THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 4, 1996 TAG: 9610040725
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Weekly Briefing
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: 55 lines
Conventional wisdom: Whenever major league baseball finds itself with a public relations problem, critics cry that what the sport needs is a commissioner. Think hard, though, and you may recall that the reigns of Bowie Kuhn, Peter Ueberroth and other top executives did not exactly lack for controversy.
Happy to see him: He may be a 19-game winner, but Orioles starter Mike Mussina gives the Indians a lot of hope going into tonight's Game 3; Cleveland lit him up this season.
Keeping watch: If the MVP awards go to anybody but San Diego's Ken Caminiti and Seattle's Alex Rodriguez there's been a mistake.
The flip side: Even Robbie Alomar critics should wonder why umpire John Hirschbeck hasn't been reprimanded for his contribution to the spit spat.
Muscle: In order to accommodate Shaquille O'Neal's growing needs (and ego), the Los Angeles Lakers will reserve two seats on team charter flights for Shaq's bodyguards. In Orlando, he only used one bodyguard.
Ballpark figures: The cozy confines of Camden Yards help Brady Anderson's power stats, but not as much as people think. Only 19 of his 50 regular-season home runs were hit in Oriole Park.
Fall ball: Cal Ripken is hitting and fielding like somebody who has waited a long time to revisit the postseason.
He's back: Green Run's Keith Goganious has resurfaced in the NFL as a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.
Joining the team: More than 15 years after his last-second shot gave Old Dominion an upset victory over No. 1-ranked DePaul, Billy Mann is still scoring points as a sales manager for Norfolk's Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Wondering: How does Dan Dierdorf do it? Keep his job on Monday Night Football, I mean.
Not the retiring kind: Do you suppose that because 43-year-old Chicago Bulls pickup Robert Parish went to Centenary College, somewhere along the line he got the idea he should play until he is a centenarian?
In passing: So I guess by now it has occurred to Tiger Woods that he isn't in line for the PGA players' Mr. Congeniality Award.
Net results: John McEnroe recommends that tennis take 10 percent from the checks of tournament winners and give it to charity. He didn't suggest that the deductions be retroactive for past champions.
Quick hit: I don't trust anything I can't understand, which is why I take all Nielsen ratings with a large grain of salt.
The ice age: Whoever says good things come in threes hasn't seen the Mighty Ducks movies.
Bias: No place I've ever been combines a colder climate with warmer people than Pittsburgh, home of the Stillers.
Dog days: After the Orioles' victory in Game 1, Baltimore manager Davey Johnson's received a congratulatory fax from Marge Schott, his old boss in Cincinnati. The fax had a paw print from Schottzie 02. by CNB