THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 24, 1997 TAG: 9701240701
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: 59 lines
Second billing: Sweetpea Whitaker may still be considered by many to be the world's best pound-for-pound pugilist, but Oscar De La Hoya will receive the larger purse if and when they tango this spring at Caesars Palace. ``Oscar is the draw,'' says promoter Bob Arum. ``I'm not arguing who's the better fighter. I'm just saying Whitaker will be well paid, but he'll get appreciably less than Oscar. De La Hoya is the one who sells the pay-per-view.''
Futurewatch: When Old Dominion University builds its on-campus basketball arena, let's hope it's as inviting as the University of Richmond's Robins Center.
Senior leadership: Among Odell Hodge's best qualities is his willingness to take the heat for ODU's basketball losses.
Bailing out: With radio voice Jon Miller working for the San Francisco Giants, Home Team Sports veteran Mel Proctor signing with the San Diego Padres, and Jim Palmer moving into the Yankees broadcast booth, Orioles fans can't tell their announcers without a scorecard.
On the move: Catchers aren't known for being fast on their feet. But new Tides manager Rick Dempsey, who ran a 4:26 mile as a high school sophomore, says he continued to run throughout his baseball career. The road work, he believes, was a major factor in allowing him to play 24 big-league seasons.
Idle thought: Pistons Mr. Do-Everything Grant Hill has reached the next plateau of stardom - being taken for granted.
Hoop du jour: The power ratings used to measure the quality of college basketball conferences have the ACC comfortably ahead of the second-best league, the Big Ten.
Drop off: NCAA midseason statistics for men's basketball show that scoring totals and shooting percentages are down from last year. But more surprising, the ACC is the lowest scoring league in the nation.
Rocket science: Joe Bryant, on teenage son Kobe's NBA adventure with the Lakers: ``When little Albert Einstein was doing his thing, the other kids probably thought he was an oddball. And then later on, they appreciated him for what he was.''
Encore: After taking a year and a half to record his first NBA assist, New Jersey Nets big man Yinka Dare added another assist five days later. No passing fancy, this guy.
Turbulence: The Indiana Pacers believe their recent struggles started when the team began chartering a plane used by the Bob Dole campaign. ``I'm superstitious as hell,'' says coach Larry Brown. ``We're all thinking this is a bad omen.'' It certainly was for Dole.
Remembrance: If not the baseball players, then at least their agents, should wear a black armband in honor of Curt Flood, the father of free agency.
Money matters: It's a sign of the times (insane) and of the public's response to baseball's runaway inflation (the fans are numb), that Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza can sign for $7 million this year ($8 million next season), and nobody even raises an eyebrow.
Neon lights: Hope nobody's lumping in Deion Sanders with his image-poor Cowboys teammates. Last time anybody checked, being a show-off wasn't a crime.
Game within the game: Super Sunday is football's biggest day, but according to Harvey M. of the local chapter of Gamblers Anonymous, Monday will see the biggest call-in throughout the country from distressed gamblers and their families.