They Said It

?Paul Martha, Pittsburgh Maulers president, grieving over the demise of the USFL club after one season: "I'd like to apologize to one person in particular, the man who won the name-the-team contest and got a lifetime pass."

? M.L. Carr, Boston Celtic forward-guard, asked to name the most amazing thing he ever saw teammate Larry Bird do: "Once we went out to eat and he picked up the check."

?Randall (Tex) Cobb, on whether he'd be willing to fight Larry Holmes again after taking a beating from him in 1982: "I don't think his hands could take the abuse."