They Said It

? Don Zimmer, Red Sox manager, asked why he arrives at Fenway Park as early as 1:30 p.m. for a 7:30 game: "I want to make sure nobody's in my uniform."

? Lee Rose, basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte: "I would like to deny the statement that I think basketball is a matter of life and death. I feel it's much more important than that."

? Bill Lee, Red Sox pitcher who wears No. 37, asked about Detroit Tiger Pitcher Mark Fidrych, who wears No. 20: "We're on a first-number basis. He calls me 3 and I call him 2."