For The Record

Set
by Trevor Hoffman, the alltime saves record. The Padres' closer, 38, passed Lee Smith on Sunday when he nailed his 479th save with a perfect ninth inning against the Pirates. Hoffman, a native of Bellflower, Calif., who broke in with the Marlins in 1993, set the mark in his 817th game, 205 fewer than Smith pitched in during his 18-year career. San Diego CEO Sandy Alderson presented Hoffman (above, with catcher Paul Bako) with a golden bell trophy, a reference to Hells Bells, the AC/DC song that blares when Hoffman enters a game at Petco Park. "It's overwhelming," said Hoffman, who helped preserve the Padres' 1 1/2-game lead in the NL West with the win.

Apologized
To USC, Brent Musburger, for revealing the meaning of one of quarterback John David Booty's hand signals during ABC's broadcast of the Trojans' win over Nebraska on Sept. 16. When cameras caught Booty waving his thumb and pinkie in a "hang loose" sign to his receivers, Musburger said, " John David told us that [is] his signal when he finds one-on-one [coverage]." USC sent a formal complaint to ABC and the Pac-10, saying Musburger had divulged information that was given to him for background purposes only. "We're sorry this led to an unfortunate misunderstanding, which was never our intention," said an ABC spokesman.

Robbed
During its victory over Southern University in Baton Rouge last Saturday, the North Carolina Central football team. During the game, sneakers, cash, jewelry and equipment were taken from players' stalls in their locker room. (Security has been an issue at Southern. During the home opener a 59-year-old man was fatally shot across the street from A. Mumford Stadium.) As of Monday there were no suspects in the robbery.

Shipped
To a kennel in California, Steelers linebacker Joey Porter's pet pit bull and mastiff after the dogs attacked and killed a miniature horse. The dogs, named Tina and Nemo, got out of the yard at Porter's Pine, Pa., home and entered a corral on a neighbor's farm. Porter, who said the dogs were not raised to be attack animals, was cited for harboring dangerous dogs, failure to confine the dogs and failure to have them licensed. He faces up to $1,000 in fines.

Released
From the hospital, two months after undergoing surgery to remove his stomach, Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh (above), 66. The slugger, who hit 868 homers for the Yomiuri Giants, underwent surgery on July 17 after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was originally released in August but returned when he had trouble digesting his food. "I have come to terms with the fact that I have no stomach, and being able to take food properly has been a lot more difficult than I expected," said Oh.

Granted
By the Pac-10, a leave of absence for the rest of the season, to Gordon Riese, one of the replay officials who worked Oregon's controversial win over Oklahoma on Sept. 16. After officials blew two late-game calls, the Pac-10 handed down one-game suspensions to the seven-man crew of on-field officials as well as to Riese and Roger Judd, a replay assistant. Riese, 64, a retired math teacher who has been a Pac-10 official for 28 years, said he received death threats from irate Sooners fans. "I can't sleep, I can't eat, my blood pressure is skyrocketing," he said. "I feel so bad I missed the call, it's driving me crazy."

Punted
For Northern Colorado in a home loss to Western Illinois last Saturday, Rafael Mendoza, less than two weeks after he was allegedly stabbed in his kicking leg by his backup in an attempt to win the starting job (Scorecard, Sept. 25). Mendoza (right) averaged 39.8 yards on four kicks, including a 58-yarder. Mendoza, who suffered a five-inch-deep wound to his thigh, spent the week practicing punts with Nerf footballs; after pregame warmups he told coach Scott Downing that he felt no pain and was ready to play. "It felt good today," said Mendoza. "I'm glad to be back."

Arrested
For drunken driving early on Monday morning, Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman. Cincinnati's leading tackler as a rookie last season, Thurman is already serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. On Monday, hours after the Bengals beat the Steelers (page 48), a Cincinnati police officer stopped Thurman after seeing his SUV cross a double yellow line. Thurman, who was with two teammates, was brought to a DUI checkpoint, where police say his blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.18, more than twice the legal limit. Thurman, the sixth Bengal arrested in the last year, is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 2.

Died
At age 77, Syd Thrift, whose career as a baseball executive lasted nearly 50 years. A pitcher who never reached the majors, Thrift oversaw the Royals' revolutionary baseball academy in the early '70s, drafted Rickey Henderson in '76 and became Pittsburgh's G.M. in '86 and hired little-known White Sox coach Jim Leyland as the Pirates' manager. "He was the one guy willing to take a shot on a nobody," Leyland said. Leyland led the Pirates to the NLCS three times, but Thrift wasn't around to see it. He clashed with the owners and left for the Yankees' front office in '89. Thrift retired from his last job, as a consultant for the Devil Rays in 2004. He died shortly after undergoing knee-replacement surgery; the cause of death was not known.

Died
At age 80, Mickey Hargitay, whose popularity as a bodybuilder launched his acting career. After Hargitay won the Mr. Universe competition in 1955, Mae West gave him a role in her nightclub act, where he was seen by Jayne Mansfield--who reportedly told her waiter she wanted "a steak and the man on the left." Hargitay and Mansfield (above) married in 1958 and appeared in several movies together, including The Love of Hercules. (Their daughter, Mariska Hargitay, is an Emmy-winning actress on Law & Order: SVU.) Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played Hargitay in 1980's The Jayne Mansfield Story, told the Los Angeles Times that seeing the Hungarian-born Hargitay win the Mr. Universe title was an "inspirational force" in his own career.