The Blotter

Died
Of cancer, paleontologist, biologist, author, Harvard professor and Yankees fan Stephen Jay Gould. Gould, 60, was renowned for his theories of evolution and statistical deviation, which he used to explain: the declining chances of a big leaguer's hitting .400; the improbability of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak; and why, after being told in 1982 that he had eight months to live due to a rare and incurable form of stomach cancer, he liked his odds.

?Of prostate cancer, former major league pitcher Joe Black, 78, the first African-American to win a World Series game. Black broke in with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952 and was named Rookie of the Year after going 15-4 primarily as a reliever. Manager Charlie Dressen started Black in Game I of the World Series against the Yankees, and Black threw a complete game to win 4-2. Black, who refined a pitch we now know as the slider, went 30-12 in six years.

Proposed
A bill to outlaw use of Native American team names and mascots, in the California Assembly. The legislation would force about 100 public schools, universities and community colleges to drop nicknames such as Apaches, Braves, Chiefs, Indians and Redskins. California would be the first state to pass such a bill.

Forsaken
Leather basketballs, in favor of synthetic ones, at all NCAA championships, partly in response to protests from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. According to PETA, the hide of one cow is needed to make four leather balls. Synthetic balls—which players and coaches prefer for performance reasons-are already used at most major schools.

Ordered
To pull up their pant legs, Yankees Jason Giambi, Rondell White and Enrique Wilson, by baseball's head of discipline, Bob Watson. Those players, following fashion, removed the elastic from their pant cuffs so that they drop down to their cleats, obscuring their socks. Watson warned each player that the Yanks would be fined if the player didn't adjust his uniform.