People, places, things.
Erik Kramer. In their eternal quest for a quarterback, have the Bears really gotten a No. 1 or merely overpaid another No. 2? Kramer says Chicago is the best sports town in the country. He’s happy now, but he might be horizontal come September.
Jim Harbaugh. If spirit, attitude and manners counted, he would be All-Pro every year. Harbaugh was booed, criticized and sacked, but he hasn’t complained or pouted yet. He will leave Chicago as he arrived, better equipped to handle life than opposing defenses.
Bonnie Blair. If star-crazed Americans couldn’t pick her out of a police lineup, maybe it’s because she’ll never be in one. All Champaign’s Bonnie Blair does is perform with decency, honesty and excellence. She’s everything the Olympics are supposed to be about but aren’t.
The Boycott. The Black Coaches Association postponed its threatened walkout on college basketball last month. There could be a job action later, around NCAA tournament time. The BCA, with plenty of support from white coaches, wants a greater voice in creating policy. Fine. University presidents have been known to be out of touch. But if you’re running a school, and John Chaney of Temple seeks more control of his program when he can’t control himself, do you listen? Or do you worry about your coach getting in the first punch before he gets that precious 14th scholarship?
Jack McDowell. This is a very bright young man. You don’t go to Stanford to be a sportswriter. McDowell also is extremely competitive. The same hiss and vinegar he vents on White Sox management is what McDowell brings to the mound, every time he gets the ball. When he says the public can’t relate to his distress about having to enter arbitration for a $5.3 million salary, he’s right. The difference with McDowell is that, whatever he makes, he earns. Don’t worry about him.
Michael Jordan. Don’t worry about him, either. Have you watched baseball lately? There are a lot of players in the major leagues who can’t hit a major-league curve. There are a lot of pitchers in the major leagues who can’t throw one. If you have to worry about anybody on the White Sox, worry about Scott Radinsky.
The Bubble. With the Bears throwing around all this money, when do they sign an offer sheet for a new practice facility to replace that monstrosity in Waukegan? I wonder how the Bubble has handled this winter. And you think your roof leaks.
Connie Chung. Can she skate?
United States Olympic Committee. These people might be meek, but they shall inherit the wealth. By opting not to suspend Tonya Harding from that snowball fight in Norway, the USOC both averted a lawsuit and ensured huge TV ratings. CBS paid $295 million for this year’s Winter Games and $375 million for the 1998 version in Nagano, Japan. If half the United States watches Friday night’s women’s figure-skating finale, what will the Games of 2002 be worth? The USOC pulls in 10 percent off the top of whatever the International Olympic Committee reaps from American TV. Thank you, Jeff Gillooly. That will buy a lot of caviar.
Steve Larmer. All last year, he had to listen to all those wise men on the Blackhawks telling him how he didn’t have what it takes. Now, Larmer is one of the most important players on the best team in hockey, the New York Rangers. Maybe it’s the Blackhawks who don’t get it.
CBS. Despite the considerable time difference, the network is doing a creditable job with tape delays of Olympic events. If only CBS also had tried same-day coverage with World Series games that started at night and ended the next morning.
Michael Jordan. On second thought, he’s crazy to reject that boxing offer for baseball. Jordan gets $850 a month for trying to hit Jose DeLeon when he could get $15 million for trying to hit Evander Holyfield.