McDonald Not Ready to Concede

The Cleveland Browns gave Bernie Kosar a five-year contract worth $5.2 million, which averages out to $1.04 million per year.

Although it won’t be paid exactly that way, a $1.04 million average yearly salary, according to Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, makes Kosar one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.

Dan Marino, who has two years left on a contract that pays an average of $500,000 per year, is seeking $1.5 million. Joe Montana makes $1.3 million, Warren Moon $1.1 million and John Elway an even $1 million. Next is Lynn Dickey of Green Bay at $850,000.

Paul McDonald, who was the Browns’ starting quarterback in all 16 games last season, will make $500,000 this season, or about half of what Kosar will make.

But if you believe McDonald, a former USC quarterback, Kosar, who came on at the start of the second half to complete five of six passes against San Diego Saturday night, won’t be starting for a while.

“I’m the starting quarterback, no matter what people on the periphery say,” McDonald told the Plain Dealers’ Bob Dolgan.

Sure.

Arizona Football Coach Larry Smith on the current state of college football: “The biggest problem facing college football is one we created ourselves. The Supreme Court decision on television seriously impaired our future. . . . Perhaps only a playoff system with its big bucks can recover what we lost. Maybe that’s what those people who brought this about had in mind. “College football parallels the situation the United States faced in Vietnam: ‘We’re in it, we don’t know how we got in it and we’re not quite sure how to get out of it.’ ”

High society sport: Some people complain that $22 is a lot to pay to see a Raider game. But that’s nothing compared to the price of tickets to the Cadillac International Polo tournament next Sunday at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. The top-priced tickets are $250, while others go for only $100.

But for those prices you get more than just a seat at a polo match. Also included is a party-bus trip from Los Angeles, umbrella table seating, a gourmet luncheon (with elegant silver for those paying $250), a parade of Cadillacs (what else?), and a celebrity game at halftime.

For those not interested in the frills, there are general admission tickets for $10.

Note: The event is a benefit for the Institute for Cancer and Blood Research in Beverly Hills, of which Andy Granatelli is the chairman.

Pete Rose, on why he cooperates with reporters: “I always answer questions because I want to control what is being said about me. If I said, ‘No comment,’ then the reporter could write anything he wanted to about me.”

Add Rose: Comparing the pressure to break Ty Cobb’s record of 4,191 career hits to the pressure of maintaining his 1978 hitting streak, which reached 44 games, he said: “The pressure was much greater back then because I had to get a hit every game.”

He also said the media crunch was much greater in ’78. “It really hasn’t been too bad yet. Maybe when I get within 10 or so, it will be.”

Crossed off: Russell Cross, a 6-10 forward from Purdue who was the No. 1 draft choice of the Golden State Warriors and the sixth overall pick in the 1983 NBA draft, was recently cut by the Denver Nuggets. Cross was the MVP in the Big Ten during the 1982-83 season and, despite playing at Purdue for only three seasons before turning pro, became the school’s eighth all-time scorer.

But the Nuggets didn’t think enough of Cross to invite him to their rookie/free agent camp.

Coach Doug Moe told Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post: “He can’t play. Some guys have it, some don’t. He’s never really shown me anything. I guess at one time he was supposed to be good.”

There were 300 invited guests at a Catholic church in Natick, Mass., where Doug Flutie married his high school sweetheart Laurie Fortier on Saturday.

Another 100 uninvited residents of Natick showed up as well, and, because the church was not full, they were invited in.

Quotebook

Jack Nicklaus, who lives in North Palm Beach, Fla., on retirement: “I don’t think I’ll ever retire as such. What would I retire to . . . moving to Florida and playing golf?”