Party Now, Pay Later

Police in Newport Beach, Calif., are fining former basketball player Dennis Rodman for noisy parties as often as NBA officials once did for rule violations.

It’s gotten so bad that Rodman, who holds the NBA record for most consecutive seasons leading the league in rebounds (7) has earned another distinction: Most police calls to a house (28), almost always because of loud parties, officials say.

Police have tagged Rodman with $2,800 in fines since July 1998.

That pales compared to the NBA.

The league dinged him $193,500 for infractions such as butting a referee ($20,000), publicly insulting Mormons in Utah before the 1997 NBA Finals ($50,000), and several others.

Police are urging prosecutors to charge Rodman with violating the city’s noise ordinance, which could - but probably won’t - lead to jail time. But they’ve been unsuccessful because they can’t find anybody to go on the record with a complaint.

That’s because most of Rodman’s neighbors love him.

Naturally. Rodman gives the parties.

No longer dressed for distress

Bye-bye bibs.

BYU athletic director Val Hale said the white fabric on the front of the Cougars’ dark blue home football uniforms - lampooned by opponents, sports writers and even fans as “bibs” - will be gone for the 2000 season.

BYU adopted the new look last fall, part of a Nike design exclusive to the school. Under an NCAA rule, passed last month, the uniform won’t be allowed.

Next stop, Shangri-la

In an interview with Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times on the success of Phil Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers, former Chicago Bulls reserve John Salley, now primarily a bench player with the Lakers, said of Jackson: “He’s changed big-time. He’s older and wiser. He knows exactly how this thing called winning a championship works. It’s like he has mastered the road to Timbuktu.”

Homers for every occasion

Talk about hitting for the cycle!

Robbie Smart, a catcher for Newport (Ark.) High, hit a solo home run, a two-run homer, a three-run homer and a grand slam in a 27-7 victory over Bald Knob on March 24.

It’s not really a record, but an Arkansas prep official said there is no category for such a feat in the national record book.

The national mark for home runs in one game is six.

The last word …

“Why wait until you’re 27 to retire? No one gives a damn about you when you get that old. People are waiting for the next 14-year-old girl to bring excitement.”

- Richard Williams, father of sidelined tennis star Venus Williams.