Coaches' corner.

MUHAMMAD ALI:

"I've seen George Foreman shadow boxing and the shadow won."

TOM BRENNAN, recently retired University of Vermont basketball coach and co-host of the most popular morning drive-time radio show in the state, when asked by his friend and rival, Boston U. coach Dennis Wolff, why he was bawling his eyes out during the America East championship game: "We were up 30. I had nothing else to do."

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PETER SCHMUCK, Baltimore Sun, on the "Turn Back the Clock" promotions: "The NHL is planning one for next year. To commemorate the 2004-05 season, each team will spend one night playing in street clothes."

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GREG COTE, Miami Herald, on Congress' steroids probe that included seven players but not Barry Bonds: "Isn't that like investigating automobiles and not calling General Motors?"

Long-time San Diego Padres announcer and former Yankees second baseman, JERRY COLEMAN, who will receive this year's Ford C. Frick Award honoring baseball broadcasters, has had a penchant for verbal miscues! Here are few of his memorable gaffes: "There's a deep fly ball. Winfield goes back, back ... his head hits the wall ... it's rolling back toward second base." * "Johnny Grubb slides into second with a stand-up double." * "Rich Folkers is throwing up in the bullpen." * "Ozzie Smith just made another play that I've never seen anyone else make before, and I've seen him make it more often than anyone else ever has." * "I've made a couple of mistakes that I'd like to do over."

Boxing promoter DAN DUVA on Mike Tyson hooking up again with promoter Don King: "Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to prison for three years, not Princeton."

ALAN KULWICKI, stock car racer, on racing Saturday nights as opposed to Sunday afternoons: "It's basically the same, just darker."

Former Houston Rockets head coach TOM NISSALKE, when asked, during a question-and-answer session with a group of fans, how he pronounced his name: "Tom."

The Late, Late Show host CRAIG FERGUSON: "Congress is asking baseball players to testify about steroids. They asked President Bush about the steroid problem and he says, 'I just use a little Preparation H.'"

ROD GILBERT, former New York Rangers great: "If hockey fights were fake, you'd see me in more of them."

Former Atlanta Falcons QB STEVE SLOAN: "The sun doesn't shine on the same dog's butt every day but we sure didn't expect a total eclipse."

WALTER HAGEN, golf legend: "They called it golf because all the other four letter words were taken."

CARL "SPIDER" LOCKHART, the late New York Giants defensive back: "The only way to stop Jim Brown was to give him a movie contract."

Former U. of Kentucky basketball star WINSTON BENNETT: "I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body."

ARA PARSEGHIAN, upon running into a dozen of his Notre Dame players coming out of church after early mass: "Gentlemen, have you blessed your coach today?"

JIM FREY, former manager of the Cubs, after the traditionalists complained about the Cubs installing lights in 1988: "They are the same guys who complained when the catcher started wearing masks."

BOB STOOPS: Oklahoma football coach, on how football has affected his family's lifestyle: "My little boy won't go to bed unless we give him a two-minute warning."