– Dee-pressed: If Dee Brown doesn`t end up with an authority-figure complex, it will be a miracle. Two years ago Boston police gave Brown, then a Celtics` rookie, a well-publicized, runaround after mistaking him for an armed robber. In the latest episode this week, Brown was scheduled to take off on a Reebok-sponsored tour of Australia and, 20 minutes before departure time in Boston, wasn`t allowed on the plane. Airline officials said his papers, through no fault of his, weren`t in order. A quick call by Brown to his agent, Chicagoan Steve Zucker, put things in motion. Because it was late in the afternoon, Zucker`s office called the only Australian consulate open in the U.S.-in Los Angeles. Officials in that office told the airline to allow Dee, who, at this point, was threatening to get on an airplane to the Bahamas, to board. Everything still had to be worked out after Dee`s plane landed in LA, but he was given the OK to continue to Australia. ”We haven`t heard anything yet, so I guess no news is good news,” said Zucker associate Nancy Mitchell. – Who`s No.1? Playboy magazine will air its own college football preview special this year for the first time. The show, taped in Florida, will be aired here Saturday on Channel 7. Playboy sports editor Gary Cole picks another tie between Miami and Washington for No. 1. Should we take the magazine`s selections seriously? Don`t forget that Playboy, in predictions by another writer, said the White Sox and Padres would be in this year`s World Series.
– Roots: Without benefit of a big name sporting goods company or PR firm trumpeting the project, Chicago`s Ken Norman is quietly doing his thing to help keep inner-city kids meaningfully occupied this summer. Norman, who played basketball at Illinois before going to the Los Angeles Clippers, has reached into his own pocket to support the Ken Norman Classic currently underway at Touhy-Herbert Park on the West Side. Norman`s around to watch the teams, with players ranging in age from 9 to 17, compete. ”This is where Kenny played as a kid because he grew up just a block away,” said Earl Washington, the Touhy-Herbert supervisor.
– QB IV: Duke Tobin, son of Bears personnel director Bill Tobin, faces an uphill battle at quarterback for Colorado. He`s currently No. 3 behind Kordell Stewart and Vance Joseph. Meanwhile, freshman Coy Detmer, brother of Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer, has checked into Bill McCartney`s program. The Buffaloes are going to a 1-back, 3-receiver system this season. Tobin, a Hersey High product, transferred to Colorado a year ago from Illinois.
– Print that: The Blackhawks are just a beehive of off-season activity. On the heels of news that the club will open a merchandise shop, here`s another bulletin: Goal magazine, official program for NHL games, is being ditched and the club, through marketing-community relations man Tom Finks, is going to locally produce its own program. Finks promises six new pages for each home game, which sounds a lot livelier than the stale Goal. This may be bad news for Blue Line, an independent, irreverent program that has been produced and sold outside the Stadium.
– Real Olympic spirit: The Olympics aren`t over for the year. In fact, a determined group of Chicagoland athletes will assemble later this month in Barcelona for the Paralimpics for disabled athletes. Our city will be well represented with eight persons, all from the four-year old Wirtz Sports Program of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, on the U.S. squad. They are: Thomas Becke, Downers Grove, discus, shot put, and javelin (he`s No. 1 in the U.S.) in addition to goalie on the soccer team; Leonardo Cross, Chicago, weightlifter with a personal record of 335 pounds in the bench press; Tino Fernandez, Brookfield, weightlifter with a PR of 395 pounds in the bench press; Kenneth Johnson, Chicago, Boccia; Linda Mastandrea, Elmhurst, 100 and 400 meter dashes; B.J. Miller, Winnetka, volleyball; Paul Moran, Glenview, volleyball; Kathleen Winter, Chicago, discus, shotput, and javelin.
– Scribbling: Kevin Harlan, voice of the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Timberwolves, has been signed to do Big 10 and other 3 p.m. football games for ESPN. He`ll replace Sean McDonough and be teamed with Craig James. Harlan, brother of Bears PR director Bryan Harlan, will be getting some police escorts to Chiefs games late in the season because of tight scheduling. . . . Ex-Bear QB Bobby Douglass, plus Channel 5`s Bob Sirott and WCKG-FM`s Patti Haze, will be among the participants Sunday afternoon in a celebrity volleyball contest in Justice. . . . The Fighting Irish Football Encyclopedia is scheduled for release in September. The publisher is Sagamore Inc. in Champaign, Ill. . . . LPGA star Amy Alcott will be at Marshall Field`s State Street stor at lunchtime Monday to promote Lauren perfume and give golf tips.
– And finally: WSCR-AM sports director Ron Gleason said his station plans to offer a spot in the Michael Jordan golf tournament to a listener. The final choice will be made at the No. 3 hole at Kemper Lakes GC, where 25 or so randomly picked entries will shoot at a cardboard picture of Jordan propped up on the green of the par-3 hole. The golfer who comes closest will get the berth-and one thing we know for sure. It won`t be Craig Ehlo. The Cavalier player, despite almost always getting the assignment to guard Sir Michael, hasn`t come close to the Bulls` superstar in years.
