Cheap Seats

Here’s a chance to score with Susan Sarandon

Look out Big Bertha, some new babes are taking up space in the golf bag.

Lange Golf has come out with a balata-faced putter called “Thelma.” Designed by owner Pat Lange, LPGA Master Professional, “Thelma” is a heel-shafted putter.

Her center-shafted putter is, of course, “Louise.” Both have heel-and-toe weighting and are blade-like in design.

But you’ll still want to drive off a cliff after missing a 2-foot putt.

This juror comes with court sense

New York Knicks basketball coach Jeff Van Gundy will be at a different kind of court this summer.

Van Gundy was chosen to be a juror in an attempted murder and rape trial in Westchester County (N.Y.) Court.

In the case Van Gundy will consider, a man is accused of raping and sodomizing a former girlfriend at knifepoint, then attempting to smother her with baby clothing in her Peekskill apartment.

“It’s a good thing it’s the off-season, or else all the Knicks fans would have hated us,” said Leonard Paduano, deputy commissioner of jurors.

What’s even better is that it’s not one of the Knick players standing trial.

Quite a pricy head case

New York Yankees pitcher David Wells, one of the world’s biggest Babe Ruth buffs, purchased a cap for $35,000 that was worn by Ruth.

When he wore it on the mound in a game against Cleveland, it might have been a nice gesture, but it didn’t go over well. Technically, Wells was out of uniform, and manager Joe Torre told him to remove the weathered cap after the first inning.

Meanwhile, the Tribe put up Ruthian numbers, scoring five runs on eight hits to knock Wells out of the game in the second inning.

Airing his clean laundry

Mitch Zwolensky, a minor league manager who held up a game because of wet laundry, was suspended by the Prairie League for the remainder of the season.

Zwolensky, who manages the Minot Mallards, refused to field a team for a game against the Regina Cyclones.

The previous day, Zwolensky had been ejected by the umpires from a doubleheader. The next day, team laundry arrived back at the clubhouse just 25 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the game and it was still damp.

Zwolensky met with the umpires while exchanging lineups, requested more time, got an extra 20 minutes, sought even more and ended up in a heated exchange during which he again was ejected.

At that point, he told his players to return to the clubhouse.

The game was eventually played after the Minot owner intervened, but Minot’s 2-1 win was taken away by the league.

Years away from discovering Jackie Robinson

After hitting a monstrous home run at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, Atlanta’s Andruw Jones was told he was the first player to reach the park’s upper deck in left-center field since Mike Schmidt did it 22 years ago.

“I never heard of him. I’m just starting to hear of players in the ‘80s and ‘90s,” Jones said.

The last word …

“It is appropriate that Tino Martinez worked in his father’s cigar shop. Because he’s been lighting it up.”

- Broadcaster Tim McCarver during the All-Star Game

, DataTimes