– P.S.: Did you know a ”Back to the Beach” promotion was planned every day this week in the State of Illinois Building, which was closed by the flood?
Gary Matthews was the scheduled guest Monday, and the ex-Cub still showed up for the event late in the morning-only to be told it had been canceled. Minnie Minoso is scheduled for later this week. The promotion is a benefit for Little City charities.
– In the long run: Maybe the best way to appreciate Lou Carnesecca`s longevity at St. John`s is to consider this: Since he returned to the school in 1973 after a stint with the Nets, New York`s nine professional teams made 78 coaching changes. That`s an average of almost nine changes per franchise. The Yankees (surprise!)led with 19. Here is the breakdown for the coaching changes for the other New York teams during Lou`s run: Rangers 15, Mets nine, Knicks eight, Nets eight, Jets seven, Devils five, Giants five and Islanders two.
– Good timing: Not many reporters made much of it, but maybe one of the best signs to come from the White Sox`s home-opening victory against Seattle was the fact that the contest took only 2 hours 18 minutes. In the entire `91 season in new Comiskey Park, only one game went faster-a 2-hour, 16-minute dash in late August in which the South Siders beat Cleveland to end a slump. That one was a route-going performance by Jack McDowell and, yes, Carlton Fisk was the catcher that day.
– Cart before the horse? Chicagoland`s Phoebe Mills, a bronze medalist in gymnastics in the 1988 Olympics, is getting tons of publicity this week in her quest to become a member of the Olympic diving team at the national championships in Michigan. It has been that way much of the season at the University of Miami, where Mills has been competing as a freshman. That`s nice, but you wonder how that makes Betsy Girvan and Robbi Dalton feel?
They`re the Nos. 1 and 2 women divers at Miami ahead of Mills. Mills has made strides in her new sport, but her first-year clips already overshadow those of the Hurricanes` two-time NCAA champion Dean Panaro.
More Top Picks Carpet Shampooers
– Could be worse: As lousy as our weather has been lately, feel free to assume that Rich Amaral was more than happy to join the Mariners in Chicago this week after Omar Vizquel was placed on the DL. Amaral started the season with Seattle`s Triple-A affiliate in Calgary, where the opening four games were called because of snow.
– Illini fever: Illinois` annual spring football game will not be a part of this weekend`s Spring Sports Festival on the campus, but the remainder of the activities-Lou Boudreau`s number retirement, baseball games, tennis matches, etc.-will stay on the schedule. Also, Champaign`s Bonnie Blair, who repeated as a gold medal winner in the recent Winter Olympics, will be officially welcomed by the community in Centennial High School ceremonies.
– Misery loves company: In its wrapup for spring training in Arizona, the Phoenix Gazette labeled Ryne Sandberg as the biggest disappointment. He shared that honor with Rickey Henderson. However, don`t cancel your subscriptions. Mark Grace was picked for the newspaper`s All-Cactus team.
– On the run: The last vivid image many Chicago sports fans have of Maury Buford is that of the Bears punter scrambling for his life in last season`s playoff loss to Dallas. On June 8, Buford will be scrambling for the lives of others. He`s honorary chairman of a golf benefit for Lutheran General Children`s Medical Center. He`ll have to be on the move because it will be played at Kemper Lakes Golf Club and Midlane Country Club near Waukegan. A $1 million hole-in-one contest is set for Kemper while participants can win a new car with an ace at Midlane. Among teammates scheduled to participate are Kevin Butler, Peter Willis (an excellent golfer, by the way), Tom Waddle, Brad Muster and Jim Thornton.
– Feats of Clay: Think we`re getting a little carried away with sports autographs? You be the judge: The Bulls PA announcer, Ray Clay, is the featured celebrity signer for a sports memorabilia card show this weekend in the O`Hare Ramada.
– Scribbling: Former De Paul sports information director Ray Stallone, who has been working for a Chicago PR firm the past six years, has just joined NBC Sports media relations and is working on the network`s Olympic coverage. . . . Chicago`s Scot DuVal goes to New York Thursday to try to win back the Southern Comfort Great Shooters national mini-basketball title he lost last year. Lakers GM Jerry West will be present as the event`s chairman. . . . Mike Ditka is honorary chairman of the Running With Angels 10K race and two-mile walk May 9 at 9 a.m. at Forest Park in Lake Forest. The event honors the memory of Becky Bell with proceeds benefitting the Ewing`s Sarcoma Research Program for St. Jude`s Hospital.
– And finally: PGA Magazine is a fine publication. However, the subscription department may wish to update the files. It continues to send a copy to the Tribune sports department for George Strickler, who retired as our sports editor in 1969 and died in 1976.