Sports Watch
Why, there's even golf. But, then, enough about Greg Norman's monumental collapse in the Masters.
The NBA began its playoffs with the Chicago Bulls awaiting their coronation.
The Olympic Games in Atlanta started its countdown. All I know about Atlanta is that it's a great city surrounded by Georgia.
And somehow, I just can't envision beach volleyball as an Olympic medal sport. Besides, what beach is in Atlanta?
Then there's Dream Team III. The only good thing about it is that Dennis Rodman won't be representing America. Charles Barkley, though, that Angolan abuser, will be on the U.S. team again.
About the only sensible thing I've read about the Dream Team concept is that USOC President Larry Walker would do away with pros in the Olympics, if he had his way.
He believes the NBA pros - and the league itself - are only in it because it's a marketing tool. The Olympics should be more than a promotional vehicle for pro sports, according to Walker.
Also, if you didn't notice, the National Football League held its draft while the Rainbow men were sweeping Pepperdine
for the right to host the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs this weekend.
THE San Francisco 49ers cornered the Nigerian market by drafting Israel Ifeanyi, a defensive end from Southern Cal, and California wide receiver Iheanyi Uwaezuoke.
The two Nigerians - fellow emigres from the Igbo region of the west African country - are long-time friends. The 49ers also took a pair of identical twins in tight end Sean and linebacker Samuel Manuel of Laney College and New Mexico State, respectively. Sam was No. 254, the final player taken in the draft.
Former Campbell High player Mike Ulufale, who starred at BYU, wanted to be a 49er but was selected by the Dallas Cowboys instead. He was the only Hawaii player chosen in the draft.
The Cowboys also picked Kavika Pittman, a defensive end from McNeese State. Pittman's mother, Betty, explained her son's first name. "It's a Hawaiian name," she said, "It means David in American." Of course, it's Kawika in Hawaiian. But, then, there might be some people mispronouncing the name if it were spelled correctly with a "w."
Was Jimmy Johnson reading a UCLA basketball media guide while prepping for Miami's draft strategy? The Dolphins selected Bruins' running back Karim Abdul Jabber and a defensive back from Notre Dame named Wooden (Shawn).
Seattle chose Reggie Brown and Reggie Green, probably hoping that one of them will be an all-pro like Reggie White.
THEN, there's the incident in which Cleveland's Albert Belle threw a baseball at a Sports Illustrated photographer, inflicting a cut on the camera man's hand.
Nobody's making much of a fuss about it, although the American League is looking into it. Which goes to show that throwing a baseball at someone is no big deal. But don't dare try to throw a ball at a seagull as Dave Winfield once did in Toronto.
Speaking of throwing at people.
UCLA baseball coach Gary Adams ordered his pitcher to throw and deliberately hit an Arizona State batter. He did it to show that the NCAA rules regarding a hit batsman are too lenient. Adams imposed a three-game suspension on himself.
"I know Gary, he's a mild-mannered guy," said UH baseball coach Les Murakami. "There had to be something more. I heard that they've had problems in the Pac-10, especially with Arizona State."
Murakami has never ordered any of his pitchers to throw at a batter.
"We don't need to," he said. "We have a hard time not hitting them. We once led the league in hitting guys and we weren't trying to."