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Sunday, August 25, 2002

By Pete Aldrich, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The verdict is in: Billy the Marlin is not guilty. Jurors in South Florida took more than 7 1/2 hours over two days recently to rule in favor of the Florida Marlins' mascot, who -- along with the Marlins' baseball club and Pro Player Stadium -- was accused of negligence at a game two summers ago.

Saul Shechter, 77, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., was injured July 20, 2000, when he was hit in the eye by a T-shirt -- fired through a pressurized gun by Billy.

"Nobody was happy Mr. Shechter got injured -- least of all Billy," John McClure, Billy's attorney, said after the verdict.

The Marlins have twice lost million-dollar lawsuits filed by spectators hit by balls during batting practice. Shechter claimed he sustained permanent eye damage and was seeking about $250,000 in damages.

Said Billy of the verdict: "It's one small step for a fish and one giant leap for mascot-kind."

Go for the gold

Not everyone can be an Olympian.

But who says you can't pose as one?

Tractorul, a second-division Romanian soccer club, has been banned from international competition for one year after posing as Romania's Olympic team in two friendly matches against Egypt.

Tractorul denied the allegations, saying that organizers asked them to play in Romania's colors because the team's jersey's were too similar to Egypt's.

For what it's worth, Tractorul split the two matches.

Wake up the echoes

Knute Rockne III, the grandson of the famed Notre Dame football coach, is a history teacher and assistant coach at Brighton High School in suburban Salt Lake City.

He said there were days when he dreamed of coaching the Fighting Irish.

"As I grew older and the family commitments increased, I knew it would never happen," said Rockne, 50. "It would have made a great story for me to coach at Notre Dame, but that was only a youthful fantasy."

Another round of 'Caddyshack'

Kailin Downs was without a caddie for the second round of the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship earlier this month at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y.

Then Bill Murray showed up.

And Downs had a celebrity on her bag for a day.

"I'm trying to work out and get in shape, anyway," said Murray, a member at Sleepy Hollow.

When the round was over, Murray was asked if he had a future as Downs' caddie.

"That all depends. We'll see what kind of tip I get," he said. "I went through her bag and only found $20, so it doesn't look good for me."

Wanted: More fans for Flashes

Kent State's basketball team, which made an improbable run to the NCAA Elite Eight last season, is doing wonders for the Mid-American Conference.

But the Golden Flashes' football team isn't helping the MAC.

Kent State's average attendance last season was 6,595, the lowest among the 114 schools playing major college football. The school, which has an enrollment of 33,000, needs to average more than 15,000 for the MAC to retain its Division I-A standing.

What's the solution?

"That's easy -- a good team," said Kent State Athletic Director Laing Kennedy.

Perhaps Kennedy didn't notice that the Golden Flashes were 6-5 in 2001 -- their first winning season since 1987.

No luck for UNLV

Chris Riley, who finished third in the PGA Championship, was a sophomore at the University of Nevada Las Vegas when he was asked to host a hotshot recruit whom he knew from the Southern California junior circuit.

The recruit was put up at the Mirage hotel and given red-carpet treatment.

But the recruit, a guy by the name of Tiger Woods, decided to attend Stanford.

Asked what went wrong, Riley said, "My college coach wanted to know that, too."

Bad-boy Broncos

The Denver Broncos paid for their prank.

The team picked up the tab for damages associated with a prank in the players 'dormitory during training camp at the University of Northern Colorado.

Several rookies were awakened by buckets of water, then covered with flour and maple syrup. The rookies retaliated by spraying a fire extinguisher into the room of tight end Shannon Sharpe, the alleged ringleader.

Damage was estimated to be from $1,000 to $3,000.

"Nothing was destroyed, but they made a mess," said Broncos vice president of public relations Jim Saccomano. "It wasn't like when you hear about a rock band destroying a hotel room or something."

Everybody is welcome

Florida A&M football coach Billy Joe is looking to recruit more white players for the predominantly black school.

"I can't wait for the time to come for white kids to be more receptive to [historically black colleges and universities]," Joe said. "I'm trying to recruit them. Some just tell me, 'No thank you, Coach,' and I understand.

"I want more Charlie Allens."

Allen is the team's leading pass receiver -- and white.

Yellow card

Birmingham City midfielder Robbie Savage was found guilty of improper conduct by the English Football Association for his actions before a Premier League game last April.

Savage's offense? He used the referee's toilet.

He was fined $15,350, plus costs at the hearing called to consider the matter.

Next time, just hold it.

He wants the ball

New York Jets rookie wide receiver Kory Bailey reported to training camp with a simple message on his car's vanity license plate:

"THRW2ME."