THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 22, 1995 TAG: 9510220142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
A story about Bills coach Marv Levy, recovering nicely from surgery for prostrate cancer early last week:
The day before a January playoff game a few years ago, the Bills brought in a
g1vine22 Marv Levy, recovering from prostate cancer surgery, knows life isn't a football game.
crew of homeless men to shovel off Rich Stadium after a snowstorm covered the field.
A few hundred yards away, the Bills were practicing in their heated dome. Levy halted the workout and ordered his team to walk over to the stadium.
``I don't want to hear any complaints tomorrow about how cold it is on the field,'' Levy said on the way over. ``You guys are playing in a championship game for big money while these guys work their butts off for the minimum wage to make sure you can play.''
Levy always has been able to differentiate between football and real life. A few years ago, when he was asked if what turned out to be his fourth straight Super Bowl loss was ``a must win,'' Levy replied, ``World War II was a must win.''
SUPER SALES JOB: Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, in Tampa Bay earlier this week to support the Buccaneers' effort to construct a new stadium for the 1998 season, told people on hand if they approve a proposed seat-deposit program that he will recommend that the Super Bowl be played there in January 2000, providing plans for the 65,000-seat, $168 million facility are approved.
Otherwise, apparently, no dice - and a study performed after the Super Bowl in Miami last January estimated the economic impact on the local economy at more than $300 million.
Tampa avoided losing the franchise last winter when Malcolm Glazer purchased the club for $192 million. He committed to operating the team there for a minimum of two years. The financier made it clear, however, that a new stadium was vital to the future of the team. He went a step further in September, pledging to pay half of the cost of building a replacement for Tampa Stadium, which opened in 1967.
Tagliabue said it's important now for the area to get behind a charter seat program that asks fans to make a 10-year commitment to buy season tickets. Deposits range from $190 to $480 for 40,000 regular seats and $950 to $2,450 for 15,000 club seats. A sellout would raise about $30 million that will be refunded if fans retain season tickets throughout the term.
Two Super Bowls (1984, 1991) have been played in the 74,301-seat Tampa Stadium. But ``The Big Sombrero,'' as some people call the oddly-shaped structure, lacks the amenities of modern stadiums competing to host the game.
This season's Super Bowl will be played in Phoenix, followed by stops in New Orleans, San Diego and San Francisco the next three years. The site for the 2000 game will be determined in October 1996.
BODY BY MAC: Bears defensive tackle Jim Flanigan, who is used occasionally as a blocking back a la Refrigerator Perry, has been nicknamed ``The Mainframe.'' Credit Fox analyst Tim Green for coming up with the moniker.
``I think Flanigan is an appliance of the '90s,'' Green said of the 6-foot-2, 280-pound tackle. ``But he's still big as a closet. I said, `What's as big as a closet but more sophisticated? A mainframe computer.' ''
What does Flanigan think of the name? ``It's a coincidence, because I'm so involved in computers,'' said Flanigan, who majored in information systems at Notre Dame. ``It kind of fits.''
NICE GUYS: First, the Raiders did a favor for former teammate Winston Moss, sneaking his wife onto a charter plane Sunday that took Raiders family members from Los Angeles to Oakland for a home game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Then once there, they ran a play designed to sucker Moss, now a Seahawks linebacker. And it worked. Tight end Andrew Glover blocked him, then released to catch a 13-yard touchdown pass from running back Harvey Williams.
GOOD DEEDS: Robert Porcher of the Lions has developed a mentor program in Detroit public schools called Boys Night Out, which offers teenage boys productive activities and positive advice as an alternative to crime and violence. Porcher serves as a spokesman for the Fatherhood can be Child's Play program sponsored by the Michigan Department of Social Service which stresses the importance of being a responsible father. . . . Redskin Brian Mitchell, the league's leading kick and punt returner, will deliver $7,000 worth of Converse football shoes to youngsters at the (D.C.) Metropolitan Boys and Girls Club 11 Tuesday.
BLUE DARTS: Wins over the Rams, Dolphins and 49ers mark the first time the Colts have defeated three teams in a row with winning records since 1964. Until last Sunday, the Colts had not defeated a Super Bowl defending champion since beating the 1973 Dolphins. They have never beaten four winning teams in a row, but get a chance today against the highest-scoring team in the league, the Raiders. . . . Seven of the Vikings' last 16 regular-season games have gone into overtime. They are 3-4 in those games. Coach Dennis Green, a member of the league's competition committee, said he opposes any rule changes to minimize the coin toss. ``It always comes up in discussion, giving both teams a chance to score, but I'm not in favor,'' he said. ``Sudden death brings its own excitement and no one says you don't have a chance to stop 'em.'' . . . Keith Loneker, backup guard for the Rams, has a tattoo of the St. Louis Arch on his lower leg. . . . Colts kicker Cary Blanchard is called ``Mr. B.'' by his teammates. Why? Most of them don't know his name and don't want to bother learning it. Of course, that was before Blanchard won the Colts' last two games with field goals. . . . Scouts say no team is in better shape in the fourth quarter than the expansion Jaguars, who have outscored opponents during the final period 38-20. . . . Things got so bad for the Giants offense last Sunday against Philadelphia that head coach Dan Reeves not only pulled quarterback Dave Brown, he pulled himself. Reeves handed over play-calling responsibilities to offensive coordinator George Henshaw in the final quarter of the 17-14 loss to Philadelphia. . . . Patriots coach Bill Parcells suffered from dehydration after the loss to Kansas City last week that dropped the Pats to 1-5. He skipped his postgame news conference and was given fluids and oranges, but did not need an IV treatment. Parcells, who has had heart problems, did not have chest pain. ``I felt very, very poorly at the end of the game and after the game for a couple of hours,'' he said. ``I'd rather not get into it other than I'm doing OK now and that's what counts.'' MEMO: Compiled from The Virginian-Pilot wire services.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Marv Levy, recovering from prostate cancer surgery, knows life isn't
a football game.
by CNB