the most unique SOB I’ve ever seen.

“I’m kinda the Will Rogers of Clemson. I’ve never met a Perry I didn’t like.”

Don King, who speaks a language of his own, came up with these beauties in announcing the Mike Tyson-Tyrell Biggs fight Oct. 16 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J.:

--”HBO is is telecasting this to the whole universe of the nation.”

--”Mike Tyson has come 360 degrees around, and that’s the triangle of life.”

--”Some of the great Oedipuses in the world have been built by Donald Trump.”

Add Malaprops: Frank Lucchesi, interim manager of the Chicago Cubs, came up with this one after a loss when he managed at Philadelphia: “Nobody can make me the scrapgoat.”

Trivia Time: Andre Rodgers is the answer to what trivia question? (Answer below.)

Wait a Minute: Said Angel announcer Ken Brett Tuesday night: “Willie Wilson is not a great base-stealer. He has great speed, but he never learned to get a good jump.”

Starting this year, Wilson had been successful on 84% of his stolen base attempts, an American League record. He once had a streak of 32 successful attempts, also a league record.

Oh, he also stole a pair Tuesday night. That gave him 47 for the season, two behind the leader, Harold Reynolds of Seattle. Wilson is 32 years old.

Brian Bosworth told the Denver Post he never would have played for Indianapolis if the Colts had drafted him and said he admires John Elway for forcing the Colts to trade him after he was drafted out of Stanford.

“Without a doubt, I would’ve sat out this year if I had gone to Indianapolis,” he said. “It wouldn’t even have crossed my mind to go there.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have baseball to fall back on like John did--although I probably could’ve played it as well as Bo Jackson.”

Said Ivan Lendl when asked how many dogs he has guarding his fortress-like home in Greenwich, Conn.: “Six. Would you like to come and count them?”

Would-you-believe-it dept.: Barry Gilbert, a retired social studies teacher, told the New York Times after son Brad Gilbert upset Boris Becker in the U.S. Open: “What Brad will make in the quarterfinals is exactly what my salary was after 28 years of teaching.”

The figure is $31,667.

From former Notre Dame athletic director Moose Krause, explaining his current title of athletic director emeritus: “That means I work without pay.”

Trivia Answer: Rodgers, a native of the Bahamas who played shortstop in the National League in 1957-67, was the first cricket player to make it in the major leagues.

Quotebook

UCLA football Coach Terry Donahue, on claims that he deals in cliches: “Please let people know that, off the record, I’m very quotable.”