Cheap Seats

At least he’s saved a few

In the movie “The Apostle,” Academy Award nominee Robert Duvall, who also wrote and directed the film, portrays a fire-and-brimstone Pentecostal preacher.

Before Duvall threw out the first pitch at the Toronto Blue Jays’ American League opener Wednesday night, Garth Woolsey of the Toronto Star wondered “if he might take the opportunity to deliver a sermon on the mound.”

If Duvall had taken the mound in Seattle, we’d be wondering if he would deliver at all.

When TW struck out, it was memorable

Billy Crystal recalled when he met Ted Williams, one of his boyhood heroes: “I walked up to him at a card-signing show and told him I still had home movies I made of him striking out,” Crystal said.

He described the day of the game and the time at bat. Williams thought about it for a moment then nodded his head.

“Curveball,” he said. “Low and away.”

Life’s tough all over

New Jersey Nets center Rony Seikaly on whether the players, earning an average salary of nearly $3 million, could weather a potential NBA lockout this summer:

“You’d be surprised. Nobody saves anything. Along with higher salaries, the more expensive the toys. The houses have gotten bigger, the cars have gotten more exotic, and the entourages have gotten longer.”

Faster than a speeding bullet

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic, writing on Randy Moss, star wide receiver from Marshall:

“He just clocked a blazing 4.23 (seconds) in the 40-yard dash, which means no one in the NFL can run with him.”

Or any world-class sprinter, if that time is legitimate.

Now this is real relief

Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star writes that one of the attractions of Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix is a “massive roof that can turn a 108-degree day into a 78-degree day in several minutes.

“The air-conditioning alone will draw thousands of people, not necessarily baseball fans.”

The good life

Justin Leonard, winner of the Players Championship, commenting on the advantages of low scores in the early rounds of a golf tournament and getting later tee times as a result:

“It’s nice to be able to play well and be able to sleep in and watch cartoons in the morning.”

The last word …

“Just when I thought fixing a Nuggets game was the perfect crime - how would you know if they’ve thrown a game? - I read about the Northwestern game-fixing fiasco.”

- Bob Kravitz in the Rocky Mountain News