THERE is no denying that Dennis Rodman is a first-rate rebounder, but if the Chicago Bulls have any guts at all, they'll let this guy go. Ultimatum? Nah,
Jordan made ’umTwo weeks ago, Rodman agreed to a contract laden with incentive clauses, one of which is tied to the number of games the Bulls win this season. Now Rodman says he won't sign. He has even given the Bulls a deadline to sign him. That deadline is tomorrow.
Fine.
It is easy to understand why someone in Rodman's shoes (red pumps -- overstated without being gauche?) would believe that number will be somewhat smaller than what he originally expected. After all, the team's second-best player, Scottie Pippen, is injured and will sit out the first two months of the season.
But if I was in general manager Jerry Krause's shoes (wingtips, I assume), I'd tell Brother Golden Hair to shove off. Rodman is the best rebounder in the league, but he's an offensive (as in when the Bulls have the ball) liability and a serious pain in the rear end.
Michael Jordan and Pippen make this team go and coach Phil Jackson knows how to get the best out of everyone else. Rodman? He needs to remember that without guys like Mike and Scottie -- and before them, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer -- he's just another overdressed tall guy in a loud skirt. And RuPaul has better legs.
Last week in this space a sportswriter committed the cardinal sin of this business -- recreating from memory a sequence of events. Fortunately, a copy editor and our Rainbow beat writer double-checked my somewhat skewed version of history regarding UH's final three plays from scrimmage against BYU four years ago. Sure enough, Hawaii ran the ball twice and passed it once, contrary to my ranting about the team throwing three straight incomplete passes.
Unfortunately, the edited version never made it into print.
It kind of reminds me of the old saying about passing the football -- when you do, three things can happen, and two of them are bad.
I fouled that one up. But one funny thing came of the whole sloppy affair. Alert reader John Monahan sent me a fax the morning after the column ran, detailing Hawaii's ill-fated final drive. He took care to note the type of play and the yards gained on each play.
He also took great pains to point out that he was NOT a Rainbow football fan. In fact, he played football at BYU.
Baseball purists, run for cover. The weather in Cleveland is better suited for football and here's the best part -- the designated hitter is back in play. Thank heaven. Is there anything in baseball more pathetic than watching a mismanaged National League team (refer to the Atlanta Braves here for proof)?
I've heard all the hot air about how the NL is the real league, the one where strategy comes into play, where all nine guys have to play defense, yada yada yada. To this I politely reply, Bobby Sox.
What's the point of having pitchers in the batting order if every time a team gets past the fifth inning and needs some offense it pinch hits for the pitcher? The chances of a pinch hitter getting a hit are barely better than letting the pitcher take his whacks. Let the guy stay in the game if he's pitching well.
Worse, what's the point of letting a pitcher get pummeled just because he is scheduled to bat the following half-inning? Get his butt out of there. It doubles the strategy required.
It's no wonder the World Series was little more than a cure for insomnia Saturday and Sunday, but came alive under American League rules last night.
