– Going pro: Dana Nicholson, a Chicago heavyweight who boxed for the U.S. in the Summer Olympics, is turning pro and will be a part of a card Oct. 14 at the Rosemont Horizon. The announcement will be made this week, when the identity of Nicholson`s opponent also will be learned. Nicholson is managed by former Chicago alderman Ed Vrdolyak, who employs him as a messenger. Nicholson, who spent almost four years in an Illinois correctional facility, was a big hit in Barcelona, where he lost a narrow decision to Cuba`s champion, Felix Savon. Also on the Horizon card will be International Boxing Federation flyweight champion Michael Carbajal and undefeated light-heavyweight Marc Randazzo, a Chicago native who`s trained by Angelo Dundee.
– Black-tie affair: Hard to say whether a labor union`s threat, unrealized, to picket the Hotel Nikko during Michael Jordan`s annual foundation dinner Saturday had an effect. Foundation officials were still compiling final figures Sunday. The threat didn`t dampen enthusiasm, judging from the action in the live auction. A round of golf with Jordan and Fred Couples for a twosome sold for $20,000, which was more than a chance to play one-on-one with the superstar in basketball went for last year. A travel package to visit the Los Angeles sets of sitcom stars Fred Savage, Emma Samms and Jerry Seinfeld went for $4,750. Has the nation`s sour economy hurt the foundation`s fundraising efforts? ”It has been somewhat tough,” said Jordan. More:
– Sir Michael was about 30 minutes late for the press conference, also keeping actor James Earl Jones waiting in the room with the assembled media. Jones, who called himself ”one of the participating vocal cords,” introduced the basketball star. This was the first time the actor, who said he was a bad athlete as a high school youth in Michigan, had met Jordan.
– Jordan drew a big laugh at the press conference when he introduced his mother, Deloris Jordan, by saying: ”She gets windy every now and then.” She wasn`t.
– Knicks star Patrick Ewing drew a lot of attention in the hotel lobby, where he signed autographs. David Falk, his agent as well as Jordan`s, appeared to be surgically attached to Ewing.
– Jordan indicated his recent, annual golf tournament, which featured a different format this year, will be played earlier in 1993. He said he`s interested in attracting more football and hockey players before they go to camp.
– Since the Bulls won the championship, Jordan said he still hasn`t had a vacation ”where nobody`s bothered me.”
– Flashback: Last year, NBC and the NBA turned the Hotel Nikko into a television studio, scheduling the selection of the Olympic team to coincide with the foundation dinner. Magic Johnson was on hand and, of course, it was about a month later when the Lakers` superstar made his startling HIV revelation.
– One more time: Chicago will continue to be a pro basketball center Saturday when the NBA Players Association holds its annual awards dinner at the Hyatt Regency O`Hare. Jordan isn`t expected to attend, but the Bulls will have representation in John Paxson and Bill Cartwright. Cliff Levingston is billed as a Bull in some of the advance hype, but the trade for Rodney McCray killed the ties.
– Coming & going 1: Ex-Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan will be in Chicago Monday to speak at a WSCR-AM luncheon in the Hotel Inter Continental, where he`ll stick around to be a guest later in the afternoon for the station. Ryan is expected to fly home to Kentucky after his gig and not attend the Bears-Giants game that night. He`s fully up to speed on Mike Ditka`s team, however. As a regular Bears analyst for the station, Ryan has a big satellite dish at his horse farm and tapes the games whenever he`s not home.
– Coming & going 2: No sooner does Ryan leave town than another popular ex-Chicago figure checks in: Tony LaRussa. In addition to his A`s playing in Comiskey Park, the ex-Sox skipper will be a luncheon guest Wednesday of the ChiSox Club in the Midland Hotel. LaRussa almost never fails to make a headline or three at these functions. Emcee will be Sox announcer John Rooney. The ChiSox Club`s kids` charities are beneficiaries.
– Remembering: The Bulls officially open their new training facility this week. It is named the Sheri Berto Center in honor of Jerry Reinsdorf`s former assistant, who died last year. Chicago magazine, also out this week, has an especially poignant story about Reinsdorf`s 17-year business relationship with Berto. Here`s a comment by Jerry in the story: ”Sheri kept me from doing really stupid things. I would bounce ideas back and forth. Like the firing of Larry Himes. She was the last person I gave a chance to talk me out of it. And when she agreed that it made sense, that it was smart, then I felt like I was doing the right thing.”
– And finally: Ex-Bear Leslie Frazier is a special guest at the Best Western Inn-Chicago party during the Monday night game. Frazier probably would rather talk about the Bears than the Trinity College team he coaches after its shellacking over the weekend by Aurora.
