Lyrics Like These Could Sour Support

OK, everybody, if you know the words to “Free Jerry,” sing along. If you don’t know the words . . .

“The Shark came out of Long Beach

“With a price on his head.

“When he went out to Vegas

“They said, ‘Man, we’ll get you in the end.’ ”

When they hear those lyrics, they might. But if you read next week that the NCAA Committee on Infractions has ruled Coach Jerry Tarkanian’s Nevada Las Vegas basketball team eligible for the 1991 postseason tournament, don’t be surprised if the Southern California-based J Boys band claims partial credit.

The band will perform at two “Free Jerry” rallies--before the Buster Douglas-Evander Holyfield fight in Las Vegas Thursday and outside the Committee on Infractions meeting in Chicago Sunday.

Add J Boys: From the band’s media release: “The band hopes to stir up support for Tarkanian’s plight . . . and to educate sports fans, civil libertarians and defenders of minority rights to the plight of (Tarkanian and UNLV) in hopes that the (committee) will reconsider their earlier flawed actions and allow (Tarkanian and UNLV) to defend their championship.”

Trivia time: Name the official mascot of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Ideal for Bruin cubs: Dave Reed, the former UCLA tennis star who played No. 3 on the 1960s teams that included Arthur Ashe and Charlie Pasarell, was the speaker at Sunday’s meeting of the UCLA Tennis Racqueteers.

The 1964 Bruin captain, now pro at the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena, described the late J.D. Morgan, his coach and later UCLA’s athletic director: “J.D. was a cross between Bear Bryant and a den mother.”

He got you, Babe: From the Philadelphia Daily News: A big attraction at a recent celebrity tennis tournament in Boca Raton, Fla., was a set of mixed doubles. Wilt Chamberlain and Jennifer Capriati took on Sonny Bono and Pam Shriver and lost, 6-2.

Said Bono: “The bigger they are . . . “

Chamberlain, thrown off stride by Bono’s two-handed forehand and two-handed backhand, said: “I need some pace. Sonny made me look bad. I haven’t seen tricky shots like that since I played with the Globetrotters.”

Add Chamberlain: At a good-natured news conference afterward, he insisted: “I was nervous, with all the press and people here. And it was hot. Jennifer wore me out in practice.”

Someone produced a basketball, prompting Capriati to needle Wilt: “Let’s get a game going. I challenge you.”

Chamberlain declined, pleading fatigue.

Said Capriati: “You chicken.”

Trivia answer: Cobi the dog.

Quotebook: Atlanta forward Dominique Wilkins, after the Hawks’ 194-166 exhibition victory over the Denver Nuggets last week: “I was frustrated. I did all my dunks by halftime.”