They Said It

? Don Smith, Atlanta Falcons defensive end, on the expected return of fellow defensive end Jeff Yeates for a 13th NFL season: "The thing that's kept Jeff around is his longevity."

? Dan Quisenberry, Kansas City Royals relief pitcher, on what the recently inept Royals have to do to win: "Our fielders have to catch a lot of balls—or at least deflect them to someone who can."

?Brent Ziegler, Syracuse fullback, hearing that he was the 265th pick in the NFL draft: "I think they drafted in alphabetical order."

?Bob Henko, Tampa Bay Buccaneer reserve quarterback, lampooning the playboy image of former University of Florida teammate Cris Collinsworth, now with the Cincinnati Bengals: "We call him Don Juan. The girls Don Juan him."

? Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles Kings center, who's still going strong after 13 NHL seasons: "I think I understand why I've been able to maintain my scoring pace while guys like Guy Lafleur have tailed off. I always get an extra two months of rest because we never make the playoffs."

? Bill Russell, discussing onetime Boston Celtics teammate Gene Conley, who also pitched for the Boston Red Sox: "After the season with the Celtics, he said he couldn't pitch for the Red Sox for four weeks because it took him that long to get out of shape."