Don’t Try Telling Him Baseball Is a Walk in the Park

New York Yankee relief pitcher Jeff Nelson, who used to pitch for the Seattle Mariners, says that Seattle Manager Lou Piniella hates pitchers.

“He just doesn’t have patience,” Nelson told Buster Olney of the New York Times. “He tells you, ‘Throw the ball over the plate.’ You feel like saying, ‘Is that what I’m supposed to do? I didn’t know that. I thought I was supposed to come out here and walk everyone.’ ”

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On the other hand: After a game in which Baltimore Oriole pitchers gave up nine walks in blowing a 7-0 lead, first baseman Will Clark had this to say:

“It is inexcusable. You can’t ask your offense to go out and score 12 or 13 runs every day. You have to throw the ball over the plate. If it’s not hit, we can’t catch it.”

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Trivia time: Who was the first American golfer to win the British Open?

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No playboy: Center Ben Hamilton of Minnesota’s football team, an All-American selection last year as a junior, turned down a spot on Playboy magazine’s preseason All-American team because he considers the publication at odds with his religious beliefs.

“It was really hard because it is an honor and playing on the offensive line, you don’t get too many honors and they don’t come along too often,” Hamilton said. “Especially the Playboy preseason All-America team.”

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Coincidence: Scott McGihon, winner of the Southern California Amateur golf championship, and Jim Izu, president of the host SoCal Golf Assn., both graduated from Indio High.

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More coincidence: Don Larsen and David Wells, pitchers of perfect games, both pitched for the New York Yankees--and both graduated from Point Loma High in San Diego.

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Easy choice: Winston Cup driver Tony Stewart was asked if the death of his friend and fellow driver, Kenny Irwin, caused him any personal concern about driving a race car.

“Does it scare me to get back into a race car?” he said. “No. I’d rather run 190 mph with these guys than try to drive with some of those morons on the streets.”

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Taking over: Florida Marlin closer Antonio Alfonseca, who has more saves than any other major league pitcher, has an attitude.

“I’m always angry in the ninth inning, very angry,” Alfonseca told Dan LeBatard of the Miami Herald. “When the bullpen door opens and lets me out, I’m like a snorting bull . . . you see in the rodeo. This game is over. This game is mine. Nothing is getting in my way.”

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Trivia answer: Jock Hutchison of Pittsburgh, in 1921 at St. Andrews.

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And finally: Rookies in the NBA traditionally carry travel bags for the veterans.

Before the draft, when General Manager Jerry Krause of the Chicago Bulls told the mother of high school phenom Darius Miles what might be expected of him, she snapped, “My son doesn’t carry bags for anyone but himself.”

Maybe that’s why the Clippers got him.