Got notes? …
Dale Murphy can’t help today’s ballplayers stay away from performance-enhancing drugs, so he’s doing the next-best thing. He’s going to bat for the next generation.
Murphy, a two-time National League MVP who finished his career with the Rockies, has launched a foundation, called iWon’tCheat!, to encourage young athletes to stay clean.
“We want to challenge kids,” Murphy said. “We want positive peer pressure. Our theory is that if you want to cheat, you can. You can say ‘Hey, get over it,’ but we’re talking about drug abuse. Drug abuse of any kind is not acceptable and is damaging our kids.”
If you’re getting a tax refund, you might want to send a few bucks Murph’s way to promote a great cause. The website is www.iwontcheat.com. …
Murphy on the prospect of Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron’s home run record: “Indifference is the best way to say it. It doesn’t mean that much to me. I’m just disappointed in Barry’s impact on our kids. He can say what he wants, but it has a direct effect. It’s sad to me. Barry’s career would have been Hall of Fame even if he had never gone down this path.” …
Albert Pujols is hitting like Luis Pujols and Chris Carpenter is on the disabled list with arm problems. Forget September. If this keeps up, the Cardinals could be out of it before the humidity arrives. …
Two weeks into things and Lou Piniella already has had his first postgame meltdown at Wrigley. Somewhere, Lee Elia is smiling. …
Elliott Harris, Chicago Sun-Times, on Rick Pitino’s claim that his son, Richard, had “really paid his dues” before being hired as a Louisville assistant coach: “His son is 24. Meaning the dues he paid mostly were to the Cub Scouts.” …
Not that we’ve got a phenom on our hands, but it’s mid-April and Felix Hernandez’s ERA is running neck-and-neck with Bluto’s grade point: zero … POINT … zero. …
King Felix throws a 98-mph fastball, an 88-mph slider and an 80-mph changeup. Oh, and a curveball that starts at the shoulders, turns left faster than Jeff Gordon, then nosedives like Enron stock. Here’s hoping we never see his name in the same sentence as Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. …
Jeff Bzdelik, when asked what message he would send to his players at CU: “We’ve got good doctors. If you get hurt, we’ll take care of you, so get down and dirty.” …
It took until April, but the Nuggets have finally figured out Math 101 in the NBA. “Defensive stops,” George Karl said, when asked about the key to his team’s future. “Instead of having to score two or three times to win a game, we only have to score once or twice.” …
Twenty-three rejections in three games? Only the streets of New York have more blocks than Marcus Camby. If you haven’t figured out that he’s the key to the Nuggets’ fortunes, feel free. …
Solid customer, Andre Miller. How solid? The Sixers, so gawdawful in the season’s early going, are 28-27 since the Allen Iverson trade. …
Iverson on Camby’s recent quest for every rebound: “He’ll kill us if we get anywhere near the ball.” …
Talk about your one-man outfits. The Lakers are 1-7 since mid-March when Kobe doesn’t go for 40. …
Phil Jackson, explaining to reporters why Kobe played all 48 minutes vs. the Clippers the other night: “I said, ‘You ready for a rest?’ He said, ‘If I come out, we’ll probably be down 10 before I can take a breath.’ He’s probably right.” …
It’s springtime and love is in the air. And soon, pingpong balls will be, too. Which brings us to the stat du jour: Only three times since the NBA’s pingpong system was instituted in 1990 has the team with the worst record come away with the No. 1 pick. …
And, of course, one of those three times had to be 2003, when the Cavs beat the Nuggets to LeBron James. …
JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn. Brady Quinn or JaMarcus Russell. Which one to grab if you’ve got the first pick on draft day? Calvin Johnson. …
If history is any indication, don’t count on the Raiders taking a QB. They’ve drafted 25 quarterbacks in their history and only one – Kenny Stabler – has started for them for more than one season. In the interest of full disclosure, however, Todd Marinovich had a nice run in the Cal Penal League. …
And finally, happy 67th birthday to one of my fishin’ buddies, Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Davis.
Jim Armstrong can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
