Every Four Years, Young Man’s Fancy Must Turn to Soccer
Cupid Takes A Holiday: The World Cup organizing committee has banned all office flirting between working journalists and their official hostesses during the monthlong soccer finals held at various sites in Mexico.
Having employed hundreds of young women students between 17 and 23 to help the 5,000 international journalists attending the finals, the committee is acting as chaperon and has prepared a lengthy list of do’s and don’ts.
“There must be no fraternizing on duty,” an official said. “Obviously, we have no control over what they do out of uniform, but they are all well-brought-up young girls.”
The romance ban extends even to the communal canteen in the Mexico City press center, where the hostesses sit in groups during their coffee breaks.
“Just to keep things fair, our male colleagues have been instructed not to socialize with female reporters and photographers,” one hostess said.
Ask Skip Bayless, columnist for the Dallas Times Herald, if he misses the Lakers in the NBA final. Writing from Boston after Game 2, Bayless had this to say: “If God truly were a Celtic, he’d have made sure the Lakers survived the Rockets to set up a third straight L.A.-Boston culture clash. Where were all those kelly-green leprechauns? Tell us, Magic, where’s ‘Showtime’ when we needed it?
“Late in Thursday night’s first half, every Celtic fan in this rickety sauna might have swallowed sushi if the hated Lakers would have materialized. Yes, Celtic fans were chanting at Magic. Yet, they also were chanting in frustration.
“How worked up can you get over the Globetrotters vs. the Washington Generals? This thing has all the suspense of a 4 a.m. ESPN replay.
“You almost have to feel sorry for these fans, who stewed for a year as the champ Lakers and their fans (particularly Jack Nicholson) strutted in sunglasses. In a way, the Lakers almost hurt New England more by failing to show for the final.”
Mixed Doubles Dept.: Kris Dolan of Yakima, Wash., is a member of the Yakima Valley Community College women’s tennis team and is the best player in the region.
Eleven years ago, she was a member of the Sunnyside High School boys’ squad. Her name was George Esqueda then.
Five years ago, Dolan underwent a sex-change operation and has been living the life of a woman ever since, she said.
“Please don’t call me Renee Richards Jr.,” she added.
The 5-6 Dolan compiled a perfect record this season, going 19-0 and beating Julie Stangle of Green River, 6-0, 6-3, for the Northwest community college women’s singles championship.
Dolan’s sex-change operation became public on April 13 when the Yakima Herald-Republic published a story about her.
At that time, she was concerned that some opponents might refuse to play her. But Dolan said she received no negative reactions--from either opponents or spectators.
“The only reaction I got were ‘secret admirer’ notes,” she said. “I made a lot of friends among the other players. They didn’t even know me, but they said, ‘You’re great; hang in there.’ ”
She added: “I did have my picture taken a lot.”
Larry Bird, at the NBA MVP awards ceremony: “Well, Red (Auerbach, team president) tricked me again. He told me I was coming down here to sign a contract extension.”
Quotebook
Seattle Mariners Manager Dick Williams on the state of things in the American League: “Every player playing in the American League when I left 11 years ago is either a coach, a manager or a member of the California Angels.”
