After 30 Years, Their Memory Was a Bit Hazy

By MAL FLORENCE

June 26, 1993 12 AM PT

The Durham Bulls of the Class-A Carolina League waited 30 years to retire Joe Morgan’s number--and when they got around to it, it was the wrong number.

The Bulls retired No. 18 in honor of Morgan, a Hall of Fame second baseman. But a fan produced a typed roster of the 1963 Bulls that showed the second baseman actually wore No. 8 during his three-month stay there, the same number he wore later with the Cincinnati Reds.

Trivia time: Who holds the PGA Tour record for most victories in a single event?

Grungy gang: Neil Hohlfeld of the Houston Chronicle offers this view of the Philadelphia Phillies: “They have stubble on their chins, tattoos on their arms and look a little bit like a slow-pitch softball team in town for a state championship tournament.”

The grump: As part of a Sport magazine article, writer Steve Buckley asked Dallas Cowboy Coach Jimmy Johnson, the divorced father of two grown sons, if he wanted more children.

Replied Johnson: “No, there won’t be a little kid, and there won’t be anybody living in my house.”

Grandchildren, maybe?

Johnson: “I don’t think (sons) Brent and Chad are in any hurry to have kids. And if they do, they better not come over to my house and mess the place up.”

Academic crisis: From Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Examiner: “Montana State has disbanded its rodeo team, probably because of the difficulty of recruiting bulls with good SAT scores.”

Surprise: The Philadelphia 76ers will probably select Shawn Bradley, a 7-foot-6 center from Brigham Young, with the second pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday.

“I don’t know a whole lot about Philadelphia fans,” Bradley said. Just as well you don’t, Shawn.

Double trouble: Lou Piniella, manager of the Seattle Mariners, was in his share of fights as a player, but the only time he charged the mound he regretted it.

“Jim Perry hit me, and I went out and we wrestled,” Piniella said. “But I shouldn’t have picked a guy who had a brother pitching in the big leagues.

“From that day on, every time Perry saw me, he knocked me down. And every time Gaylord Perry saw me, he knocked me down, too.”

Trivia answer: Sam Snead with eight in the Greater Greensboro Open.

Quotebook: Rod Dedeaux, former USC baseball coach: “Never think. It can only hurt the ballclub.”