Asterisk

Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent has recommended removing the asterisk from Roger Maris's name in the record books. When Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961, breaking Babe Ruth's record, it was decided to put an asterisk next to the mark because he had played in a few more games than the Babe. By that criterion, there should be asterisks next to hundreds of other records, recognizing the difference in the ball or the turf or the stadium or the weather conditions or a wide variety of variables, not to mention all those other guys who played 162 games instead of 154. You're right, Commissioner, scratch the asterisk.

Take that, Bill Belichick. Don Shula, coach of the only NFL team to have a perfect season, the 17-0 Miami Dolphins of 1972, yesterday complimented the 9-0 New England Patriots. "They've got a real shot at doing it," said Shula, asked if the Pats could finish unbeaten. "They're capable. They make it look easy. " But . . . "The Spygate thing has diminished what they've accomplished," Shula said. "You would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They've got it. " Shula implied that if Belichick's team finishes unbeaten, the achievement will be tainted.

Ball of confusion After a day of back-and-forth statements by its owner, fashion designer Marc Ecko, and the Hall of Fame, Barry Bonds' record 756th home-run ball arrived last night at the shrine in Cooperstown, N.Y., the Associated Press reported. Ecko paid $752,467 for the prize in an online auction in September. He then asked fans to vote in an Internet poll on what he should do with the ball. The winner: Brand it with an asterisk, to reflect the steroid allegations surrounding Bonds, and give it to the Hall.

Terrell Owens warmed up for practice yesterday, then went to see a trainer about his injured ankle. Problem? Nope, quite the opposite. Owens felt so good he wanted the protective tape he'd been wearing cut off. Then he ran to join his teammates who were lined up to stretch, slapping hands and practically doing a victory lap on his way to his spot, complete with waving his right index finger. "I'm good," Owens said later, at his locker. "See you Sunday. " The Cowboys' official report listed his participation in practice as limited and his game status as questionable.

Crowding the plate Inspired by the availability of Kandy Kakes at the ballpark here this season, High & Inside put down a Schmitter long enough to take a look at new National League menus. Here is some of the fare being pitched: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Bacon-wrapped BBQ Dog and Pulled-Pork Potato Skins: A grand slam of fat, cholesterol, and calories smothered in barbecue sauce. What's not to like? PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pulled Pork and Pierogi Stacker: This pork is piled on a pretzel roll with fried onions and two potato pierogi.

Listed prices are retail at selected Pennsylvania State Stores. Wines with an asterisk ( ) must be special-ordered from a State Store. Many of these wines are also available in New Jersey; in general, these wines are a few dollars less per bottle in New Jersey. France 2004 Leon Beyer Pinot Noir d'Alsace, $19.99 2005 Clos de la Lysardière Chinon, $10.49 2005 Domaine Crochet Sancerre Rouge, $21.99 Louis Jadot Fleurie Beaujolais, $16.99 Barton & Guestier Beaujolais, $9.99 Italy Marchesi di Barolo Dolcetto D'Alba, $14.99 Bertani Valpolicella Valpantena Secco, $14.99 California Fetzer Valley Oaks California Zinfandel, $9.99 Oregon Elk Cove Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir, $23.99 Spain Torres Sangre de Toro, $8.99 Australia Hardy's Sparkling Shiraz NV, $19.99 2005 Ulithorne "Flamma" Sparkling Shiraz, $22.99 New Zealand 2006 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir, $21.29 2005 Oyster Bay Merlot, $13.19 South Africa 2005 Avondale Estate Pinotage, $9.99 New York Bully Hill Cabernet Franc, $12.99 2002 Hermann J. Wiemer Pinot Noir, $24.79 Dr. Konstantine Frank Fleur de Pinot Noir, $18.69

Hall of Famers are designated with an asterisk ( ) 1. Cy Young 511 2. Walter Johnson 417 3. Pete Alexander 373 3. Christy Mathewson 373 5. Pud Galvin 365 6. Warren Spahn 363 7. Kid Nichols 361 8. Greg Maddux 355 9. Roger Clemens 354 10. Tim Keefe 342 11. Steve Carlton 329 12. John Clarkson 328 13. Eddie Plank 326 14. Nolan Ryan 324 14. Don Sutton 324 16....

Don Shula used softer language yesterday, but stuck by his belief the New England Patriots' success this season is diminished by the spying scandal that prompted stiff punishment from the NFL in September. In an interview with the Associated Press, Shula laughed when asked if the Patriots deserve an asterisk if they finish 19-0. "That's not for me to say," the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach said. "They were penalized, after the first game, wasn't it? They had a No. 1 draft choice taken away, and [coach Bill]

The word has come booming down from the mountaintop, and this is as it shall be: Sunday's strike replacement games, along with the rest of the schedule, will have the full weight and meaning of any regular NFL game. That means if, say, Guido Merkens, the Eagles' starting quarterback Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Veterans Stadium, happens to throw seven touchdown passes in the game, he would grab a share of the NFL record, right there alongside former Eagle Adrian Burk, Sid Luckman, George Blanda and Joe Kapp.

