Spring Must Be Near Because a Rose Blossoms

Spring training is a month off, but Pete Rose is ready. At least, he’s got the quotes going. Here’s the latest from the Cincinnati manager:

--On last season’s slow start: “We went almost five weeks into the season with five guys not hitting their weight and none of them were fat guys.”

--On playing in Candlestick Park: “Trade a guy to Frisco and it’s like going to Alcatraz. It cannot be fun going to the ballpark in San Francisco unless you’re an Eskimo and there are not too many Eskimos in the National League.”

--On former Dodger Ted Power: “Ted missed out on championships with the Dodgers. They won before he got there and after he left. I wonder what that means?”

Horace Grant is averaging 19 points and 9 rebounds a game for Clemson, which is 18-2. Harvey Grant, his twin brother, is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma, which is 16-3.

What would happen if Clemson and Oklahoma met for the NCAA title?

“Clemson would win,” Horace said. “It’s a matter of experience. I was born seven minutes before Harvey.”

Trivia Time: What do John Lucas and Dr. Renee Richards have in common? (Answer below.)

After Indiana beat Illinois Wednesday night, Hoosier Coach Bobby Knight had a message for the school’s faculty council, which recently passed a resolution seeking to penalize coaches who abuse players verbally.

Said Knight: “I’d like to thank the Bloomington Faculty Council for tabling the debate on whether they will plant petunias or daffodils in the flower bed behind the old library long enough to send me the starting lineup.”

How tough was Larry Csonka, just named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Former Detroit Lions Coach Monte Clark put it this way: “When he goes on a safari, the lions roll up their windows.”

For What It’s Worth: Cerritos College publicist John Van Gaston notes that the school has been represented in the past six Super Bowls, the latest representative being safety Herb Welch of the New York Giants.

Rich Camarillo was a punter for New England, Ray Wersching appeared twice as a kicker for San Francisco and Joe Gibbs twice as the head coach of Washington.

Camarillo set a Super Bowl record with a 62-yard punt. Wersching tied a record with four field goals in a game.

Add Super Bowl: New York Giants’ offensive line coach Fred Hoaglin told the Hartford Courant that the deployment of tight ends Mark Bavaro and Zeke Mowatt was the key to the team’s success.

“We beat them at their own game,” Hoaglin said. “We flopped the tight end on them all day. Usually, you set and then Denver shifts on you. This time we’d set, then flop Mark or Zeke. That confused them. Rather than shift into a defense that would leave them vulnerable, they stayed in a compromise defense. That’s all we needed.”

Add Forgettable Quotes: Said daredevil Evel Knievel in 1972: “I figure on going for another six years until I’m 40. Then I’ll try the pro golf circuit. I’m an good as any of them right now.”

Trivia Answer: They played in World Team Tennis and once teamed up to win the mixed doubles title.

Quotebook

Bo Jackson of the Kansas City Royals, on why he isn’t bothered by criticism in the press: “The only thing I read in the papers is the comics. When they start mixing the sports with the comics, I’ll stop getting my subscriptions.”