They Said It

? Rick Dudley, of the WHA's Cincinnati Stingers, after his face and Gordie Howe's stick collided: "It made me mad. But what are you going to do? If I fought him and won, I'd look like an idiot for beating up a 47-year-old man. If he'd beaten me, I'd look like more of an idiot for losing."

? Chris Dundee, boxing promoter: "Middle age is when you start for home about the same time you used to start for somewhere else."

? Bob Prince, ABC-TV baseball broadcaster, explaining why he turned down an announcing job with the Padres: "In San Diego you have the Pacific Ocean to the west, Mexico to the south, the desert to the east, and Vin Scully to the north."

? George Foreman, signing for a rematch with Joe Frazier: "One thing I do suffer from is overconfidence. It's something I'm working on."

? Dick Anderson of the Miami Dolphins, on being named president of the NFL Players Association: "I need this like I need another knee operation."