There’s a Reason Steinbrenner Is Called ‘The Boss’

Former major league pitcher Phil Niekro, who played for the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves, compared the owners of the teams, George Steinbrenner and Ted Turner:

“One demands total respect. The other lets you slide a bit. There’s not much room for error in George’s shop. He pays you well and he expects you to perform. Ted realizes you’re human, you’re going to slip up every once in a while.”

Then Niekro added: “When George came into the clubhouse, you shook and shivered.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NCAA Division 1-A record for most punts in a game?

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Washed-up: Syndicated columnist Norman Chad on unsuccessful Cincinnati Bengal Coach Dave Shula: “He couldn’t lead dishwater down a drain.”

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Tomato can: While visiting A. Philip Randolph Campus High School in Harlem, Muhammad Ali was asked by a student if, at the height of his career, could he have beaten Mike Tyson. Replied Ali: “No problem.”

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Hang 10: Hank Gola of the New York Daily News commenting on former USC defensive back Jason Sehorn, now a cornerback with the Giants: “[Sehorn’s] original nickname was ‘90210’ because defensive backfield coach Zaven Yaralian notes, ‘He looks like he should be surfing instead of playing football.’ ”

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Halloween theme: Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune on tonight’s Charger-Raider game: “When the Chargers and Raiders play here, it’s more than just a game. The players play. The fans become Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.”

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Fright night: From reader Bob Kinney in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Prepare for my trick when you open the door on Halloween. I’ll be dressed as Roberto Alomar.”

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Finicky batters: Stanley Russell, who works at the Louisville Slugger plant, doesn’t have a favorite baseball team, but his workload would have been easier if St. Louis was in the World Series instead of Atlanta.

“The Braves’ bats are more difficult,” he said. “Some guys want certain finishes, others want different weights. St. Louis’ bats aren’t so picky.”

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Kiner clone? Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on broadcaster Mike Shannon: “You never know when Shannon will cut loose with something memorable, like, ‘He’s one of the hardest workers on this team. He’s had his ear to the grindstone all season.’ ”

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Looking back: On this day in 1922, USC defeated Nevada, 6-0, at the Coliseum in a game that introduced Trojan card stunts for the first time.

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Trivia answer: Charlie Calhoun of Texas Tech, with 36 against Centenary (La.) on Nov. 11, 1939.

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And finally: Idella Pace, grandmother of Orlando Pace, Ohio State’s 6-foot-6, 330-pound offensive tackle, told Lori Shontz of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that she just stares at him: “I wonder sometimes, Lord, what is this?”