They Said It

? Pete Rozelle, on the proposed federal sports commission: "It simply would not be possible to establish rules which could be applied fairly and reasonably to sports in general. Anyone who tried to deal authoritatively with the particular and individual problems of each sport would have to have the knowledge of the Almighty, the judgment of Solomon and the vision of Joan of Arc. I don't find these qualities available in anybody, not even in Howard Cosell."

? Muhammad Ali, on the importance of his fights: "A fight is good for everybody. I'll be working. You press people will be working. The peanut and popcorn people will be working, and Jerry Quarry will make some money for his family."

?Alexander MacArthur, chairman of the Illinois Racing Board, on banning gimmick bets such as quinellas and trifectas: "We went back to it, and the mice started coming out. I'm not about to play cat-and-mouse again."

? Doyle Alexander, Baltimore Oriole reliever, after pitching for the first time in two weeks: "When I got to the mound, Catcher Johnny Oates reminded me that the lower mask was his and the upper one was the umpire's. It was so long since I'd seen the two together that I was glad he reminded me."