Forget the Marriage Counselor, Spend a Night at the Ballpark

Going to a baseball game could save your marriage, according to a University of Denver psychologist.

“Communication, fun and friendship are among the key elements for a successful relationship, and baseball facilitates all three,” said Howard Markman, director of the school’s Center for Marital and Family Studies.

“It’s a good opportunity to communicate because there’s so much time for talking.”

Markman said his study revealed that cities with major league teams have a divorce rate 23% lower than cities without teams.

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Add study: “Football is basically a male thing,” Markman said. “Baseball appeals much more across gender lines. Many couples had their first date at a baseball game. Baseball is cheaper, seasons are longer, it’s outside during the summer, and it’s these unique features of baseball that make (taking) a partner fun.”

Fun, he said, is the best gauge of a good relationship.

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Trivia time: How fast is the fastest serve in women’s tennis this year?

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Poor sport: Eric Montross of NCAA champion North Carolina wears his hair short, but he isn’t pleased with how it came about.

“My father (Scott) and I had a bet,” Montross said. “He said, ‘You go to the barber and get it cut (short) and I’ll go and get mine cut right after you.’ ”

Montross got his cut first, and his father walked out without getting buzzed.

“It was kind of low,” Montross said.

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All-time preps: The 59th Pomona high school baseball tournament winds up today, which prompted Jim McConnell to choose an all-time tournament team for the Pasadena Star-News:

Mark McGwire, 1b; Jackie Robinson, 2b; Vern Stephens, ss; Eddie Mathews, 3b; Ted Williams, Duke Snider, Ralph Kiner, of; Bob Lemon, p; Del Crandall, c; Cecil Fielder, designated hitter, and Rollie Fingers, relief pitcher.

Quite a bunch of all-stars. Only one minor item: Robinson was a catcher when he played for Muir Tech of Pasadena.

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Remembering Alan: When Rusty Wallace won last Sunday’s Winston Cup race and dedicated it to his close friend Alan Kulwicki, it reminded racing fans of an antifreeze commercial the two made during the late 1980s.

Kulwicki, who was killed in a plane crash Thursday, and Wallace were loading Kulwicki’s car to go on vacation. Kulwicki was piling winter gear on the roof and Wallace was loading summer equipment--including a stuffed shark.

Finally, Wallace turned to Kulwicki and said, “I’ll drive.”

“No,” Kulwicki responded, “I’ll drive. I’ve seen you drive.”

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They keep going: Lee Trevino, after watching Arnie’s Army follow its hero during a practice round last week at the Desert Mountain course north of Phoenix, told Arizona Republic columnist Bob Jacobsen:

“Arnie has more people watching him park the car than we do out on the course.”

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Trivia answer: 110 m.p.h. by Brenda Schultz of the Netherlands.

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Family pride: The day after Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500--stock car racing’s biggest prize--his daughter, Natalee, 4, was asked if she had something to share with her kindergarten class in Conover, N.C. To which Natalee replied, “Yes, I went to Disney World.”

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Quotebook: Great Britain’s Princess Anne, on her thoughts about golf: “I prefer to take the dog out.”