Baseball Records That Will Be Tough to Break

Dan Dent loves sled rides and thinks inner-city children should, too. So the investment banker is inviting a youth - to be chosen from one of Baltimore's Police Athletic League centers - to join him this winter and experience the thrill of whizzing along on a blanket of snow. But what if the city doesn't get enough of the white stuff? No problem; that's not the venue Dent has in mind anyway. He wants to take his guest, all expenses paid, to Alaska for the 1,150-mile Iditarod race, which he's entering for the first time.

No sexist jokes, please, but the lower house of Congress in Colombia is imposing a strict new dress code, effective immediately: no more miniskirts or jeans on the job. Just to be fair, the jeans ban also applies to men. No word yet on whether the Senate will adopt the code too. Baseball Records That Will Be Tough to Break

Lost in the excitement over eclipsing Roger Maris's 1961 home-run record is the possibility that Mark McGwire also could set another single-season record: most walks. McGwire needed 21 more (prior to Thursday night's game) before Babe Ruth's 1923 mark of 170 would be his as well. Here are other long-standing seasonal marks (for hitters and pitchers) that will survive 1998 and perhaps many more years to come:

Batting Average:
Rogers Hornsby (1924) .424 Hits:
George Sisler (1920) 257 Consecutive-game hits:
Joe DiMaggio (1941) 56 Runs:
Billy Hamilton (1894) 196 Runs batted in:
Hack Wilson (1930) 190 Victories:
Jack Chesbro (1904) 41 Shutouts:
Grover Cleveland Alexander (1916) 16 Strikeouts:
Nolan Ryan (1973) 383 Complete games:
Amos Rusie (1893) 50 Appearances:
Mike Marshall (1974) 106