As The Worm Turns Circus Comes To Chicago And Rodman’s There, Too

Game over. Bulls straggling out of their locker room in the United Center. The circus barging back in.

“Look at this,” said Steve Kerr, pointing to a blond tyke holding his hand. “Look what he’s reading.”

In the tot’s other hand was a copy of Dennis Rodman’s “Bad As I Wanna Be.” Kerr the father smiled.

“Great reading material for a 4-year-old, huh?” said Kerr.

Chicago’s Kerr, now, was saying this a few moments after his comments on Rodman’s appearance the day before - as a drag queen in silver hair, silver lipstick and more makeup than Dolly Parton - at a Loop bookstore. “I thought he was kind of cute,” said Kerr.

Rodman now was leaving the Bulls’ locker room, wearing what seemed to be satin pajama bottoms and a T-shirt that read, “Change The Law - Legalize Same Sex Marriages.” This day’s hair color was beige.

“I’m never going back to my natural color,” said the Worm. “If I do, you know I’m dead.”

Lots of time between games. Forty-eight hours. Lots of time to fill. Plenty of room for a circus. The circus plays on.

Rodman says in his book that he goes out only with white women. Black women reject him. The circus sets up its tent. Can the NBA and its marketing mavens be far behind? Big untapped audience. White women.

Worm Mania is out of control. Every Chicago institution is after crumbs from the Worm. Oprah Winfrey - Chicago’s biggest institution after crooked aldermen - had Rodman on her show. Oprah, of course, homed in on Rodman bedding down with Madonna (in truth, wouldn’t it be more intriguing to do a show on an NBA player who didn’t bed down with Madonna?) The Worm says Madonna wanted him to be the father of her baby. The Worm failed.

Another untouched market for those NBA marketeers to seize Oprah viewers.

A little basketball. The Worm was the Worm Sunday against the Knicks, clanging - and missing - a layup, pulling down more than a few boards and playing good defense.

Charles Oakley gave him a forearm shiver across the throat in the first half and the refs called the foul on Rodman (“How’s that? The guy’s got me by the throat and they blow the whistle on me.”) but the Worm doesn’t throw a wacky. No head-butts. No lip.

“Look at this, look at this,” he said. “The whole time, the whole game, they grab me and I get the foul.”

But no T. “I’m getting used to that,” said the Worm. More to the point is that Michael Jordan won’t put up with any more of the craziness.

The Chicago newspapers have tracked down the news that Jordan won’t allow the Worm to film his TV show in Jordan’s restaurant anymore, after Rodman and pals threw cakes in each other’s faces one week.

“We know where we stand,” said the Worm of Jordan. “We give each other space - but on the court we’re the best of friends.” As long, that is, as the Worm doesn’t drag his circus onto the court with him.

Off the court?

Another untapped market. The Worm went after the gay market, the bisexual market, the drag queen market with Saturday’s performance in the bookstore, driving up in his silver lipstick and leather pants on a big motorcycle, wearing a fuchsia boa and faux black feathers. Rodman says he’s not too sure of his sexuality.

Basketball’s Howard Stern? Aww, said Rodman, “It’s just entertainment.”

Then he tells Oprah he likes wearing women’s clothes and …

The gay market being tapped, the untapped gay market for the NBA marketeers? Nawww, don’t believe a word of it, said teammate John Salley of Rodman’s homosexual hints. “I tell you, Dennis is strictly all-male,” said Salley. “He just did what he always talked about doing - cross-dressing. None of us are worried (about Rodman being gay). I thought he looked great.”

Worm Mania is out of control in Chicago. The circus is just one big freak show and little else.

The Chicago newspapers track down Rodman’s ex-wife on the West Coast. Annie Rodman tells them she’s planning her own book, about his wife-bashing, his cruelty, and she can’t believe the people of Chicago are falling for the freak show.

She told the Chicago Tribune their daughter, Alexis, saw him dressed in drag on TV Saturday and said, “Is that my dad? Daddy looks scary.”

The daughter and the divorce were the cause of Rodman’s freakiness. Tears flowed on Oprah’s show at the mention of Alexis. More tears, for sure, when the Worm reads what his daughter had to say about him.

Sad, all of this. No market there for little girls seeing their daddy dressed in drag. What do they buy?