– Thought for the day: If baseball`s lockout cuts into WGN programming, what are chances the station will team with Bill Wirtz to air Blackhawk games on TV? Answer: According to insiders, slim and none. But don`t rule out the Hawks making appearances somewhere else on free TV during the playoffs this season. There`s still hope NBC, which broadcast the recent NHL All-Star Game, will air Stanley Cup games. If there`s no baseball on rival networks, this option will have to look better and better. Furthermore, NBC is a corporate partner with SportsChannel and SC is a hockey heavy.
– Targets: Blackhawk fans should pencil in March 7 on their calendars. Their heroes play Minnesota that night, but it`s also the date Denis Savard says he`s shooting for as his return date to the lineup after a lengthy recovery from a fractured finger. Said Savard: ”I`ll probably know (Tuesday) when I meet with the doctor. I`d like to get in at least three weeks before the playoffs start.” Savard, with Hawk announcer Pat Foley, was the guest Monday at the weekly Q & A dinner at Red Kerr`s restaurant. Does Savard, only four points away from reaching 1,000 career points, have any opinions about Hawk goaltending? It has been a hot topic while the center has been sidelined. His answer: ”Our goaltending is good from what I`ve seen on TV. You can`t blame the goaltenders. There have been a lot of 2-on-1s, 3-on-1s. If we don`t smarten up a bit on defense, we`re not going anywhere. Defense is going to win it for us. The only exception I`ve ever seen is Edmonton, and that`s only because they had so much talent.”
– Next up: Now that Jose Canseco is on the dotted line, the next big-name player you see signing a contract may be Mitch Williams. The Cub reliever is scheduled to go into arbitration Wednesday in Chicago. If Jim Frey doesn`t sign him before then, Williams will be the first Cub to go the arbitration route since Andre Dawson in 1988.
– Fanning flames: If you`re a fan who`s tired of reading about big salaries, lockouts and stadium issues, Thomas A. Weathers has a deal for you. He`s organizing the National Association of Sports Fans. Weathers, who works for Chemical Personnel Search in Westchester, says the purpose is to give fans representation in issues that affect them. ”This would not be a vigilante group,” he emphasized. There have been other attempts to form organizations that serve as a fans` voice, including the United Sports Fans of America based in Los Angeles. They never have been able to establish real leverage, but perhaps baseball`s current problems have created a better climate for Weathers` attempt. In one month`s time, he says he has close to 15,000 signatures on organizational petitions.
– Vegas patrol: The Buster Douglas-Mike Tyson fight was a bust in America`s betting circles, but you can be sure the rematch will be big. ”Douglas did us a tremendous favor,” said Lou D`Amico, who runs Caesars Palace sports book in Las Vegas. ”He showed everyone Tyson is not invincible. The second time they fight, it`ll be a great bettor`s fight.” Because there was so little interest in the Tokyo bout, Caesars, like most Las Vegas parlors, took only ”over & under” wagers and made it a 7-5 favorite the bout would go more than three rounds. ”It just didn`t make a lot of sense for us to put it up at 50- or 40-1,” he said. The rematch? ”I`d say Tyson would be favored by about 10-1 or 8-1.”
– More fight: Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali`s former trainer, has an interesting angle to the controversy over Buster Douglas` victory. ”It`s at times like these I hope and pray we get federal control in boxing,” Dundee told Cheryl Raye and Jerry Kuc on their WCBR talk show. ”The worst thing they can do is say this kid is not the champion.” Dundee said the fight`s result had the same impact on boxing as Ali`s upset of Sonny Liston. It also has to rank with Leon Spinks` win over Ali. Spinks, by the way, no longer is working at Ditka`s.
– Scribbling: What`s the real story behind George Perles turning down the Jets job and staying at Michigan State? One account making the rounds in Michigan is this: The Jets actually withdrew their offer to Perles because they weren`t willing to buy out his Spartan contract. . . . New standards: Southern Illinois` Amy Rakers is on target to set school single-season records for scoring and rebounding. She`s a junior from Belleville, Ill. If Pat Bradley wins this week`s Inverrary Classic, she`ll become the first LPGA tourist to reach the $3 million mark in career earnings. She`s at $2,946,446. . . . The Chicago Park District`s McFetridge Sports Center is accepting registration for spring tennis lessons that start March 5 in the facility. . . . The Sporting Club, Chicago`s new, upscale fitness center for the sweat set, has scheduled a preview party for Feb. 22 with proceeds benefiting the George S. Halas-Walter Payton Foundation.
– And finally: Long-hitting Cary Schuman, who`s in the Guinness record book with a 411-yard drive, just completed a unique test of the Chicago-made Pro Select clubs he`s endorsing. Standing at home plate in Comiskey Park, Schuman used a wedge to drive a golf ball over the left-field roof. Sox fans should note he was under the watchful eye of groundskeeper Roger Bossard`s crew, who made sure he replaced his divots.
