THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 3, 1996 TAG: 9605030680
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Haymaker: Joe Frazier is still going for the knockouts, especially when the target is Muhammad Ali. In his new ghost-written autobiography ``Smokin' Joe,'' Frazier says, ``Now people ask me if I feel bad for him, now that things aren't going so well for him. Nope. I don't. He was so busy being `thee' greatest he couldn't see the snakes that were holding up his pants. Well, all that talk don't amount to much any more. He's a ghost, and I'm still here.''
Rule of thumb: When a college basketball player calls a press conference, it's not to announce that he's changing majors.
Baseball's predicament: The only thing smaller than the major league strike zone is Marge Schott's fan club.
T-rrific season: Although only a rookie, the Washington Bullets' Rasheed Wallace showed that he is capable of leading the league - in technical fouls. The North Carolina dropout finished second to Charles Barkley, 21 to 29, in the contest to see who could be the league's Mr. T. No telling what Wallace could have done, though, had his season not been cut short by injury.
Baby talk: Apparently, the North Carolina ruling that denied Wallace custody of his 8-month-old son was made on the grounds that you must stop acting like an infant before you can raise one.
Monitoring the action: For Saturday's Kentucky Derby party at the Colonial Downs OTB parlor, $10 will get you inside, $5 under the overflow tent. Meanwhile, at Churchill Downs, more than 100,000 railbirds will be cheering on the horses. If 100,000 people were running, how many horses would watch?
Numbers game: On the back of each Texas lottery ticket is an 800 number for a compulsive-gamblers help line. Shouldn't Virginia be offering the same service?
Futurewatch: A few more years of losing sophomores, freshmen and prep stars to the pros and college basketball will find its true audience on ESPN2.
For what it's worth: Before blaming sports for the criminal behavior of some athletes, you must acknowledge that without sports, a lot of these players are in jail 10 years ago.
Ooops: D.C. United of Major League Soccer hurriedly altered its original logo - a black and white eagle standing on a soccer ball - when somebody pointed out that it resembled a symbol used by Nazi Germany.
Slow down: Whatever Billie Jean King's rationale for trying to put an unprepared, unqualified Jennifer Capriati on the Olympic team, it ignores that what drove Capriati into that motel room were pushy people who constantly made exceptions for her.
Idle thought: Former cyclist Carlos Leon, the father of Madonna's child, is believed to be the first personal trainer brought in to increase the size of a woman's waistline.
One-on-one: I'd like to see Lil' Penny, the annoying Anfernee Hardaway puppet, taken down into the low post by the Cookie Monster.
TV timeout: Strange, but true. Two weeks ago, a fight between 47-year-old Larry Holmes and somebody named Quin Navarre created the highest ratings for any boxing event this year on USA Network, with 1,868,000 homes tuning in.
Picket fences: New Indianapolis Colts head coach Lindy Infante bought a house next to quarterback Jim Harbaugh's. ``Now,'' said Infante, ``we can hold our quarterback meetings in the backyard.'' Imagine how much they can get done if they car pool. by CNB