– Jerry meandering: If Jerry Reinsdorf decides to divest himself of one of his Chicago sports franchises, he leaves little doubt about which team would be easier to operate. Said Reinsdorf: ”Basketball is a piece of cake. There`s nothing to fight about. . . . The (baseball) players think that all the clubs are in such great financial shape. I think it might be a great idea to bankrupt a few teams to show them otherwise, but I`m just worried I might be one of them.” Reinsdorf made his comments on Rick Telander`s
”SportsCheck” show to be aired Thursday on SportsChannel. In an off-camera aside, the White Sox boss indicated he has talked to every player on his team. He said, to a man, they felt the arbitration issue that has stymied talks wasn`t important enough to prolong the lockout.
– TV capers: You definitely need a program to keep this week`s TV tournament programming straight. Even if you do know the breakdown, you may have questions:
– Why didn`t Channel 9 opt to do the Illinois-Dayton contest? ”We couldn`t even consider it,” said WGN program director Jim Zerwekh. ”Superstations can`t pick up tournament games because of the ESPN contract.”
– Why didn`t Channel 2 buy any NCAA first-round games because, as a CBS affiliate, it had right of first refusal for those games not done live by ESPN? ”(NCAA Productions) are only selling half the commercial inventory,”
said WBBM program director Karen Miller, meaning the local station gets only 10 ad spots to sell instead of the usual 20. ”That`s a big difference. If you`re a network affiliate, sometimes it`s impossible to break even. That, and we only had two days to sell.”
– What about women`s games? Wednesday`s NCAA games involving De Paul and Northern Illinois on their home floors will be shown later in the evening by SportsChannel on a delay basis. SportsChannel also will carry Northwestern`s Saturday game on Sunday. Said SC representative Kelly Sullivan: ”We`re seizing the moment as best we can, but we`re working around a lot of events. We wanted to show the women`s games Wednesday on a live, double-header basis, but we couldn`t get it worked out.”
– Olympic idea?: NBA players are expected to compete for spots on the U.S. team in future Olympics. Should NHL players go for the gold? Former U.S. coach Herb Brooks calls the idea ”a no-brainer.” He added: ”It would be a quick fix. (The U.S. Hockey Federation) would be walking away from their
developmental responsibilities. It`ll be a travesty.”
– Rising sun I: NBA Commissioner David Stern`s stock continues to rise. In Fortune Magazine`s special 60th anniversary edition, he`s the only sports figure who`s quoted in the ”Today`s Leaders Talk About Tomorrow” cover piece. He makes it pretty clear where his league, which has been developing European markets in the last few years, is looking to do some new business. Said Stern: ”The league is in a joint venture in Japan with C. Itoh & Co., one of the world`s largest trading companies. We`ll develop NBA programming and ultimately play games there.”
– Rising sun II: The LPGA will play its first regular tour event in continental Europe this season, when its World Championship of Golf Tournament will be played just outside Paris. This is a big switch from past tourney sites, which were Atlanta and Cleveland. But you have to wonder if the event isn`t really headed for the Far East. The new title sponsor is URBAN Company, a Japanese firm.
– Big John: Georgetown has launched an interesting postseason honors publicity campaign for guard Mark Tillmon. The cover is a picture of coach John Thompson, with a finger in front of his mouth, saying: ”Shhhhh.” Inside, the media is told: ”Please don`t talk about Georgetown`s best kept secret.” Hey, John, it`s a clever idea but the only secret is why you keep your athletes sheltered from the media during the season.
– Scribbling: Jennifer Capriati, 13, will be on the cover of this week`s Sports Illustrated. Is she the youngest person to appear on an SI cover? Not by a long shot. A 4-year-old Chinese whiz at martial arts was on the cover in 1988, and 14 years ago, almost to the day, 13-year-old tennis star Tracy Austin was an SI cover subject. . . . There`s a flip side to that Aug. 4 invitational $1 million stakes at Arlington International Racecourse featuring Easy Goer and Sunday Silence. If one of the stars doesn`t run, the purse will be $600,000. If neither is in the race, it`ll be worth $250,000. . . . A memorial scholarship fund is being established at the University of Illinois in honor of former Illini football player Darryl Usher, who was killed last month in Phoenix. Dike Eddleman, executive director of the school`s grants-in- aid program for athletes, is organizing the effort. . . . The Women`s Board of the Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities has scheduled a press party for March 29 at Amico`s Grand to announce details of this year`s benefit. Last year, the women`s board raised more than $100,000 at a Sportsman`s Park event.
– And finally: For all you office workers looking for a lunch-time stretch in our summer-like weather, be advised the Chicago Park District is offering muscle conditioning classes at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Daley Bicentennial Plaza, 337 E. Randolph St.
