Tennis Knows No Bounds

Former tennis great Chris Evert, now a television commentator, on the dazzling Williams sisters: “Mr. (Richard) Williams likes to comment on how the girls were dodging bullets and there were drug dealers around when they played. You never know if he’s exaggerating.

“But they’ve become role models and are great for the game. It just proves you don’t have to belong to a rich, snazzy country club to play tennis.”

Is that your final shot?

“Who wants to be a thousandaire?” ESPN’s asking with a new sports quiz show coming from the folks behind ABC’s smash Regis Philbin game.

“2-Minute Drill” debuts Sept. 11 as a tournament in which sports nuts will answer lightning questions asked by ESPN sports personalities.

“We’re going to put them under lights, under a ticking clock,” says “Millionaire” and “Drill” producer Michael Davies, “to prove how much they know.” It’ll all come down to a final round on Christmas Day. Davies says the prize, as yet unestablished, “is not going to be anywhere near a million dollars.”

But fans might find it priceless, because ESPN is thinking fantasy treats, such as getting to report for “SportsCenter.”

If it floats your boat

When the All-Star game was at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1972, baseball had a pitch, hit and run contest for youngsters.

The winner, Jeff Hornacek, 9, grew up to become an NBA All-Star.

He’s so glad to be unhappy

“For a decade at least, we decided Ken Griffey Jr. was a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky kid,” wrote the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Paul Daugherty.

“Look at him. Look at that smile. He wears his hat backward, just like we do. He’s just out there having fun. OK. Fine. Where is that guy?

“I’ve watched Griffey since February. I haven’t seen lucky yet. If Junior is happy, he’s hiding it well.

Would you want to face your parents if you were hitting under .240?

Sour grapes in the Big Apple

The New York Knicks raised ticket prices, although courtside seats remain only $1,500 apiece. That’s per game, or $66,000 for a season.

“The Knicks are a pot of gold with all the Wall Street people around,” a season-ticket holder told the New York Post.

“I’ve had my seats for more than 20 years and now half the people around me, they don’t even know what a basketball is. They’re talking business or where they’re going to hang out after the game.”

Yo, heathens. Outta my church.

The last word …

“Self, Money and True Crime were already taken.”

- Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated, commenting on the title of the new magazine Pro, designed for professional athletes.