Asterisk

The two fine mainstream sax men--both Los Angeles-area residents--are spotlighted here in a program recorded live in 1990 at a Portland, Ore., club. The date, which sports pianist Mike Wofford, bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Donald Bailey, sparkles with the spontaneity of unrehearsed, jam-session-style jazz. Both players have sumptuous sounds--Cooper's could be called elegant and is more weighty, while Christlieb's gleams like a shining golden ball held to the light.

Brian Hartline is the all-time leader for the Miami Dolphins when it comes to receiving yards in a single game. He also leads the NFL in receiving yards so far this season. But none of that mattered to the fourth-year player Sunday after his team lost in overtime for the second straight week, 24-21 to the Arizona Cardinals, to drop to 1-3 this season. He called his franchise-record 253 yards receiving on 11 catches "bittersweet. " "If you win the game, it's awesome," Hartline said . "If you don't, it has the asterisk.

When Outstandingly won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes as a 2 year old in 1984, it was necessary to put a large asterisk next to her name. Only the second-fastest horse that day, Outstandingly still picked up the winner's share of the purse after Fran's Valentine, who was first to the wire, was disqualified for staggering a couple of other runners at the head of the stretch.

A quarter-century has passed since Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in a season. The Amazin' Mets, the mustachioed Oakland A's, and the Big Red Machine have all come and gone. We've seen six Presidents, four baseball commissioners and man on the moon. Since that year of triumph for Maris at Yankee Stadium, Tom Seaver has won 304 games, Pete Rose has collected 4,204 hits and three of Maris' teammates have been named to the Hall of Fame.

The TITLE "Holy Sh*t" may seem shocking for a lecture at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. But the follow-up phrase, "Scatology and Longing in the Art of James Ensor," explains what Kevin Salatino, LACMA's curator of prints and drawings, has in mind. In his talk -- 7 p.m. Thursday at the Bing Theater -- Salatino will use his scholarly wit to dissect the Belgian artist's most outrageous images, including "Doctrinal Nourishment."

Mark McGwire didn't just break the single-season record for home runs, he crushed it. Let there be no doubt, no asterisks, no quarrels over the length of the season. At this historic moment in sports, McGwire stands alone in America's spotlight. Simply put, he's the man for all seasons. The St.