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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cheap Seats

Make that 75 Chuck Taylors and 35 Vans

Alan Greenberg of the Hartford Courant reports that Friedman’s Shoes in Atlanta caters to a large clientele of pro athletes and even a boxing promoter. The price is seemingly never too steep.

Bruce Teilhaber, president of Friedman’s, told Greenberg that his biggest sale was the day Don King bought 110 pairs of shoes for $65,000. “Ninety pair for him,” Teilhaber recalled, “and 20 for (Mike) Tyson.”

Teilhaber even accommodates rap star and parttime NBA player Shaquille O’Neal, who wears a size 22 D. The most expensive shoes Friedman’s sells are $1,200 mink-lined alligator boots, a big seller. Greenberg wrote, “but in Shaq’s size, you pay double.”

A little insecure, are we?

Wilt Chamberlain, who played on a 76ers team that won 68 games and a Lakers team that won a record 69, downplays the current Chicago Bulls. In an interview with Stan Hochman of the Philadelphia Daily News, Wilt demanded to know “who’s gonna guard me? Who? Luc Longley? I’ve got a bad hip and a bad knee and I could still go out and score plenty.

“The best team I ever saw was that 1967 Sixers team. There were 10 teams in the league then, and we were going against Boston, the defending champs, 10 or 12 times a year. Now, twothirds of the teams are (weak).

“Jordan is a little older and he walks all the time, but they allow it. He’s not going to come through, dunking the ball, running up against (former 76er) Luke Jackson. He’s going to get slammed to the floor.”

When every day’s a Monday

Los Angeles Daily News sports media critic Tom Hoffarth recently rated his city’s five worst play-by-play announcers. Dodgers broadcaster Rick Monday took second. As Hoffarth put it, “Rain delays with Monday always get me down.”

Hoffarth accorded “horrible mention” to “the poor slob who gets the job doing the L.A. Artists Formerly Known as the Seattle Seahawks,” noting “it’s got to be a no-win situation.”

No business likes snow business

Jeffrey Lange’s life has been “miserable” since he was caught on film throwing a snowball on the field at the Dec. 23 Giants-Chargers game, his lawyer said. “He’s lost his job. He can’t find another one. Nobody wants to get into this fracas,” Robert Ballard Jr. claimed.

Fifteen people were arrested and 175 were ejected from Giants Stadium for throwing snow during the incident, which injured 15 people - including the Chargers equipment manager, who was knocked out.

A photo published in numerous newspapers showed Lange throwing a snowball at the game. About 15 people called to identify Lange, Giants officials said.

Still, Ballard claims Lange is innocent. “He was involved in a friendly snowball fight in the stands,” Ballard said. “He was not involved with throwing snowballs or ice balls on the field.”

The last word …

“Jason Kidd, who has the flair and the game to wake everyone up, gets only 22 minutes as West coach George Karl makes nice with his own player, Gary Payton, which is like replacing Monet with a fingerpainter.”

- Mark Heisler, Los Angeles Times, on the NBA All-Star Game

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo