Carnell Lake Turns a Corner on His Fears

Carnell Lake of the Pittsburgh Steelers was a linebacker at UCLA. Now he’s a cornerback after earning Pro Bowl honors as a strong safety.

Lake told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about his worst fears at his new position:

“A lot of things run through your mind when receivers run past you, like, 1) Damn, I messed up; 2) I hope he drops it, and 3) I don’t want to hear any stuff when I come back to the huddle.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NFL record for the longest punt?

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Awakening: Howie Long, the former Los Angeles Raider, said he once benefited from some advice from his wife, Diane:

“She told me I had to cool it because she had no friends. Half my teammates hated me, and the other half avoided me. I didn’t realize what a jerk I was making of myself.”

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Ouch: A joke going around the Big Eight: What are the three major universities in Kansas? Answer: 1. Kansas, at Lawrence; 2. Kansas State, at Manhattan; 3. Nebraska, at Leavenworth.

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Remember him? Two boys, 13 and 14, were arrested and confessed to burglarizing a baseball card store in Pompano Beach, Fla., recently. Items stolen were valued at $45,000, including a $6,000 autographed baseball.

Some things were recovered, but not the baseball the boys had thrown into a dumpster.

The ball was autographed by Babe Ruth.

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Pen stripes? The Chicago Bulls, like five other NBA teams, wear a third uniform--black with red pin stripes.

“It gives us a real kind of jail-yard look,” Coach Phil Jackson said.

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Yawn: Bernie Lincicome of the Chicago Tribune on Notre Dame’s 44-14 rout of Air Force: “ESPN, which was televising the game, was considering switching to ‘Fishing Tips with Charo’ at the half.”

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Unimpressed: Peter Vecsey in the New York Post: “Alonzo Mourning says when Pat Riley talks, ‘You want to hear what he has to say. He has four rings.’ Big deal. So does my answering machine.”

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Rapid transit: Kevin O’Neill, Tennessee basketball coach, on the effectiveness of benching players:

“It’s amazing how quickly a message can travel from the right buttock to the lower base of the brain.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1966, Notre Dame routed USC at the Coliseum, 51-0--the most points scored on the Trojans at the time.

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Looking farther back: On this day in 1953, Bobby Layne and Cloyce Box of the Detroit Lions teamed on a 97-yard touchdown pass play against Green Bay, the third longest in NFL history.

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Trivia answer: Steve O’Neal of the New York Jets, 98 yards against Denver on Sept. 21, 1969.

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Quotebook: New England Patriot kicker Matt Bahr, 39, on his long-range ability: “I’m just trying to kick my age.”