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Midnight? That’s early for high-rolling Tark

Fresno State revived its old midnight madness practice ritual after a lapse of more than a decade, just so fans could observe new basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian.

At 12:01 a.m. last Sunday, the Tarkanian era began in Fresno, ushered in by chants of “Tark! Tark!” from the 1,500 who paid $3 to sit and yawn in the practice gym.

Tarkanian never conducted a midnight madness practice at Long Beach State or Nevada-Las Vegas.

“I think it’s a gimmick,” Tark said. “You don’t really get anything out of it. Basically, we’ll get very little done in one practice.”

Especially compared to those secret off-season practices Tark is used to spying on.

Is it dizzy in here?

Boomer Esiason is paying the price for not being “normal.” The New York Jets quarterback suffered a concussion two weeks ago on a savage hit by Buffalo defensive end Bruce Smith, and it isn’t known when he’ll be able to return.

“My body is very tired,” the Jets quarterback said. “The doctors tell me my brain is telling my body to slow down. I am able to do normal things, but a football game or practice is not normal.”

As he stood in front of his locker on Wednesday, Esiason had a faraway look in his eyes. He talked slower than normal, although he was coherent. He hadn’t lost his sense of humor, however.

“If I was a reporter, they say it would take 12 weeks (to heal),” he joked. “Since I’m a little brighter than that, they say it will be 2-4 weeks.”

Actually, Boomer, they say you’ll only need 2-4 weeks because you make 50 gadzillion bucks a year, and management can’t take Bubby Brister much longer.

Hot off the presses

Move over, Rare Air. Time to make room on the bookshelf for “Damon - Living a Dream.”

The book, due in stores next month, details the life of Damon Bailey, the current Indiana Pacers bench-warmer and former Indiana high school legend.

As a seventh-grader, Bailey was hyped by Sports Illustrated, and went on to survive four years under Bobby Knight at Indiana University.

Don’t look for Bailey’s book to be kiss-and-tell. With Knight, it was always miss-and-yell.

It had to come from a Holtz

Like father, like son. Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, legendary for downplaying his team’s ability, has obviously influenced his son.

Skip Holtz is off to a 6-0 start at Division I-AA Connecticut and, upholding the family tradition, is acting disconsolate about it. “We could easily lose all of our remaining games,” Skip told the New York Times. “We are a long, long way from being a great football team.”

The last word …

“Football is not country club golf with published handicaps, though if it were, John Thierry would be a 24 all by himself.”

- Bernie Lincicome, Chicago Tribune, on young Bears defensive player

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo