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Remember, it’s the NBA that’s fan-tastic

If you still haven’t forgiven either side in the baseball strike, don’t make any rash decisions without digesting these pearls from your pals labor and management: From the owners, as represented by San Diego Padres honcho Randy Smith: “The eight-month layoff may have been good for the game; the opportunity is there to get the fans interested again.”

And from Phillies infielder Dave Hollins: “We’re going to have to spend a little more time with the fans. Guys can’t be blowing them off like they do a lot.”

Put the pedal-steel to the metal

We risk the wrath of country fans by suggesting the beauty of NASCAR racing is that engine noise drowns out the sport’s music of choice. Or it did until now.

“Runnin’ Wide Open,” an album of country music with fender bent, is now being sold in stores, on TV and at each week’s NASCAR pit stop.

“It’s a natural deal,” said singer T. Graham Brown. “Anyone I know who goes to the races likes country music and vice versa.”

Billy Ray Cyrus sings “The Fastest Horse in a One Horse Town” on this collection. Ricky Van Shelton offers up “Junk Cars.” Rick Trevino even covers Bruce Springsteen’s “Cadillac Ranch” to throw a bone to the rockers.

The idea of linking NASCAR and country music fans had been tried before, but not with much success. Floating around resale bins is an album featuring the singing of drivers Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough. On this one, however, Kyle Petty is the only wannabe - giving a tribute to his father with the Rodney Crowell song “Oh King Richard.”

Brown steered away from songs about racing.

“We’ve listened to a lot of bad racing songs that have been pitched to us over the years,” he said.

Columbia Records predicted the album will go gold (500,000 copies) soon, with the 1 million platinum mark within reach.

Platinum, schlatinum. This baby’s going chrome.

But several voted for Gena Auriemma

Equal time provisions oblige us to note that UConn’s Geno Auriemma won three of the four top coaching awards in women’s basketball. Preventing his grand slam: The award was voted on by his mostly female peers in the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association.

The last word …

“I don’t set my salary. If I did, I would have paid myself more because I’m worth more.”

- NFL Players Association director Gene Upshaw, on his $1.2 million salary