THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 30, 1994 TAG: 9409300651
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Toasting good sense: Tar Heel basketball coach Dean Smith, in an interview for North Carolina public television, speaks out against beer commercials during college games. ``It's a shame that the worst problem they have on the campuses now is alcohol consumption. Through the years I've asked the presidents of the ACC to do away with the silly ads that say, `And now, a word from our good friends at Budweiser.' ''
Reversal of fortune: In four weeks, Virginia Tech's Maurice DeShazo has gone from an alleged Heisman Trophy candidate to the third-best quarterback in the state.
Idle thought: A heavyweight championship unification bout between Michael Moorer and Oliver McCall would be shown on Pay-Per-Who?
The devil made him say it: Now that he's taken on the identity of ``Satan'' for Saturday's fight, Sweetpea Whitaker can forget about that guest shot on Pat Robertson's ``The 700 Club.''
Religion and sports: The Notre Dame basketball program has received a verbal commitment from Doug Gottlieb, a highly touted point guard from California, who is Jewish. Next thing you know, the Fighting Irish will be signing Catholics.
Inflation: The current NFL scoring orgies are an example of why you can't compare performances from different eras. Because of rules changes that help the offense, there have been 41 more touchdown passes thrown than last season at this point.
Add offense: At his current pace, New England Patriots sophomore Drew Bledsoe would break Dan Marino's record of 5,084 yards passing for a season by more than 1,000 yards.
Too much of a good thing: With their 38-35 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Miami Dolphins are 6-5 in games in which Marino has passed for more than 400 yards.
Put a lid on it: The sudden infatuation with the salary cap in all professional sports stems from the widespread misconception that the cap saved the NBA. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson saved the NBA.
Cue the violins: Penn State coach Joe Paterno would have us believe that the four lopsided Nittany Lions victories this season have been stressful. ``I'll tell you, they're not easy games to coach,'' he says. ``You get ahead and you don't want to embarrass anybody. But you want to make sure your kids get enough playing time to stay in shape.'' Every coach wishes he had it so tough.
Expanding horizons: Alabama-Birmingham, once a basketball rival of Old Dominion's, has fielded a Division I-AA football team with the idea of jumping to I-A as soon as possible.
Toob talk: Ken Burns' ``Baseball'' would have benefited from more interviews with old-timers and less of the Georges - Plimpton and Will. The Hall of Fame has a collection of recorded interviews with former greats that Burns could have used.
In passing: The characterization of Washington Redskins fans in this week's Sports Illustrated as being ``spoiled and whiny'' is too kind.
The Little Boss: As he goes about trying to select the next manager for the Baltimore Orioles, owner Peter Angelos readily admits that he'll tinker with the lineup if the mood strikes. Davey Johnson is a big enough egotist to believe this wouldn't apply to his team. ILLUSTRATION: Color graphics
by CNB