They Said It

? Sugar Ray Leonard, recent victor over Thomas Hearns, enjoying a day in his honor in Washington that included a meeting with President Reagan and the passage of a congressional resolution extolling his pugilistic skills: "If I'd known I would receive something like this, I would have knocked Hearns out a long time ago."

? Garo Yepremian, veteran NFL place-kicker who was given his release last week by the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "They've got transmission problems, but instead of changing the transmission, they change a tire."

?Joe Scannella, who was recently fired as coach of the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes, watching David Overstreet, the team's fumble-prone running back, walking through a hotel lobby with his ubiquitous portable stereo player blaring away: "I wish that thing was shaped like a football."