THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 30, 1995 TAG: 9506300606
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
Friendly foes: At Wimbledon, NBC commentator John McEnroe is bemused by the notion of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi making commercials together and speaking so highly of the other's game. ``This good-buddy stuff is not too good for the rivalry,'' he says.
Passing shot: The wonder of Wimbledon is that it almost makes us forget that grass is an absurd, totally unsuitable surface for tennis the way it is played today.
Net loss: Wimbledon without Martina Navratilova in the singles draw is like strawberries without the cream.
On the fast track: To realize how far Joe Smith has come, keep in mind that two years ago the NBA's No. 1 draft pick was virtually unknown outside Hampton Roads and was considered by Maryland to be its second-best recruit behind Keith Booth.
Wondering: Now that the Bullets have drafted immature Rasheed Wallace to play next to beltway baby Chris Webber, the question is, who gets the pacifier?
Factoid: Last Sunday's scoreless soccer tie between Colombia and the United States drew a higher TV rating than the NASCAR race.
Mail call: Virginia Beach reader Dallas Stamper, weary from the mere mention of the made-for-ESPN Extreme Games, suggests a competition for the older set called the ``Extremely Tired Games.''
Name game: Some of us won't have to change our habits if Al Davis moves his football team. We never stopped saying Oakland Raiders.
Too Cool: Cal Ripken's professionalism is fine, but what the Orioles need almost as much as better pitching is a little fire in the clubhouse.
Wishful thinking: It won't happen, of course, but after he reaches the 3,000-hit mark, the media should give Eddie Murray what he has given fans over the years - the silent treatment.
Flashback: Every year about this time, it is good to recall the words of Rod Thorn, then general manager of the Chicago Bulls, after he selected Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft: ``Jordan isn't going to turn this franchise around. He's a very good offensive player, but not an overpowering offensive player.'' Something to keep in mind as you listen to analysis of the latest draft.
One for the road: Sue Olsen, the 38-year-old woman who ran the marathon in Duluth, Minn., in four hours while nine months pregnant, just gave birth to a boy. She named him John. Middle name? Miles, of course.
Future watch: The New York Yankees are still the smart choice to win the American League East.
Where he went: Bill Willoughby, who was drafted out of high school in 1975 by the Atlanta Hawks, has enrolled as a 38-year-old freshman at Farleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J.
Warming to the game: Looks as if the fans might be returning to baseball. Over the weekend, the Dodgers, Braves, White Sox and Orioles drew their largest crowds of the season.
Falling franchise: M.L. Carr's primary qualification to coach the Boston Celtics is that he used to wave a white towel from the bench. He'll get plenty of opportunity to do that again next season. by CNB