Prime Time Makes No Time To Face Ditka

There’ll be no Prime Time on NBC-TV’s Super Bowl pregame show.

Deion Sanders of the Dallas Cowboys turned down an interview request from the network for a session with former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka because Ditka ticked off Sanders’ mother with comments critical of Sanders.

Sanders said: “Me myself, I can’t sit up and talk bad about you all my life (and) then when a big opportunity arises for your network to make some ratings, I’m going to sit down and forget about that. I don’t buy into that. If you don’t like me, you don’t like me. Don’t like me because you need ratings.”

How does he knows Ditka knocks him?

“I have a mother who has a few different televisions in her fine, beautiful home. My momma lets me know who the player-haters are out there,” he said.

On a conference call Wednesday, Ditka repeated his criticisms of Sanders.

“I haven’t said that much negative about him, but I just can’t justify in my mind anybody playing eight games a year making that kind of money. I’m sitting here looking at a TV and I’ve just seen three commercials with him in it… . Those are three products I won’t buy. Something’s out of whack. You can say anything you want to. You can say I’m a dinosaur, but something’s out of whack when a guy can show up for eight games a year, make more money than anybody on your football team and get all the limelight and publicity.”

O’Donnell receives wake-up call

Neil O’Donnell, having enjoyed a late dinner with Nike officials the previous night, responded slowly to the banging on his door at 6:45 Wednesday morning in Tempe, Ariz.

“Room service, Mr. O’Donnell!” announced a Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort employee. “Your prune juice is here.”

The groggy Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback thought for a moment, decided he hadn’t ordered any prune juice, and sent it back. Fifteen minutes later, there was another knock and more prune juice. At similar intervals, for nearly 90 minutes, the scene was repeated.

“I guess someone figured I was having a problem that prune juice could help,” O’Donnell said.

Switzer rides in style

This is not been a stellar week for Dallas Cowboy coach Barry Switzer, who Wednesday referred to Super Bowl XXX as “the Orange Bowl.”

While traveling to the Cowboys’ first practice Monday, Switzer rode in a team bus while many of the team’s stars rode in $1,000-a-day stretch limousines. Michael Irvin, Erik Williams, Leon Lett and Nate Newton were among those pampered players.

Switzer said he had no idea about the arrangement.

“We were all riding in buses. I didn’t see anybody in limos,” Switzer said. “Who was riding in limos?”

When told about the players, Switzer said, “Jerry Jones is the owner. He took one too. What difference does it make, the mode of transportation they’re using? I rode in a vehicle that cost a lot more than a limo.”

Steelers face investigation

The Steelers could face a fine from the NFL as a result of a mass no-show by more than 20 players for Wednesday’s daily news conference.

“It was a miscommunication internally,” said the league’s communications director Greg Aiello. “It was not a boycott. It apparently wasn’t the players’ fault. But the league is looking into it. It is not a closed matter.”

Valley of the Sun?

Phoenix may be called the Valley of the Sun, but its weather has resembled that of Sun Valley, Idaho. Morning temperatures have been close to freezing with Wednesday’s high in the mid-30s.

For Sunday’s Super Bowl the weather is forecast to be clear with the temperature reaching the low 70s.

End zone

Quarterback Brett Favre, who led Green Bay to the NFC title game this season, picked up another honor when he was named the NFL’s player of the year. … Defensive end Charles Haley, who had back surgery seven weeks ago and has been battling the flu, practiced with Dallas’ first-team defense and was upgraded to probable for the Super Bowl. … Pittsburgh linebacker Kevin Greene flew to Las Vegas Tuesday night to appear in a professional wrestling match with Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.

Minnesota named Foge Fazio as its defensive coordinator, two days after Tony Dungy left to become coach of Tampa Bay. … Miami running back Bernie Paramlee underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in July.

Buffalo wide receiver Russell Copeland appeared in a Hamburg, N.Y., Court on charges that he broke his girlfriend’s nose during a fight.