Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, January 30, 1995                   TAG: 9501310023
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BEN BEAGLE
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HOPELESSLY HOOKED ON THE O.J. TRIAL

I think people like that are still working for a living and are just jealous. They probably resent my Social Security check, too.

I've been told that this interest in the Simpson trial is an example of it being possible to take the boy out of Radford but not the Radford out of the boy. I resent that greatly, and I say the trial is better TV than the Big Newton - the new Father of His Country - on C-Span.

I'll admit I sometimes lose it and object to things that are going on in the courtroom and say things like: "If your honor please, the issue now before this court flies into the teeth of and does violence to the Constitution of the United States."

I know that this is a murder trial and very serious business. But there's a lot of show biz going on, and I didn't have anything to do with that. For example, I didn't suggest O.J. show his surgery scars to the jury.

I'm not ashamed to say I'm hooked. I'll tell that to anybody who's in the express-checkout line with me.

There's a lot of good stuff in there.

Tom Brokaw was talking recently about the number of really grisly pictures he has seen in his time and about how many crime scenes he's visited. (He's probably the one in the safari coat, officer.)

Dan Rather - who seems to get sadder-eyed all the time - asked his man in L.A. if the courtroom had changed any since the previous day's session. I personally hadn't noticed any major remodeling.

The point here is that we have these giants of the media stimulating our thinking about things that really matter - about the issues that illuminate our times and shape our future. You don't get that every day, pal.

They have all of these expert lawyers commenting on what is going on, although Tom - having been to all those crime scenes - probably doesn't need their help.

The other day, one of these experts said something about the habits of jurors that I can't repeat here.

Another one said the defense's opening statement had the jurors "riveted to their seats."

I certainly hope the judge didn't hear about that. He's got enough trouble.

I'm here for duration, boys - although the time difference between here and California makes it hard on a Radford boy who want his supper at 6 o'clock.