Lefty Should Do It Right

Poor Lefty Driesell. The coach of the Maryland basketball team was denied his 500th career win for the third straight game Sunday when Clemson defeated the Terrapins, 71-64.

The normally voluble Driesell was so upset by this one that he left without saying a word.

His next shot at No. 500 comes Tuesday night against Georgia Tech at Atlanta.

Writes Tony Kornheiser of the Washington Post: “At worst the clouds should break Thursday, when Maryland plays at home against Towson State. But if Driesell were to beat Towson State for No. 500, it would be an ignominious occasion, evoking the notion of a millstone rather than a milestone.

“His detractors would dismiss him as a bozo who could turn 500 victories into a moral defeat, and even his supporters would have to concede--if they kept the champagne chilled any longer, it would have frozen.”

Golf-is-a-humbling-game dept.: Said Peter Ooosterhuis after shooting 67-64--131 for a share of the halfway lead in the San Diego Open: “This course is built for my game.”

In the final two rounds Oosterhuis shot 70-75--145 and wound up tied for 19th.

Seen enough Big East basketball? John McGrath of the Denver Post has.

“We’re sick of it,” he writes. “Georgetown, St. John’s, Villanova, Syracuse. Remember when those were teams that exuded a sort of distant aura, and fed the imagination? Remember how fun it was to watch one game on a Saturday afternoon? Now we see more of Patrick Ewing than his mother does.”

Add Forgettable Quotes: Said Boston’s M.L. Carr before Sunday’s game against the Lakers: “We kick butt good and then tell you about it.”

Bruce Morris of Marshall University averages three points a game, but don’t knock it. Nobody makes his shots count more.

On Feb. 7 against Appalachian State, the 6-4 forward put himself in the Guinness Book of World Records by throwing in a basket that was measured at 89 feet 10 inches.

Last Saturday, he tossed in one that measured 67 feet 10 inches shorter but paid greater dividends. It was a 22-footer at the buzzer that gave Marshall a 65-63 win over Davidson.

Said Marshall Coach Rick Huckabay, convinced that outside forces are at work: “I hope he takes the last shot in every game from now on.”

From Lou Duva, manager of Livingstone Bramble, claiming Saturday night’s fight should have been stopped because of the severe cuts suffered by Ray Mancini: “I mean, who are those doctors? Where do they come from? They could be veterinarians for all we know.”

Over the years, there have been a number of reasons for delays in basketball games, but a new one may have been added Saturday night at Richfield, Ohio.

The game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Houston Rockets was held up because referee Paul Mihalak didn’t have his whistle.

Reason: Houston Coach Bill Fitch, after being ejected for his second technical, grabbed Mihalak’s whistle and took it with him to the dressing room.

Quotebook

DePaul Coach Joey Meyer, saying he was not surprised by the strong play of St. John’s reserve center Ron Stewart Sunday: “The way things have been going for us, I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone beat us. Lou Carnesecca could come out and knock down a few.”