DATE: Friday, April 4, 1997                 TAG: 9704041009
SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Bob Molinaro 

                                            LENGTH:   57 lines

NOWHERE TO GO BUT DOWN FOR ARIZONA NEXT SEASON

Underdogs no more: Should Final Four comet Miles Simon remain with Arizona's championship cast, Lute Olson's Wildcats will discover how much fun it is starting next season ranked No. 1, with nowhere to go but down.

TV timeout: Nielsen ratings for Monday's college basketball finale were the third worst for an NCAA men's championship game, not surprising, perhaps, considering that there are more cacti than TVs in Arizona.

Still No. 1: Eighteen years later, the 1979 duel between Larry Bird's Indiana State and Magic Johnson's Michigan State remains the highest-rated NCAA title game.

Money matters: Baseball's 1994 labor war, supposedly fought by the owners to bring economic sanity to the game, changed nothing. At last report, 49 major leaguers will earn more than $5 million this season.

Baseball barometer: People concerned with the health of the Pastime might be surprised to know that the average attendance for Tuesday's big-league openers was 45,324, up from last year's 37,379.

Add health: It's hard to take seriously stories predicting baseball's demise when, in Baltimore, Oriole Park already is sold out for 35 of 81 games, three million tickets have been bought, and the Birds set a club record with 28,300 season tickets purchased. Does that sound like the game is in trouble?

Futurewatch: Sometime in the 21st century, the powers that be in sports will find a way to artificially illuminate our great golf courses so that major championships can be played in prime time and end a few minutes before midnight on the East Coast.

Shark talk: Greg Norman, on Tiger Woods: ``I feel sorry for Tiger in a lot of ways. I think he doesn't have a life for a 21-year-old.''

Hoop du jour: Women's college basketball will have arrived when the media is as critical of its games, players and coaches as they are of the men's.

Subtle scene: One day at the Final Four in Cincinnati, I'm looking out my hotel window, and what do I see floating down the Ohio River but a barge carrying an inflatable red swoosh. Once again, I'm led to believe that Nike is a greek word for obnoxious.

Taking no chances: After deciding to stay another season at the University of Tennessee, quarterback Peyton Manning took out a $5 million insurance policy with Lloyd's of London.

One statement at a time: Phoenix Sun forward Cedric Ceballos thinks Houston's Charles Barkley wants to play two more seasons: ``He'll need a year to win (an NBA title),'' says Ceballos, ``and a year to brag about it.''

Sticker shock: Washington Bullets' fans accustomed to paying $50 for their tickets are being asked to shell out $75 for the same seats in the new MCI Center, due to open next season. Those are some big moving expenses.

This just in: It's no longer a story when an outstanding junior like Cincinnati's Danny Fortson leaves his college basketball team for the pros, but it's an upset when one stays.

The image thing: Pete Sampras' coach, Paul Annacone, says the world's best tennis player doesn't get the celebrity treatment he deserves, because ``Pete is really just about substance.'' That'll hurt you every time with the MTV crowd.

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