Cheap Seats
A little Leary
Dennis Rodman’s hairstyle in Chicago was a melange of symbols for AIDS awareness, environmental awareness, gay awareness, and other awarenesses. It looked like one of those kamikaze snow cones you get when you ask the guy to use a little of every flavor.
Bulls coach Phil Jackson loved the ‘do, and said he wanted an autographed photo of it.
Jackson, given to mystical musings and symbolism himself, is a Zen master and author of a book called “Sacred Hoops.” Sometimes Jackson’s speech is so elliptical that he seems keyed to a wavelength shared only by the likes of Timothy Leary, the LSD guru who died last week and for whom Jackson held a moment of silence at a team practice.
“We’re into symbolism a lot around here,” he said.
Another one bites the dust
Mariners third baseman Russ Davis was taking much abuse last Wednesday for his head-first slide into first base a night earlier.
Ken Griffey laid face down on a clubhouse table, threw his arms and legs straight back, lifted his chin and yelled “Look, I’m Russ Davis.” And trainer Rick Griffin dubbed Davis’ effort the worst slide he’d seen since Junior’s first efforts in ‘89.
“The sound he made when he landed was about what I’d expect to hear if you hit a chicken in a car going about 50 miles an hour,” Griffin said. “I thought he’d killed himself.”
Davis was miffed as much by the fact he was safe on an error. “It should have been a hit,” he said. “That error meant the slide hurt as much emotionally as it did physically.”
They can’t bear the sight
The mere sight of the NBA’s biggest man, Washington’s 7-foot-7 Gheorghe Muresan, is enough to frighten some NBA players. Bears don’t like him much, either.
According to Muresan’s interpreter, Greg Ghyka, Muresan recently visited the Washington Zoo. At one exhibit, a bear, terrified at the sight of Muresan’s approach, ran for his cave and hid.
“We tried it a few more times, and every time he showed up, the bear ran to his cave,” Ghyka said.
Sounds like harassment to us
Before the 76ers announced the hiring of Johnny Davis, team spokeswoman Nina McElroy would not confirm the NBA club was planning to announce the hiring at a news conference set for Monday.
“But you’re very hot,” she said.
And you’re not too bad yourself, Nina.
To say nothing of Minnie Homers
The crack staff of the Amateur Athletic Foundation SportsLetter has inspected all the rosters of the Women’s Professional Fastpitch softball league and named four to its all-name team:
Tiff Tootle, Dorsey Steamer, Debbie Doom and Amy Windmiller.
The last word …
“Whoever played the Bulls in the NBA Finals was certain to have the role of a stooge. This is how bad it is. Seattle is only Shemp. Make that Kemp.”
- Bernie Lincicome, Chicago Tribune columnist
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo