For The Record

APOLOGIZED For implying that coach Mike Martz benched him because
of his religious fervor, Rams quarterback Kurt Warner. The
two-time MVP was demoted after fumbling six times in St. Louis's
season-opening loss. Speaking before the Fellowship of the
Woodlands Baptist church in suburban Houston, Warner, a
born-again Christian, said, "[To] be placed on the bench is what
frustrates me now, but probably the most difficult thing was
insinuations [that] my faith played a part in that.... I actually
had coaches say I was reading the Bible too much and it was
taking away from my play." After Martz said Warner's remarks were
"off-the-wall" and "incomprehensible," the QB apologized, saying
the comments were taken out of context. Said Warner, "My
intentions were to send a positive and uplifting message."

DISCOVERED That William Edward White, who played one game at
first base for the Providence Greys of the National League on
June 21, 1879, may have been the first black man to play major
league baseball. (Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Welday,
who played for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American
Association in 1884 were recognized as the first black major
leaguers--and the last until Jackie Robinson in 1947.) White's
history, which was reported in The Wall Street Journal last
month, was unearthed by Peter Morris of the Society for American
Baseball Research's Biographical Committee. Morris found that
White played for Providence while attending Brown University,
where school records indicate he was the son of A.J. White, a
Milner, Ga., philanthropist and bachelor. Census records show
that a mulatto woman named Hannah White lived first as a slave,
then as a servant in A.J. White's house. The dispositive piece of
evidence, to Morris, was A.J. White's will, in which he left land
to "William Edward White [and his two sisters] ... the children
of my servant Hannah." Says Morris, "There's a lot I'd love to
know. Why did he play only one game? Possibly the team found out
he was black and objected, possibly opponents objected. Possibly
the team didn't want to assume another salary. There are a lot of
intriguing possibilities."

EXAGGERATED Greatly, reports of the death of track and field
official Ken Williamson, 74. Last Friday, Williamson, who was to
be the chief official for the shot put at the Millrose Games,
suffered a heart attack and collapsed as he arrived at Madison
Square Garden. Several newspapers, citing meet officials,
reported that Williamson had died. But Williamson had been
revived with a defibrillator and taken to the hospital, where he
was in critical but stable condition and is expected to fully
recover.

SENT By Xavier (Ohio), about 600 nesting dolls of Romain Sato to
media outlets, hyping the guard's All-America candidacy. Inspired
by wooden Russian matryoshka figures, nesting dolls are emerging
as the new bobblehead. They've been a smash at ballparks, and at
NBA and NHL arenas. Says Xavier SID Tom Eiser of the Sato model,
"He's as cut a player as you'll see, but the doll makes him look
like Humpty-Dumpty."

COLOR PHOTO: RICH KANE/ICON SMI (WARNER) Warner

THREE COLOR PHOTOS: MEL LEVINE (DOLLS)