THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 17, 1995 TAG: 9511170355
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Political football: Name-that-team campaigns won't change the fact that if Norfolk pays for renovations to Foreman Field, the city has a right to ask that Our Pirates carry its name.
Class act: The person who gives Our Pirates the most gravity is coach and general manager Forrest Gregg, a dignified presence amid the circus-like atmosphere of the CFL. Vince Lombardi always said that the former Green Bay Packer lineman was the best player he'd ever coached.
Hard landing: Any improvements to Foreman Field should include a new rug to play on. Hampton Boulevard has a more forgiving surface.
Tubular: Dick Vitale gives the phrase ``surround-sound TV'' a whole new meaning.
Hoop du jour: The VMI basketball team plays at North Carolina, N.C. State, Penn State and Virginia Tech this season. Hey, it pays the bills.
For what it's worth: A new kind of parity has come onto the sports scene. On any given Saturday, college football games may be sacked in the TV ratings by taped ice skating shows.
Quick hit: Barry Switzer should be fined for impersonating an NFL coach.
Numbers game: No better evidence exists that the Charlotte Hornets miss Alonzo Mourning than the 23-point, 22-rebound game dropped on the Bugs by the 76ers' erector-set center Shawn Bradley.
Brown-nosers: The efforts of Ohio politicians to prevent the Browns from taking their name to Baltimore does not meet with disapproval in Maryland, where fans would be only too happy to find a new handle for their team.
TV timeout: NBC is less than thrilled that the Browns are leaving the 13th largest TV market for the 23rd, while Houston's move to Nashville would take the Oilers from the 11th-biggest market to the 33rd. By the way, greater Hampton Roads is the 40th largest TV market.
Keeping count: At 23, Virginia Tech's junior quarterback, Jim Druckenmiller, is the same age as two-year NFL veterans - Drew Bledsoe and Heath Shuler.
Flashy import: Jerry Falwell's school, Liberty University, features a 6-foot-10 Nigerian center by the name of Peter Aluma who is creating interest among NBA scouts.
Polling data: Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier is a runner playing a passer's position. This is one reason why I'll be writing the name of Ohio State tailback Eddie George on my Heisman Trophy ballot.
No brainer: Northwestern University is the obvious football story of the 1995 college season; the Wildcats' Gary Barnett is the only choice for coach of the year.
Gridiron gridlock: What's worse, a bowl system that denies fans the opportunity to watch No. 1 play No. 2, or a Big Ten schedule that doesn't include a game between Ohio State and Northwestern?
Crisis afoot: At the New York Marathon, no American man or woman finished in the Top 10.
No backing down: Defending hoop champ UCLA deserves credit for playing Kansas, Maryland, Louisville and Duke, with possible games against Villanova or North Carolina in the Maui Invitational.
Penny wise: With Shaquille O'Neal temporarily sidelined, it opens the way - and the lane - for Anfernee Hardaway to show all he can do with a basketball.
The real big leagues: When baseball went on strike, the federal government sent a mediator to try to solve the labor impasse. Maybe baseball should dispatch a representative to Washington to help with the budget crisis. by CNB