Music Stops Quickly for the Bears

“Super Bowl Shuffle” was the rap video the Chicago Bears made before brushing aside the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

Well, before the champions of old are forgotten in the rush to praise their successors, consider the possibility that it was another video that led to the Bears’ undoing in this season’s playoffs.

Although “Super Bowl Shuffle” sold more than 700,000 records and 170,000 videos, don’t look for the latest effort to come anywhere close.

“Iron Mike,” a 20-minute video that sells for about a dollar a minute, shows a side of Bear Coach Mike Ditka that until now--fortunately--has not been seen.

In one portion, Ditka, clipboard in hand, dances to the beat of “Iron Mike,” played by a rock band. Later, he hoofs with a group of female dancers clad in striped referee shirts.

“It was a little embarrassing that I let myself go that much,” said Iron Mike, who showed the Bears the video before their playoff game against the Washington Redskins.

At least they lost laughing.

Add Bears: Former Chicago wide receiver Johnny Morris, now a broadcaster on Chicago’s WBBM-TV, spotted Redskin owner Jack Kent Cooke talking to Ditka in the Chicago locker room after the loss to the Redskins and described the scene as Ditka being consoled by “Redskin owner Edward Bennett Williams.”

Oops.

Trivia Time: What do the UCLA, Georgetown, Northeastern, San Jose State and Arkansas State basketball teams have in common?

A real pane: Writing about the ouster of the New York Jets from the playoffs, Newsday’s Steve Jacobson offered the following observation:

“In the evolution and development of every team, there is a window of time through which it must go in order to become a championship team. That window has just closed on the fingers of the Jets.”

A leading question: When Indiana’s Bob Knight, an old friend, called Bill Parcells to congratulate him on the Giants’ 49-3 trouncing of the 49ers, he was cut short.

According to John Bansch of the Indianapolis Star, before Knight could utter a word, Parcells took command of the conversation.

“How in the hell did you blow a 17-point lead at Ohio State?” he asked.

Off the record: New York tackle Brad Benson took advantage of all the media attention being accorded the Giants this week to play a joke on weight coach Johnny Parker.

“I had a friend of mine call him from my house and he got a 35-minute interview,” Benson said. “Johnny never knew it was a hoax. Every controversial question was asked. Steroids. Would he go to Tampa with Ray Perkins? Everything. He spilled his guts.”

Benson said the only thing wrong was that he couldn’t get his tape recorder to work and wasn’t able to tape the interview.

Mark Moseley, who missed 3 of 6 field goal attempts--but made the game-winner--for Cleveland in last Saturday’s 23-20 overtime victory over the New York Jets, will be remembered for another playoff performance, too.

In the 1983 NFC championship game, Moseley missed four field goals for the Redskins, then clinched Washington’s 24-21 victory over San Francisco with a 25-yard kick with 40 seconds left.

Trivia Answer: All five have a 6-7 forward named Reggie: Reggie Miller, Reggie Williams, Reggie Lewis, Reggie Owens and Reggie Gordon.

Quotebook

Warren Jones, Australia IV syndicate manager, on the continual protests filed by the rival Kookaburra syndicate in the America’s Cup defender trials: “They’re just like dingoes. When you beat them, they howl like hell.”