– Thin and win? If you`re looking for good signs for the Bears` 1990 season, look no farther than William Perry. Several ex-teammates, plus other camp-followers who have spotted the Fridge, say the big guy is showing results from some diligent off-season conditioning. He`s expected to report to this week`s minicamp close to 310, below the 320-pound figure preferred by Mike Ditka. Perry would have been a natural for one of those Nutra System diets, but he has done this on his own. The media`s annual camp chase of Perry starts Tuesday, when players report for weigh-ins. Regular workouts start Thursday.
– Irish eyes: Notre Dame fans better enjoy speedster Raghib Ismail while they can. NFL sources are saying the Fighting Irish star is a likely candidate to turn pro after his junior season this fall and could be among the top five selections. However, the likely No. 1 overall pick is Miami QB Craig Erickson. (Still wonder why Jeff George decided to come out early?). . . . Speaking of QBs, it`s just possible Tony Rice may end up in the NFL`s new World League being organized by Tex Schramm. He has worked out with Saskatchewan in the Canadian Football League and has another meeting soon with the Roughriders, who have his rights. But Rice, undrafted by the NFL, is seen as an excellent player with box-office appeal to help launch the new league next spring. It also might be an easier way to make a jump to the NFL, which has to be his ultimate goal.
– No hot Rod: Former De Paul star Rod Strickland was the goat in San Antonio`s seventh-game loss to Portland. His ill-advised, no-look pass was turned into a vital six-point swing for the Blazers, but those on the scene said Rod made no excuses for the goof. In fact, Spurs followers say Strickland, who has been unpredictable-at best-in past behavior with the Blue Demons and Knicks, has been almost a Boy Scout for coach Larry Brown in San Antonio. He had played well against Portland in the final game and, despite being at point guard, had averaged fewer than four turnovers per game in the Blazer series.
– A new Day: The Triple Crown races couldn`t be working out better for Arlington International Race Course. Regular Arlington trainer Carl Nafzger was the Kentucky Derby winner with Unbridled, who won his first race here last year. Now, jockey Pat Day, who`s also an Arlington regular, is the Preakness winner aboard Summer Squall. He was back on the scene Sunday with three winners, but he`ll be looking for a mount in the third leg of the Triple because Summer Squall apparently isn`t running the Belmont Stakes.
– Silver lining: Does this spring`s foul weather have Chicago golf course baron Joe Jemsek, who owns numerous layouts in the area, ready to throw in the towel? Said Joe: ”I`ve seen it worse. When I bought Cog Hill in 1951, it rained the first 15 weekends in my first year. It was so bad the previous owner offered to take it back, but I said no. I haven`t regretted it.”
– He`s in: There was no veterans committee needed to make the decision, but John Brunswick will be inducted next summer into the Billiard Congress Hall of Fame. It`s a slightly posthumous honor. Brunswick has been dead nearly 100 years, but 26 others have gone into the hall before him-the man who produced the first table and first popularized the sport in the 19th century. Let`s file this one in the Better Late Than Never Department.
– Scribbling: Mark McCormack`s IMG company is known as a high-powered representative of sports celebrities, but it definitely is diversified. In a recent story, Sports Illustrated points out IMG also reps for violinist Itzhak Perlman, Mayo Clinic, Ringling Bros. circus, Nobel Foundation and helped put together Pope John Paul`s tour of the British Isles in 1982. . . . Mayor Richard Daley is scheduled to talk about a new domed stadium for Chicago and the possibility of a second NFL franchise here on Monday night`s ”Sports Writers on TV” show on SportsChannel. . . . Portage Park was the winner of this year`s Junior Lifeguard championships, sponsored by the Chicago Park District. . . . The fourth game of the Suns-Lakers series in the Western Conference semis was fed to the American Pavilion during this year`s Cannes Film Festival. Not because of Lakers super fan Jack Nicholson, though. He didn`t attend the festival. . . . Phoebe Mills, who gave thought to bypassing her senior year at New Trier High School, will return next fall and is expected to compete on the swimming team as a diver. Phoebe, a 1988 Olympic medal winner in gymnastics, will be taking extra coaching this summer in Florida to improve her chances of making a splash in her second try. Meanwhile, she and sister Jesse Mills were busy last weekend giving separate speeches to youth groups in New York. . . . Former Blackhawk goalie Alain Chevrier and former Northwestern assistant Randy Walker will participate in a University of Miami (Ohio) golf outing June 13 at Oak Brook Hills Resort. Walker`s the new head football coach and Chevrier is an alum.
– And finally: All four NBA semifinalists have former Chicago area high school players on their rosters. Wonder if any other city can make that claim?
