I’m writing a baseball book called “Chasing Greats” (McFarland Publishing 2011 release) featuring my 20-plus interviews with the oldest living MLB players. I dragged my feet for several months when it came to traveling south to Oxnard to interview the oldest living baseball player. He’s 100 years old and his is name Tony Malinosky. One night my wife said, “You better get down there and interview this guy. If he dies while you’re sitting here, it’ll mess up your book.” (With so many retired players out there, there’s actually only one who’s 100.) She’s right, I thought. So I called Malinosky’s number and made arrangements with his caregiver, Becky, to come down that following Sunday. I drove 12 hours roundtrip to get the interview, and it was a pleasure. Malinosky played only one season for the Brooklyn Dodgers, but he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and one of his college buddies was Richard Nixon. He’s lived an amazing life, and on Oct. 7, he’ll turn 101!

Some amusing things he shared with me:

About his late buddy Richard Nixon: We knew each other while attending Whittier College. Many years later, he insisted that I start calling him Mr. President, but I wasn’t doing that. I called him Dick and he didn’t like it, but that’s just tough, now isn’t it?

About his old friend Tommy Lasorda: He spews out so much B.S., that guy. When he managed the Dodgers, he kept referring to the “big Dodger in the sky.” What a bunch of … He’s talking to grown men this way, not high school kids. They don’t go for that crap. They’re out there for the dough, instead of worrying about the big Dodger in the sky or the little Dodger down below!

His salary in 1935: These players today get more money playing one inning than I made my entire career. Do you know how much the Brooklyn Dodgers paid me back then? Four hundred bucks a month, can you imagine that? We lived on White Castle hamburgers and coffee back then because we were sending our checks home.

About his longevity: How did I do it? It’s simple. It’s called continuous breathing. I’m so tired of that question. What else do you want me to say? It’s a dumb question. All my friends from college, my baseball teammates, and my war buddies are long gone but me. So what do I do about it? I get old, what the hell can I do? Next question.

Do You Know Your Sports Trivia?
I love competing at the Trivia Night Pub Quiz at the Presidio Cafe, held the first and third Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. Here is a sample of some of the sports-related questions that you may encounter during one or more of their trivia nights:
• Who was the first woman to win four consecutive singles titles at the U.S Tennis Open?
• Which is the heavier weight in boxing, bantamweight, cruiserweight or light heavyweight?
• Which country is home to the oldest soccer competition in the world?
• Who became the first father and son to win the NHL’s most valuable player award?
• Who did the Olympic movement (IOC) name as its Athlete of the 20th Century?
• Which two sports use mallets?
• What sport is the most common cause of eye injuries in the U.S.?
• Before 2005, when was the last year the White Sox made the World Series?
• In what year was the first Soccer World Cup held?
• In what country was John McEnroe born?
• With which team did Kurt Warner win a Super Bowl?
• What American boxing great beat Germany’s Max Schmeling in 1938?
• Who was the first non-European to win the Tour de France?
• Which disciplines of the Modern Pentathlon require weapons?

The first two people who e-mail the correct answers for all 14 questions to [email protected] will receive a $25 gift certificate from the Presidio Cafe. It’s not a ton of money, but it sure ain’t trivial! (Answers will appear in next month’s “Sports Corner.”)

Is Everyone in the Marina Playing Fantasy Football?
When I first started playing Fantasy Football it was 1986 and they called it Rotisserie Football. Now it’s the biggest thing in the game since Sunday Night Football and cheese hats. The other day I was at the AT&T store on Union Street when two guys working there started talking about Fantasy Football. “Who do you have playing tonight?” one asked. “I got Favre and Colston,” one announced. “I have Brees and AP,” the other replied. Unless you’ve played FF, you wouldn’t understand what they were saying. Later that same day, I walked into a Marina bar and 10 guys (and two women, how cool is that?) were deep into their fantasy draft. It’s a lot of fun, and it keeps you engaged during the entire season, even if your team gets trounced by the other so-called experts. Good luck to Fantasy Football players everywhere this season. Watch the injury reports and keep your eyes peeled for up-and-coming rookies, because there are surprises every
year and those teams that are on top of it will win big!

Ed Attanasio is an author who loves his wife, two dogs, and just about any sport that’s on TV – except competitive sudoku. He would have been the Segovia of Scrabble, but he couldn’t handle Qs. E-mail: [email protected]