When These Teams Play, Break Out the Record Book

Bob Ryan writing in the Boston Globe: “I’ve done the requisite research. The record margin of victory in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is 69 points.

“Loyola of Chicago abused Tennessee Tech by a 111-42 score en route to winning the championship in 1963.

“It’s a factoid worth noting, inasmuch as we have an on-paper mismatch of colossal proportions scheduled for Friday in Charlotte, N.C. Duke, the No. 1 seed in the East, will play No. 16 Florida A&M.; This may be historic even by 1 vs. 16 standards.

“Duke is 32-1. The Rattlers [12-18] have won 32 games in the last three seasons, and 48 in the last six.”

*

Trivia time: Other than UCLA, which Pacific 10 school has won the most NCAA men’s tournament basketball games?

*

Yawn: Scottie Pippen, now with Houston, apparently has cut all ties with the Chicago Bulls, according to an interview with Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune:

“I don’t watch them much. The Bulls? I think I’m looking at the Clippers. I find myself trying to watch their games, but I fall asleep. Honest.”

*

His entourage: Former NFL and Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips will play football in Europe. Said comedy writer Alan Ray:

“He leaves the U.S. with a big following--the FBI, the Miami police, the St. Louis police, the Lincoln [Neb.] police. . . .”

*

Defending Big Mac: Houston Astro first baseman Jeff Bagwell said Mark McGwire’s 70-home run performance in 1998 had nothing to do with the supplement androstenedione and everything to do with McGwire:

“Hand-eye coordination is something you can’t get from a bottle. Balance and bat speed, you can’t get from a bottle.”

*

Wake-up call: Russ Davis’ error-prone ways last season--34 in 141 games-- prompted fans to offer the Seattle third baseman some possible solutions.

One came up with the idea that Davis should play without a protective cup, suggesting that the terror of such an injury would help him react.

*

Like good whiskey: Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald on the NCAA basketball tournament: “The [tournament] is everything we love about sports, distilled and distilled and distilled again so that only what’s pure is remaining.”

*

Rich get richer: Jim Caple of ESPN.com says the Yankees’ acquisition of five-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens “was about as necessary as Leonardo DiCaprio signing up for a computer dating service.”

*

Hunch bet: In the first race on Wednesday at Santa Anita since the passing of Joe DiMaggio, the winner was Candi Lee, the daughter of . . . Dimaggio.

*

Trivia answer: Arizona, with a 26-16 record.

*

And finally: Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Baylor’s top football recruit from last year has been suspended indefinitely from the team for ‘violating team policies.’

“In other words, running back Ben Gay has been rubbed out.”