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Job hunting with a Net
Even before Nets coach Butch Beard ticked off his owner by ripping the hired help, he enlisted forward Jayson Williams’ help in setting up a job interview at St. John’s - Williams’ alma mater. That left Williams to explain if he was helping Beard out the door - or did he think the Nets were going to fire Beard?
“Everybody is burying Butch, but I think he has a chance,” Williams said. “He’s like George Burns. Everyone thinks he won’t make it, but he keeps coming back.”
Williams was advised that Burns recently died.
“Oh,” Williams said. “He did?” Yeah, though he lasted longer than the Nets’ playoff hopes.
Must see TV
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, a faceless caricature on NBC’s “Seinfeld” the past two seasons, plays himself in the hit comedy’s season finale.
The “Seinfeld” Steinbrenner, played by an actor seen only from the back, has been a fixture since hiring Seinfeld’s sitcom pal George Costanza (Jason Alexander), who got the job by denouncing Steinbrenner’s management style to his face.
Since then, fans have expected George to be fired any day, but a “Seinfeld” source said, George still has his job by the finale’s end.
Steinbrenner, who taped a TV commercial with Alexander to the All-Star Game, confirmed it: “That George Costanza is a nice guy. Jason Alexander is such a nice guy. It’d be tough to fire him.”
And George only fires the jerks - Yogi Berra, Bob Lemon, Dick Howser …
The puck stops in a memorabilia shop
Burger King Corp. is investigating allegations that several Detroit franchise owners sold commemorative Red Wings hockey pucks to sports memorabilia dealers.
“Our intent was to bring fans closer to the team, particularly for those who can’t afford to see them at Joe Louis Arena,” said spokesman Joe Finley.
But instead of selling the pucks for $3.49 each to diners, some restaurant owners collected personal profits selling them by the set.
“I had three Burger King owners approach me over the phone,” said Demetrious Hloros of the Rated Rookie memorabilia shop. Hloros was able to buy more than 500 pucks for $7 each. He’s now selling them for $12 each or $75 a set.
“This goes back to a few bad apples,” Finley said. “We know there are many who executed this promotion flawlessly.”
The ones who cleared $10 a puck, he must mean.
Looking for a kneejerk reaction
During a Kansas City rally last week, Boston reliever Stan Belinda hit Royals outfielder Tom Goodwin on the left knee, drawing an immediate ejection.
“The guy’s knee is a strike,” Belinda insisted. “If he stands like that, he’s going to get hit all year.”
Royals manager Bob Boone acknowledged that Goodwin “crowds the plate, but I don’t believe any body parts are considered strikes.”
The last word …
“Nick Van Exel claims he can beat Dennis Rodman in a best-of-seven game suspension.”
- Peter Vecsey in the New York Post
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo