DATE: Friday, October 3, 1997               TAG: 9710030884

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Bob Molinaro 

                                            LENGTH:   54 lines

BEARS, COLTS, FALCONS NECK AND NECK IN PEYTON DERBY

Bottoms up: The most intriguing race in the NFL is the backward sprint to see who finishes first in the Peyton Manning Derby. Chicago, Atlanta and Indianapolis, all winless, are doing the best - and worst - they can.

Kids know best: Virginia Tech safety Keion Carpenter says, ``I believe this program has come to the point where it can play anyone in the country.'' Maybe Carpenter would like to tell this to Frank Beamer. Oh, forgot. The coach is busy getting ready for Miami of Ohio.

TV timeout: John Kruk, the unmade bed and former lefthanded hitter, has begun discussions with Fox for his own sitcom. Kruk always did remind you more of Ralph Cramden than George Brett.

Local heroes: Last Saturday, four Chesapeake football players scored touchdowns in Division I-A games: North Carolina's Dre' Bly (Western Branch) and Deon Dyer (Deep Creek), and West Virginia's Shawn Foreman and Virginia Tech's Lorenzo Ferguson, both of Indian River.

Idle thought: Pete Rose has a better chance of appearing on television as Ellen DeGeneres' boyfriend than he does of being reinstated by baseball.

Wait your turn: Pushy college basketball is showing its impatience again by giving us a game between North Carolina State and Georgia on Nov. 11. This is far too early to unleash Dick Vitale on an unsuspecting public.

Trade winds: From the Timing is Everything Dept. - the SuperSonics took too long in deciding they can do without Sean Kemp. A year or two ago, they could have traded him for Scottie Pippen.

Chilly reception: By purchasing fewer than 4,000 season tickets for the Raleigh/Greensboro/High Point/Burlington Hurricanes of the NHL, the wise folks of North Carolina are showing that good taste does not have to stop at barbecue.

Hiding out: Only one American Ryder Cup player - Davis Love III - returned to America to play this week's Buick Challenge in Georgia. Meanwhile, nine of Europe's 12 Ryder Cup players are competing in the German Open. The Americans are playing a game called ``Ducking the media.''

Dollars and sense: For a change, Curtis Strange might concentrate strictly on golf at the Kingsmill PGA event next week. At No. 134 on the money list, Strange is in danger of finishing the year out of the Top 125 for the first time in his career.

Where he belongs: With point guard Derek Harper coming over to Orlando in the Dennis Scott deal, the Magic will move franchise player Penny Hardaway to shooting guard, where he can attempt his best Michael Jordan impersonation.

In passing: Good news for couch potatoes - Bob Costas is back from sabbatical and doing postseason baseball.

Tubular: It doesn't seem fair. NBC fires Marv Albert but allows Bob Uecker to stick around and mangle its baseball playoff coverage.

Perspective: You'd never know it judging from the overheated media coverage, but the Ryder Cup means very little to American sports fans. Most of us would be content with winning the Ryder saucer.

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