THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 10, 1995 TAG: 9503100447
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
Eye on the NCAAs: Because the Road to Seattle is paved with Nielsen ratings points, CBS plays a big role in the shaping of the NCAA tournament brackets. Remember that as you note the probable matchups.
A no-brainer: Most people in the business of observing college basketball, at least those without a Tar Heel bias (Sports Illustrated, for example), believe Maryland's Joe Smith is the national player of the year. No one does as much to carry his team.
Knuckleheads: The two writers who didn't vote Smith onto the All-ACC team are named Dumb and Dumber.
In passing: I wonder if Sweetpea Whitaker realizes how much his clowning in the final round of hard-fought victories turns off even some of the people who root for him.
For the money: With every TV appearance, Greg Louganis looks less like a sincere, sensitive victim of AIDS than a slick, cynical promoter of his book. Unfortunately, if he doesn't exploit his condition, he won't have enough money to fight it.
Most deserving: Before youth is served in the NBA (sorry, Shaq), thirty-something Patrick Ewing should be recognized as the season's MVP.
The new graffiti: Spotted recently on a vehicle traveling down I-64 was a license plate reading ``OJdidit.'' One day, Simpson could be making a plate like that.
The more things change: In an attempt to equip his players with an ``Us-vs.-Them'' mentality, Virginia coach Jeff Jones contends that of the four first-place ACC teams, only the Cavaliers have ``something to prove.'' To whom?
By the way: In November, I wrote in this space that U.Va. would reach the Final Four. I can live with that.
Still around: Ralph Sampson's interest in playing in the Continental Basketball Association does not represent a comeback, but another comedown.
In the swing: At 40, Curtis Strange is convincing people on the PGA Tour that he can overcome contentment to win again.
Awful: I could probably learn to hate Devil Rays as a nickname, but first I'd have to make an effort to understand what it means. Along with Mighty Ducks and Raptors, it just proves that all the good names have been taken.
The waiting game: Eighteen years passed from the time the Tampa-St. Pete area was first targeted as an attractive location for major league baseball and the day it landed an expansion franchise.
Introduction needed: Rod Stephens, former Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker, characterizes his new three-year, $4.8 million contract with the Redskins as ``mind-boggling.'' It sure is, especially for those of us who have never heard of him.
Idle thought: Redskins fans flatter their favorite team - and maybe themselves - when they think Alvin Harper made a mistake by signing with the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Eye on the NCAAs: Because the Road to Seattle is paved with Nielsen ratings points, CBS plays a big role in the shaping of the NCAA tournament brackets. Remember that as you note the probable matchups.
A no-brainer: Most people in the business of observing college basketball, at least those without a Tar Heel bias (Sports Illustrated, for example), believe Maryland's Joe Smith is the national player of the year. No one does as much to carry his team.
Knuckleheads: The two writers who didn't vote Smith onto the All-ACC team are named Dumb and Dumber.
In passing: I wonder if Sweetpea Whitaker realizes how much his clowning in the final round of hard-fought victories turns off even some of the people who root for him.
For the money: With every TV appearance, Greg Louganis looks less like a sincere, sensitive victim of AIDS than a slick, cynical promoter of his book. Unfortunately, if he doesn't exploit his condition, he won't have enough money to fight it.
Most deserving: Before youth is served in the NBA (sorry, Shaq), thirty-something Patrick Ewing should be recognized as the season's MVP.
The new graffiti: Spotted recently on a vehicle traveling down I-64 was a license plate reading ``OJdidit.'' One day, Simpson could be making a plate like that.
The more things change: In an attempt to equip his players with an ``Us-vs.-Them'' mentality, Virginia coach Jeff Jones contends that of the four first-place ACC teams, only the Cavaliers have ``something to prove.'' To whom?
By the way: In November, I wrote in this space that U.Va. would reach the Final Four. I can live with that.
Still around: Ralph Sampson's interest in playing in the Continental Basketball Association does not represent a comeback, but another comedown.
In the swing: At 40, Curtis Strange is convincing people on the PGA Tour that he can overcome contentment to win again.
Awful: I could probably learn to hate Devil Rays as a nickname, but first I'd have to make an effort to understand what it means. Along with Mighty Ducks and Raptors, it just proves that all the good names have been taken.
The waiting game: Eighteen years passed from the time the Tampa-St. Pete area was first targeted as an attractive location for major league baseball and the day it landed an expansion franchise.
Introduction needed: Rod Stephens, former Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker, characterizes his new three-year, $4.8 million contract with the Redskins as ``mind-boggling.'' It sure is, especially for those of us who have never heard of him.
Idle thought: Redskins fans flatter their favorite team - and maybe themselves - when they think Alvin Harper made a mistake by signing with the Tampa Bay Bucs. by CNB