Better Quit His Day Job

John Daly’s unlikely 1991 PGA Championship victory at Crooked Stick instantly made him the tour’s next big thing.

Country singer Daron Norwood believes Long John can take the music industry by storm in similar fashion.

Norwood recently snatched the driver from Daly’s hands, handed him a guitar and had him play and sing on a song called “You Can Lean On Me,” which is scheduled to be released this month.

“John’s a natural,” said Norwood, who followed Daly during his practice round. “He can sing and play guitar. I love getting him in the studio because he gets relaxed. “You can look for a long, long time and you won’t find anybody with a bigger heart.”

Daly, whose struggles with his game and alcoholism have been made painfully public since his 1995 British Open victory at St. Andrews, is realistic about his chances of becoming a singing sensation.

“My singing is terrible, but it’s been better than my golf lately,” he said. “I guess that tells you how bad my golf has been.”

Coming clean on his past

It’s a small world, after all.

Chuck Smith, the Florida Marlins’ 30-year-old rookie right-hander, spent 9 seasons in the minors. In 1993, he pitched for Class A Quad City, a Chicago White Sox affiliate, but didn’t make enough money to support himself and his girlfriend, now his wife.

So he supplemented his income by working at a Shell station in Cincinnati during the off-season. Among his regular customers was Alberta Griffey. She told Smith her son, Ken, played baseball, too. Seven years later, Sunday at Cinergy Field, Smith faced Ken Griffey Jr. for the first time. Griffey singled in the first inning, bunted for a hit in the third and struck out in the fourth.

“The guy who used to pump my mom’s gas struck me out,” Griffey said to Marlins first baseman Derrek Lee.

Said Smith, smiling: “I didn’t pump her gas. I washed her car.”

Obviously, a guy into detail work.

This is the big top, son

Ryan Kohlmeier, the 23-year-old Orioles rookie, on being designated Baltimore’s closer for the rest of the season after having the same role at Triple-A Rochester earlier this season: “It’s the same circus, bigger tent.”

Orioles manager Mike Hargrove, on Kohlmeier’s observation: “Yeah, but the lion has bigger claws.”

The last word …

“We have a good defensive club. Even Sinatra had to clear his throat once in a while.”

- St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, on his team making four errors against the Atlanta Braves in a game this month.