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Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Just in case you wanted to know ...

Although Pitt officials bungled their search for a men's basketball coach and ended up giving the job to inexperienced Jamie Dixon in a decision that defied belief, they were brilliant to add Barry Rohrssen and Orlando Antigua to Dixon's staff. Rohrssen, a sensational recruiter, is every bit as responsible as Dixon for the current Pitt players. As for the energetic, enthusiastic Antigua, the players couldn't ask for a better, more positive role model.

Reports have Marquette Coach Tom Crean and Xavier's Thad Matta at the top of Illinois' wish list as a replacement for Bill Self, who left yesterday to go to Kansas. Why couldn't Pitt have talked to those guys?

The Pitt job must not be as good as the Illinois job.

It's sad that Ben Howland couldn't find the time to attend Pitt's basketball banquet last week out of respect to the players he says he loves like family. Roy Williams managed to make Kansas' dinner after he took the North Carolina job.

Speculation has the Steelers taking Florida quarterback Rex Grossman in the first round of the NFL draft Saturday. That seems unlikely. The team won't pay what it would take to sign a first-round quarterback. It also wants a player who can help it win now, not two or three years down the road.

A much more feasible scenario has the Steelers taking Penn State running back Larry Johnson. Unfortunately, that would mean the end of Jerome Bettis, who still has at least one big season remaining.

Johnson is one of four Penn State players expected to go in the first round and one of six who should be drafted. It makes you wonder how the Nittany Lions lost four games last season.

Oh, yeah, I forgot. It was the officials.

You probably will be surprised to know the Chicago White Sox fan who attacked the umpire last week and the Oakland Athletics fan who threw a cell phone at Texas outfielder Carl Everett had been drinking heavily.

Owners and players who complain about fan violence are hypocrites. Nothing would stop the violence as fast as eliminating beer sales at the games. Of course, that would mean less income for the owners and smaller salaries for the players.

It will be a cold day in you-know-where before they stop selling Coors at Coors Field and Miller at Miller Park.

By the way, the fan who assaulted umpire Laz Diaz in Chicago said he was "deeply sorry." We should forgive him after he serves every minute of a two-to-five-year sentence for felony aggravated battery. Not a second sooner.

I believed Lloyd McClendon and Salomon Torres Sunday when they said Torres wasn't throwing at Sammy Sosa. Now if the Pirates hit Barry Bonds this week ...

You won't see a more cowardly act all season than the one that happened Sunday when Arizona pitcher Miguel Batista threw the ball at St. Louis' Tino Martinez as Martinez charged him after a beanball incident.

Maybe Martinez should have taken his bat with him.

Why make the NBA playoffs drag out until June? Can't they just give the title to Kobe and Shaq now?

Gary Payton, Sam Cassell and Jason Caffey of the Milwaukee Bucks had to turn themselves in to authorities after their playoff game in New Jersey Saturday for their role in an April 11 fight outside of a Toronto strip club. Don't you just hate when that happens?

What's really sad is there probably are hundreds of kids in Milwaukee who want to grow up and be just like those three.

Whatever happened to the American Basketball Association team that was supposed to come to Pittsburgh?

Speaking of leagues that have no absolutely chance here, why do we need a World Hockey Association team? Don't we already have a minor-league hockey club?

Does anyone else miss hearing the "Hey" song?

Penguins fans like to blame Craig Patrick for getting so little in the Jaromir Jagr trade, but it's the Washington Capitals officials who wish they could nullify the deal.

The difference between Mario Lemieux and Jagr is that Lemieux always wanted to be the man at playoff time and Jagr merely wants to collect his millions.

Capitals owner Ted Leonsis blamed the referees after his choking-dog team was eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday. I didn't know he was a Penn State grad.