Smith-Tyson Fight: Putdown Is Likely

“Where’s Mike Tyson?” James (Bonecrusher) Smith asked after his first-round knockout of Tim Witherspoon Friday night. “I thought I saw him here.”

He did. In fact, Tyson was at ringside, and said he was available for whatever Smith had in mind.

They are scheduled to meet March 7, and Tyson said: “I would love it if he came right at me like he did tonight.”

Witherspoon said: “I think Bonecrusher can just take it to Mike Tyson and walk right through him. I wish I would have had all the easy fights that Tyson had.”

Tyson said: “It should be an interesting fight.”

Bonecrusher said: “Somebody’s gonna go to sleep.”

Said Boston’s Larry Bird when informed that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be 40 years old before the playoffs begin: “That’s all right. I just turned 30, and I’ve probably led a harder life than he has.”

Add Abdul-Jabbar: He beefed up over the summer, and Boston’s Robert Parish said: “With the extra weight, he’s stronger. I noticed it right away. He’s tougher to knock off balance.”

Trivia Time: Has anybody both played for and coached a national champion in college football? (Answer below.)

Jeff Burger, the Auburn quarterback who will face USC in the Florida Citrus Bowl, told the Daily Trojan that he will be testing Trojan safety Tim McDonald.

“I’ll go to the line of scrimmage and go right at the best player,” he said. “We’ll see what kind of player he is, then we’ll go after his weaknesses.”

Add Daily Trojan: In its best-and-worst quotes of 1986, it included these two from Athletic Director Mike McGee:

“Jim Raveling.”--Introducing new basketball coach George Raveling.

“Coach Zumberge.”--Referring to university President James H. Zumberge.

Ouch: From World Tennis magazine under the heading Beyond Boring: “When not engaged in scintillating dinner-table conversation about teething and toilet training, Bjorn Borg and Jannike (pronounced Yawnicky)--the mother of his 1-year-old son, Robin--kept up a frenetic pace during the Loreto Tennis Festival in Mexico. Besides eating, sleeping, tanning and an occasional tennis game, the happy couple painted little ceramic birds at poolside. How do they do it?”

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Steve DeOssie, on Chicago quarterback Doug Flutie, a former teammate at Boston College: “I haven’t seen many better college quarterbacks. I’ve always thought he could do the job in the NFL, if given the chance.”

Cleveland Browns cornerback Frank Minnifield, a University of Louisville alumnus, on his feud with Louisville Coach Howard Schnellenberger: “Howard Schnellenberger thinks he’s God. He doesn’t like me because I have a football camp the same week he does.”

Trivia Answer: Yes, Bud Wilkinson. He was a quarterback on the national championship team at Minnesota in 1936. He coached Oklahoma to national titles in 1950, 1955 and 1956.

Quotebook

Chicago Bulls Coach Doug Collins, on a game-winning five-footer by Michael Jordan: “Just your routine, twisting, 360-degree, double-pump, reverse layup.”