THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 27, 1995 TAG: 9501270861
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
This year's model: North Carolina's unusual lack of depth has helped correct Dean Smith's tendency to substitute too often.
Cited: Charlotte Hornets center Alonzo Mourning is included on the NBA All-Whine team put together by a pro basketball writer with the help of a few whistle-blowers. Mourning is in good company (Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Clyde Drexler) and bad (Dennis Rodman).
In passing: Those college football all-star games are overrated as vehicles for assessing NFL prospects.
Rolling along: Had we known that Old Dominion would be without center Odell Hodge, nobody would have predicted the Monarchs' 5-0 start in conference play.
Quick hit: The baseball strike has crippled the baseball card and autograph business, proving that some good can come of any bad situation.
Not a banner year: It's getting ugly at Boston Garden, where disappointed Celtics fans have taken to booing Dominique Wilkins.
Plugged in: Maybe some baseball fans will buy the idea of replacement players in the major leagues, but will TV and radio? Unless these money machines go along with the charade, baseball ownership can't make it.
Chair-man Scottie: In addition to illustrating his basic immaturity, Scottie Pippen's public griping and petulant chair-throwing are indications that the Chicago Bulls star isn't psychologically equipped for the burden of leading a team. As good as he is, Pippen will always be known as a great second banana.
Barred from action: The best thing about the O.J. Simpson trial is the sight of so many lawyers serving as TV analysts. The fewer lawyers actually working at law, the safer it is for all Americans.
Super act: Deion Sanders spent a day in Miami trying to convince the media that he's a level-headed, down-to-earth, regular guy. This was before he said he'd never play again for a paltry $1 million a year. Then he drove away in his $240,000 Lamborghini. Just like a regular guy.
Add Prime Time: ``Hell, no, I don't like to tackle,'' Sanders said in Miami. ``They don't pay me to tackle. That's what linebackers are for. I'm here to knock down passes, run back interceptions and dance.''
Victims of success: With defensive coordinator Butch Davis moving on to coach the University of Miami, the Dallas Cowboys may be running out of top-flight assistants to pull Barry Switzer's strings.
Net results: The recent retirement of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert's selection to the Hall of Fame are reminders that women's tennis has dropped off the map.
Idle thought: Anybody who still thinks Pete Sampras is a colorless tennis player should have to be dressed by Andre Agassi's tailor.
About the game: Promoter Bob Arum, on Sunday's Super Bowl between the 49ers and Chargers: ``If I ever made a match like that in boxing, I don't think the commission would allow it.''
All in the family: If Kathie Lee Gifford is lip-synching the National Anthem and Frank Gifford is working the game for TV, that must mean Regis Philbin is handling the coin toss. by CNB