OFFBEAT : MAGIC'S LATEST ACT: MAKE YOUR OWN GUESS.

ESPN SportsZone, the Internet partner of the all-sports cable channel, conducted a poll Tuesday asking cybervoters to reflect on Magic Johnson's latest retirement from the NBA.

The question posed - ``What motivated Magic to return'' midway through the 1995-96 season - drew 4,037 responses that broke down as such:

Ego: 47 percent.

Love of the game: 21 percent.

Bored away from the game: 13 percent.

Thought Lakers could win it all: 9 percent.

Wanted a spot on the Dream Team: 6 percent.

Money and endorsement opportunities: 4 percent.

Don't you think proving to HIV-positive patients that there's life after the illness had something to do with it, too?

A triple-axel if it's triplets? WhatNancy Kerrigan, the figure skater who's now with child, has been approached by several marketers about ``parlaying'' her pregnancy into projects such as exercise videos for expectant mothers, reports the Boston Herald. Her husband/agent, Jerry Solomon, says ``if the right opportunities came along, we may take a look at them.''

It wasn't in English:Yogi Berra said it Thursday when receiving an honorary degree from New Jersey's Montclair State College: ``During the years ahead, when you come to a fork in the road, take it ... Always follow the crowd, because nobody goes there. It's too crowded ... Stay alert. You can observe a lot by watching.''

Woulds would know: Tiger Woods has entered two PGA Tour events this summer as an amateur, but he says reports originating from ABC's Brent Musburger that have him leaving Stanford and turning pro aren't true.

``Consider the source,'' Woods told the San Jose Mercury News. ``I guess Brent Musburger knows everything.''

We love quizes: Bill McEwen of the Fresno Bee writes that when he was in school, keeping track of all that was going on in sports seemed simple. That's because there weren't that many teams. Nowadays, it's impossible to keep up with everything. Free-agent lists collide with draft lists. There are 50 so-called world-champion boxers in 17 weight divisions. The NFL has 30 teams, and baseball will soon have 30, with 29 in the NBA and 26 more in the NHL.

If you want to show off your knowledge of today's sports scene, try this test he's put together (and no fair looking at the answers):

1: Which coach has won the most Stanley Cups?

a. Toe Blake.

b. Toe Jam.

c. Def Jam.

d. Scotty Bowman.

Answer: (a)

2: What was Michael Jordan's minor-league batting average?

Answer: .202.

Five-point bonus: He led Southern League (AA) outfielders in what category in 1994?

Answer: Errors (11).

3: The Fabulous Sports Babe ...

a. Hit 714 home runs.

b. Would have to lose weight to play John Goodman's television wife.

c. Hosts a popular sports-talk show despite knowing nothing about sports.

d. Was named after a candy bar.

Answer: (c)

4: Name any of the events in the Xtreme Games.

Answer: Don't ask me, I don't know any, either.

5: Name all six basketball Barrys ...

Answer: Brent (Clippers), Drew (Georgia Tech), Jon (Warriors), Rick (waiting for an NBA coach's job that will never come), Scooter (cut from CBA in '95) and Dancing Barry (the NBA's most famous self-appointed cheerleader).