By David Shribman New Hampshire shrugged. The great if often cranky arbitrator of presidential politics told America that its neighbor Mitt Romney was good enough to be the GOP nominee, but maybe not sparkly enough to ignite a Republican romance. The first primary sent the former Massachusetts governor on to the next round as the undisputed front-runner, providing him with momentum, if not passion, as the campaign swings south. He's the man to beat - and there are strong indications that no one in this field can beat him. New Hampshire 2012 will be remembered for two important questions, one political and one philosophical, that emerged from a week of intense campaigning.

OUR OWN RICK Santorum's a hit in the initial test of 2012. What can it mean? Does it mean Pennsylvania's positioned to get its first White House resident since James Buchanan (1857-61), a regular on lists of worst presidents? Uh, no. It means that some lily-white Iowa evangelical farmers think that the problems of the country can be solved by outlawing abortion and gay marriage and bombing Islamic nations. It means that the heretofore-ignored Santorum gets a turn in the Mixmaster of presidential-campaign coverage.

Crowding the plate Inspired by the availability of Kandy Kakes at the ballpark here this season, High & Inside put down a Schmitter long enough to take a look at new National League menus. Here is some of the fare being pitched: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Bacon-wrapped BBQ Dog and Pulled-Pork Potato Skins: A grand slam of fat, cholesterol, and calories smothered in barbecue sauce. What's not to like? PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pulled Pork and Pierogi Stacker: This pork is piled on a pretzel roll with fried onions and two potato pierogi.

Dennis Ginenthal, we hardly knew ye. But we do know this: You're the only perfect head coach in city-leagues football history. Filling in for Barry Strube, who's on administrative leave and hopes to return later this season, Ginenthal coached Olney to victory in its first two games, 20-12 over Martin Luther King and 28-0 over Thomas Edison. He has now retired, leaving the reins to another assistant, David DiEva. When asked to comment on his accomplishment, Ginenthal cracked, "There's gotta be an asterisk next to that.

Hall of Famers are designated with an asterisk ( ) 1. Cy Young 511 2. Walter Johnson 417 3. Pete Alexander 373 3. Christy Mathewson 373 5. Pud Galvin 365 6. Warren Spahn 363 7. Kid Nichols 361 8. Greg Maddux 355 9. Roger Clemens 354 10. Tim Keefe 342 11. Steve Carlton 329 12. John Clarkson 328 13. Eddie Plank 326 14. Nolan Ryan 324 14. Don Sutton 324 16....

Aaron says, 'Add an asterisk' For many years Hank Aaron stayed away from offering an opinion on the bulked-up sluggers who were pursuing his home run record, preferring to say simply that he had been clean throughout a Hall of Fame career. But the man who hit 755 career home runs has offered a compromise solution: Let the so-called steroid sluggers into the Hall of Fame, with an asterisk. "The thing is, do you put these guys in, or do you put an asterisk beside their names and say, 'Hey, they did it, but here's why'?"

Cup a hand to an ear and you swear that, here, huddled in the icy embrace of winter, here, even from a thousand miles away, you can hear the millionaire mercenaries going about their spring rituals with bat and ball. But this time, ah, this time, spring training is different. This time, for only the second time in the last 126 years, the professional baseball team of Philadelphia is preparing to play that most coveted of roles - defending champion. The Fightin's now rule a sport that is enveloped in a spreading stain, one that no amount of scrubbing can eradicate.

Terrell Owens warmed up for practice yesterday, then went to see a trainer about his injured ankle. Problem? Nope, quite the opposite. Owens felt so good he wanted the protective tape he'd been wearing cut off. Then he ran to join his teammates who were lined up to stretch, slapping hands and practically doing a victory lap on his way to his spot, complete with waving his right index finger. "I'm good," Owens said later, at his locker. "See you Sunday. " The Cowboys' official report listed his participation in practice as limited and his game status as questionable.

Don Shula used softer language yesterday, but stuck by his belief the New England Patriots' success this season is diminished by the spying scandal that prompted stiff punishment from the NFL in September. In an interview with the Associated Press, Shula laughed when asked if the Patriots deserve an asterisk if they finish 19-0. "That's not for me to say," the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach said. "They were penalized, after the first game, wasn't it? They had a No. 1 draft choice taken away, and [coach Bill]