Cheap Seats
There’s nothing like a midnight drive
Golfers who have the urge to tee it up at 3 a.m. should visit Fairbanks, Alaska. The Fairbanks Golf and Country Club will be open from now through the end of July - continuously.
Course managers announced the club would be open 24 hours a day through the end of next month, taking advantage of the virtually constant daylight.
“There are people who want to play golf at that time and now that the skies are clear and the sun is out we’re going to accommodate them,” course manager Santina Meath said.
But golfers still get a busy signal when they call for tee times.
The blast heard around the broadcast world
When Colorado’s Andres Galarraga crushed a 529-foot home run at Joe Robbie “Pro Player Park” Stadium, the historic poke made for some historic remarks around baseball.
Longtime Philadelphia Inquirer baseball writer Jayson Stark ranked his top five comments: Fifth prize: From Cubs long-distance authority Terry Mulholland: “I’m sure a couple of red lights went off in Cape Canaveral.”
Fourth prize: From Marlins broadcaster Joe Angel on the home-run call by his partner, Dave O’Brien: “He made a beautiful call - right after he fainted.”
Third prize: From Marlins coach and witticist Rich Donnelly: “If that ball had gone out of the stadium, it would have finished second in the third race at Calder.”
Second prize: From Phillies tape measurer Curt Schilling: “The last time I saw something travel that far, that fast, it said Concorde on it.”
First prize: From Donnelly: “If there were no stands and that ball had been allowed to keep on traveling, the entire population of the state of Rhode Island could have tagged up from third.’
Almost-dead man talking
Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies, criticized for deciding not to face Mariners pitcher Randy Johnson in an interleague game, reportedly still is shaking from a spring-training strikeout against Johnson.
“I thought I was dead because he almost took my nose off,” said Walker. “You know the movie ‘Ghost’ when Patrick Swayze was walking up toward the white light? That’s what it felt like.”
He really would have been shaking had he visualized Johnson as Demi Moore.
Dome wreckers
When various Twins were surveyed on alternative uses for the Metrodome - if the Twins get a new stadium - left fielder Marty Cordova responded: “Use the Metrodome for monster-truck pulls - and then blow it up on New Year’s Eve. They could get a lot of people to come out and watch that.”
Not counting on Junior
Jim Caple of ESPN SportsZone isn’t convinced Ken Griffey is “on pace” to break Roger Maris’ home-run record.
“I mean, if you go back far enough, Vanilla Ice was on pace to have a musical career.”
The last word …
I don’t feel much bias. I want the Cubs to win, of course, but I’m not a biased broadcaster.”
- Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo