The Day Taylor Sacked Two Basketball Teams

Yes, Lawrence Taylor is just as devastating on the basketball floor as he is on the football field. So testifies Cleveland Cavalier rookie Brad Daugherty who has played with the linebacker in summer pickup games at North Carolina, their alma mater.

Daugherty told this story to The Sporting News: “We were playing--me, Al Wood and some of the guys we have there now, like Kenny Smith. It was 11-10 and we were playing to 15 when Lawrence walked in and said, ‘I want to play.’ We said, ‘We’re almost done. You can have the next game.’ L.T. said, ‘I want to play now.’

“I said, ‘Lawrence, be patient. Four more points.’ He said, ‘If I ain’t playing, no damnbody’s playing.’ He reached up and tore down the rim and backboard and walked away with it.”

Add Daugherty: “Everyone thinks I’m crazy when I say this, but Lawrence Taylor could play in the NBA. He couldn’t start, but he could help just about every team. He would have to lose a little weight, but he’s so quick and so strong. I’ve never seen a guy that big who could jump that high.”

Wait a Minute: Said promoter Don Fraser of Monday night’s scheduled fight between Mike White, a 7-footer, and Levi Billups at the Spruce Goose: “I defy anyone who can remember a heavyweight fight that featured one guy 7-feet tall and 250 and another 6-feet tall and 235.”

On Aug. 27, 1984, Tom Payne, 7-2 and 271 3/4, faced Rickey Lee, 6-3 and 224 3/4, at the Forum. Payne, a one-time Kentucky basketball player who served time on a rape conviction, was knocked down after only nine seconds and was stopped at 2:09 of the first round.

Trivia Time: San Francisco Manager Roger Craig, predicting a pennant for the Giants, said: “I have World Series rings from four different cities, and San Francisco will be my fifth.” What are the four cities? (Answer below.)

Win-some-lose-some dept.: On the day that Bob Houbregs was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame, his University of Washington career scoring record, which had lasted 34 years, was broken by Chris Welp in Washington’s 79-65 win over Washington State.

Kiss-of-death dept.: Said USA Network basketball analyst Lefty Driesell when North Carolina’s Jeff Lebo went to the line for a free throw against North Carolina State: “You can put it in the book.”

Brick.

Vanderbilt reserve Randy Neff, whose free throws beat Notre Dame Friday night after he had replaced 7-footer Will Perdue, said: “When I go into the game, I have some pretty big shoes to fill.”

He wasn’t kidding. Perdue wears a size 21 1/2AAAAAAA.

Would-you-believe-it dept.: Northwestern, which blames its failures in athletics on its excellence in academics, has landed Pat New, a blue chip receiver from the Chicago area.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, New originally had committed to Notre Dame but failed to qualify academically and Northwestern accepted him.

Trivia Answer: Brooklyn in 1955-56, Los Angeles in 1959, St. Louis in 1964, and Detroit in 1984. He pitched in the first three and was a coach in the fourth.

Quotebook

Buffalo Bill owner Ralph Wilson, asked if the club would consider drafting Brian Bosworth, the linebacker with the outrageous hair style: “If he can tackle and stop somebody, he can wear his hair any way he wants. He can wear a wig if he wants to.”