THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 16, 1996 TAG: 9608160738
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: 65 lines
Pixie no-shows: When the Magnificent 7 skipped the Williamsburg Olympic celebration, I'm sure everybody had the same thought - Why go to Busch Gardens if you're too short to get on the rides?
Who's No. 1? This might seem like a radical idea at Redskin Park, especially to Nervous Norv, but once management decides on a starting quarterback (Heath Shuler, no doubt), they'd best stick with him.
History lesson: The success of American women at the Olympics is the result of Title IX, now 24 years old. Remember this the next time you hear a big-time football coach gripe about too much money going to female sports.
Political football: If Jack Kemp helps Bob Dole capture the race for the White House, it will be the first time a Buffalo Bills quarterback has won the big one. (AFL titles don't count)
Weight watchers: Olympic women gymnasts prove that you are what you don't eat.
Idle thought: The next NBA season can't be as exciting as this off-season has been.
Pagemaster: The Miami Dolphins media guide devotes seven pages to new coach Jimmy Johnson, four to legendary coach Don Shula and 40 to quarterback Dan Marino.
Slam dunk: Miami Dolphins linebacker Chris Singleton, on the contract given to Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning: ``One-hundred-million dollars and he can't even go to his left.'' Go to his left? That'll cost the Heat extra.
For Generation X: It's surprising that, outside the Olympics, track is not a more popular sport in the U.S. The glamor races offer the perfect formula for America's short-attention span audience - 10 or 20 seconds of running followed by five minutes of gloating.
Like clockwork: About halfway through his gold-medal-winning 100-meter sprint, Canada's Donovan Bailey reached a top speed of 29.75 m.p.h.
Double take: U.Va. red-shirt freshman safety Marcus Bullett looks like a high-caliber prospect, even if he does pronounce his name Bull-LET.
Fall-back position: Extolling the talents of punter Will Brice and field-goal specialist Rafael Garcia, U.Va. coach George Welsh says, ``Kicking and defense; I think you can still win that way.'' But he hopes the Cavaliers won't have to.
Be first in line: It's never too early to learn that Cape Town, Africa, is the current favorite from among 11 competing cities for the 2004 Summer Games. You wouldn't want to put off packing until the last minute.
Marathon woman: Guess burnout has never been a problem for Steffi Graf. At only 27, she is a 14-year veteran of the pro tennis tour.
TV timeout: Seeing as how everybody I know said they were glued to the tube for the Olympics, never would have imagined that the percentage of American households tuned to NBC's evening coverage was lower than that for L.A. in '84, Montreal in '76, and Munich in '72. Memo to Dick Ebersol: Guess you just didn't give us enough gymnastics.
Quick hit: There are few people in sports more anonymous than a first base coach.
Mini-review: The new Kevin Costner golf movie, ``Tin Cup,'' is ``Bull Durham'' in polyester. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Kerri Strug is a living example
of you are what you don't eat.
Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning draws some criticism for big
contract. by CNB