It still is over a week away, and requests continue coming in, but already Notre Dame officials say there will be a record number of persons in the media covering the Florida State game. The Irish are setting up an auxiliary press area. Why is this year’s “Game of the Century” bigger than past “Games of the Century” in South Bend? University spokesman John Heisler offers two reasons: Both teams are undefeated late in the season, and the Seminoles regularly are followed by an exceptionally large number of reporters. P.S.: Sportswriter Don Yaeger lives in Tallahassee, Fla., but he hasn’t applied for credentials. Yaeger was author of “Under the Tarnished Dome.”
Fightin’ words? Inside Sports, published in Evanston, has an in-depth interview with Jerry Reinsdorf conducted by editor Vince Aversano. Of particular interest in Chicago should be Reinsdorf’s assessment of our two baseball teams’ followings. Said Jerry: “I don’t believe we compete against the Cubs. Their fans seem to enjoy watching them lose as much as they enjoy watching them win. They are unique, and I think it’s great for Chicago to have a franchise that is that strong. . . . Our fans are more discriminating and more knowledgeable about baseball. They don’t enjoy watching their team lose.”
Kindred spirits 1: Jim Harbaugh has been sacked 16 times in the last two games, and he doesn’t have to turn far to find a soulmate. Lake Forest College senior QB Jim Delisa, whose team plays home games on the field used by the Bears for practice-and who works as an intern in Halas Hall-knows the feeling. Delisa plays his final game Saturday for the Foresters in a record-breaking passing career that’s included strained knee ligaments, separated shoulder, several severely sprained ankles, fractured passing hand, fractured ankle, several concussions and a bruised lung. Sacks? He’s had a few-hundred. Twice his parents have driven him straight from games to a hospital for X-rays. Despite this, in four years he’s missed only the final contest of his freshman year because he was discovered to be playing with two broken bones in the next-to-last contest. Now, that’s tough.
Kindred spirits 2: Senior fullback Frank Baker gets one last crack Saturday to add to his staggering rush yardage total at the University of Chicago. Baker gained 205 last week to become the first player in school history to surpass 4,000 total yards. He has 4,093 for the 4-5 Maroons. Times and conditions have changed, but consider this: Maroon great Jay Berwanger, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1935 when the school still was in the Big 10, ranks fifth on the school’s all-time list at a distant 1,839 yards for three seasons. Berwanger has met Baker, having served as an honorary coach for a U of C game this season.
Jordan watch: Michael Jordan reportedly is considering a big-money offer to play in a celebrity golf tournament in Japan. . . . Insiders say Jordan, now that he’s retired, will want more say-so in decisions formerly made almost exclusively by super agent David Falk. . . . Next up: Look for Sir Michael to play last year’s NCAA women’s player of the year, Texas Tech’s Sheryl Swoopes, in a battle-of-the-sexes matchup for NBC-TV.
Domino theory: Pete Myers may have a more difficult time than meets the eye in winning over Bulls fans as Jordan’s replacement. When he played part of the 1986-87 season for the Bulls, Myers became known as “Pizza Pete.” He got the nickname by missing two free throws at the end of a game that cost Stadium spectators a chance for free pizza through a promotion.
Going to bat: Jim Lefebvre is telling anyone who’ll listen he couldn’t be happier to be back in Oakland as hitting instructor, a job he last held in 1988. Says A’s manager Tony La Russa: “The last time we were together, we scored enough runs to win 109 games. Knowing how competitive Jimmy is, I’ve already told him I expect our offense to score enough to win that many in ’94.” In ’88, Lefebvre also had Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire in their prime.
Around town: Craig Heyward’s weight is a touchy subject these days with the Bears, but, in a conversation the other day, one of the team’s coaches allowed this: Ironhead is the heaviest starter on offense, and that includes linemen. Nevertheless, he’s officially listed at 290. . . .On the same day Corey Williams was cut by the Bulls, he received a cut in practice that required seven stitches. Williams hasn’t made a decision, but he’s being pursued hotly by the CBA team, Oklahoma City, that originally drafted him. . . . Brunswick Corp. Chairman Jack Reichert had this news on the eve of the firm’s annual World tourney in Lake Zurich’s Deer Park Lanes: He’s increasing the overall pot from $225,000 to $250,000, meaning first place just went from $39,000 to $45,000. . . . Fact: Indiana just moved ahead of Northwestern in all-time football winning percentage for Big 10 games. The Hoosiers, a member since 1900, are .3333. NU, in the league since 1896, is .3327.
You figure: Bobby Knight prefers to be called Bob, but the legendary John Wooden, in his 80s, answers his telephone with: “This is Johnny.”
And finally: If you think Blackhawk games get a bit brutal at times, better stay away from the UIC Pavilion Saturday afternoon when the Chicago Police Department plays the Chicago Fire Department in hockey. These guys like to prove who’s the toughest in this annual clash.