Super Bowl Notes : Parades Are for Winners Only, 49ers Say

The City of San Francisco was planning to hold a parade for the 49ers the day after the Jan. 20 Super Bowl, regardless of whether the team beats Miami or not.

But the team let city officials know Friday that it doesn’t want a parade if it loses. Said Bill Strawn, spokesman for Mayor Dianne Feinstein: “We wanted to have the parade no matter what happens in the game. But since they feel that way, we’ll cancel it if they lose.”

Charlotte Maillard, the city’s deputy chief of protocol and planner of the parade, said she’s taking an optimistic attitude. “They’re going to win, so we’re planning a parade,” she said.

Said 49er spokesman Jerry Walker: “It is a Super Bowl victory parade, and if we lose it’s not victory.”

Beer-drinking Super Bowl fans will have to leave their seats and buy beer at concession booths, state officials ruled Friday.

The Alcohol Beverage Control Board, fearing rowdiness from drunken fans at Super Bowl XIX, said patrons will be barred from buying beer from the hawkers who usually work the stands at Bay Area stadiums.

Police in Miami late Friday found Dolphin running back Tony Nathan’s stolen pickup truck submerged in a rock pit in northwest Dade County. They prepared to pull the vehicle from the water hole to see whether the team’s playbook was still inside, but the notebook, with 27 pages of handwriting that appeared to be a diary of Nathan’s training, and his truck registration were found on the rock pit’s shoreline.

Both Nathan and Miami Coach Don Shula said there was nothing in the playbook that would have helped the 49ers.

A thief stole the gray 1980 Toyota truck with custom wheels and roll bar from Nathan’s driveway Wednesday night or Thursday morning. The playbook was in the glove compartment.

“Just thank God we didn’t have anything about the playoffs or the Super Bowl in it,” Nathan said. “I hope it didn’t have anything that anybody was out to get. Nobody knew it was in there but me.”

There had been a rumor that Nathan was offering two tickets to the Super Bowl to anyone finding the truck. Nathan dismissed the rumor as Super Bowl hype.

Like other professional athletes, 49er receiver Freddie Solomon is keen on records. But he doesn’t only want to break them, he wants to make them.

Solomon is pursuing a new career as a rock singer. He is part of a new group called Man Machine, which has released a four-song record that features Solomon on vocals.

Nevada bookmakers are predicting at least $35 million will be bet on the Super Bowl at the state’s 26 sports books. An estimated $25 million was bet in Nevada on last season’s Super Bowl.

Nevada books have established the 49ers as three-point favorites, based primarily on their home-field advantage and the Super Bowl experience of quarterback Joe Montana.

Miami has the guy who broke all the records, but the Dolphins fear the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback who is at his best when the stakes are highest.

“Joe Montana, I know him personally,” said Dolphin defensive coordinator Chuck Studley, who held the same post in San Francisco when the 49ers won the Super Bowl three years ago.

“He’s not only a great quarterback, he’s also a gutsy person. He’s the best quarterback at making the big play.

“When they need a big play, 20 eyes turn to Joe. I know his heart starts beating faster. That’s been his history since he played at Notre Dame.”

The 49ers’ Ronnie Lott, a four-year veteran from USC, won’t be taking any chances. He’ll be wearing his lucky undershorts for the Super Bowl. “I’m going to be wearing my pink, plaid shorts,” the defensive back said.

Joe Carter’s rookie season with the Dolphins could be likened to a roller coaster ride, but he’s convinced he’s on the right track.

“Maybe some people would call it an up-and-down year for me, but on the whole, I’m very satisfied,” said the 22-year-old running back, who rushed for 495 yards and one touchdown in a backup role.

“I’m part of a Super Bowl team. How can you not be satisfied with that? I’ve had some good games and some games that haven’t been so good, but I’ve learned a lot.”

During one three-game stretch, Carter was outstanding--230 yards on 65 rushes to inject life into the Dolphins’ listless ground game. “I felt at that point that I had improved a lot. Some people might have thought I was on my way, but I didn’t because there was still a lot I needed to work on.”

Carter’s workload has diminished in the seven games since the midseason spurt. After gaining 105 yards against Houston, 92 against New England and 93 against Buffalo, he has carried the ball infrequently and has gained more than 30 yards only twice.