Quotable quotes

Veteran center Bob Lanier of basketball's Milwaukee Bucks on utilizing talent: ''If Michelangelo had only dreamed about portraits and never put them down on canvas for other people to relate to, all of his talent would have been for naught. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird - they're beyond their years in finding ways to channel their creative energies.''

Oakland infielder Joe Morgan, a National Leaguer for many years, on the better long-ball conditions in the American League: ''Down the line at Yankee Stadium or Baltimore, in Minnesota, Boston, Detroit, Seattle, they're just shorter than the National League parks. It's just easier to hit home runs in this league.''