But How About the Weather?

From Samoa to the University of Hawaii to the Minnesota Vikings. You knew it would happen like this all along, right Al Noga?

“The Vikings are one of the best teams in the league and, hey, I like that,” Noga, Minnesota’s thirdround draft choice, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch. “But there’s another thing I like about playing for the Vikings.

“A Viking is a symbol of a warrior, and that gets back to my days with the Samoan Warriors gang. Maybe that’s why I ended up in a place like Minnesota.”

Sure. The connection is a natural.

Trivia Time: What do the firings of former managers John Felske, Pat Corrales and Chuck Tanner have in common? (Answer below.)

Pete Rose received a 30-day suspension for shoving umpire Dave Pallone, and Pedro Guerrero got 4 days for throwing a bat at pitcher David Cone? Don’t try to justify it to Rose.

“Pedro threw that thing as hard as he could,” the Cincinnati Reds manager told Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. “Guerrero missed by a lot. But it’s hard to throw a bat straight. Maybe pine tar saved the pitcher there.

“No way anybody can compare what Guerrero and I did. I could have shoved Pallone to the outfield fence and he was in no danger of getting hurt. He gets better contact dancing than what I gave him.”

Rose is anxious to get back, and Tommy Helms is probably counting the days, too.

Last Friday, team owner Marge Schott referred to Helms, her interim manager, as “Whatchamadoodle.”

It started in the 1986 World Series, when Boston Red Sox fans chanted his name in chorus: “ Dare-ull, Dare-ull, “ to New York Mets outfielder Darryl Strawberry. Last month, fans in St. Louis gave Jeffrey Leonard of the San Francisco Giants the same treatment--” Jeff-reee, Jeff-ree. “

So, Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News told Will Clark of the Giants, at least you don’t have to worry about that.

Not so, said Clark, who attended Mississippi State and played often in the Deep South.

“Down there,” Clark said, “they always made my name into two syllables-- ‘Wee-ull, Wee-ull.’ “

Pittsburgh Pirates announcer Steve Blass, after the Cubs and Pirates hit six home runs at Chicago’s Wrigley Field: “The air must be corked.”

Laker Coach Pat Riley has company, or at least someone else to back him up. Doc Rivers of the Atlanta Hawks has seen more than enough of what goes on at Boston Garden to hinder visiting teams.

“I can’t accuse anyone of doing anything because I have no proof, but it’s been done,” Rivers told Terry Price of the Hartford Courant during the series with the Celtics. “That it’s been done on purpose . . . some of that stuff does happen. We’ve come in here, and it’s been extremely hot or extremely cold. I remember the last time we came in here for the playoffs against the Celtics (in 1986), we were supposed to have a chalkboard in here before we came in. We didn’t get it until about 10 minutes before we had to run out. That’s stuff you don’t have to do to win basketball games.”

From Richard Justice of the Washington Post: “When (St. Louis Manager Whitey) Herzog complained his players were pulling too many muscles because they weren’t consuming enough beer and steak--the staple of old-timers--an Iowa beef company sent each player 20 pounds of meat. It has since been suggested to Herzog that he say the same thing about lobster.”

Trivia answer: All got fired in Chicago; Tanner when he managed the Braves, Felske the Phillies and Corrales the Indians.

Quotebook

Center David Robinson, who is finishing his Navy commitment at Kings Bay, Ga., before joining the San Antonio Spurs: “I know I have the potential to be one of the best players in the world, and that’s an incredible thing to think about when you’re sitting behind a desk.”