Publicity Idea Finds Going All Downhill

Fredy Brupbacher, a former Swiss ski racer now working in public relations, was planning to have female skiers wear a photo of a rolled-up condom and the slogan “Stop AIDS” on their numbered bibs in a World Cup super-giant slalom race at Meiringen, Switzerland, Saturday.

That is, until the International Ski Federation (FIS) heard about it.

FIS cited religious sensitivity and television rules and described the idea as “tasteless.”

The federation’s general secretary, Gian-Franco Kasper, told Blick, a Swiss newspaper: “We cannot ask a strongly religious racer to show a contraceptive on her body.”

Trivia time: Last Sunday, wide receiver Andre Reed of the Buffalo Bills broke a club record for touchdown passes formerly held by Elbert Dubenion. What was Dubenion’s nickname?

Her little guy: The December issue of Tennis magazine reports that 14-year-old Jennifer Capriati has no idols.

Said Capriati: “I’m my own.”

She was asked about her seven Bart Simpson T-shirts.

Said Capriati: “Bart’s cool because he’s like a lot of kids. He says all those things like, ‘Man,’ and, ‘Hey, dude,’ and stuff.”

Add Capriati: She commented on meeting actor Tom Cruise earlier this year: “I almost had a cow.”

. . . man.

Not that green: In Pittsburgh’s 24-3 victory over New England Sunday, Steeler guard Carlton Haselrig sprained his ankle and tackle Tunch Ilkin reinjured the dislocated elbow that kept him out for 10 weeks.

On the same play. Thanks to the same teammate.

Said Coach Chuck Noll: “We brought (6-foot-5, 274-pound rookie tight end) Eric Green in motion. And he was coming in to wham the nose guard and he hit the nose guard so hard he flew right into both Haselrig and Tunch. . . . So we want to keep the devastating blocking going, but we’ll have to try to get the guys behind it out of the way.”

Real football: Followers of Spanish soccer are divided as to whether Hristo Stoichkov, the Bulgarian who leads FC Barcelona in scoring, ought to be serving the 10-week suspension he received Tuesday--or a suspension of six months.

During a Dec. 5 game against Real Madrid, Stoichkov protested a call by referee Idlefonso Urizar Azpitarte, then stomped on Azpitarte’s foot.

The 10-week suspension is the maximum for a “violent action.” The incident could have been ruled “aggression,” which carries a six-month penalty.

Add cleating: One Real Madrid official said: “We’ll have to find out which part of the referee’s body you have to hit in order for it to be an aggression.”

Odds against: Rick Brown of the Des Moines Register recently reported that Troy Skinner, starting point guard for Iowa, and Brian Pearson, the starting point guard for Iowa State, were two of seven boys in a graduating class of 17 at Palmer (Iowa) High.

Now juniors, they were coached as prep players by Alden Skinner, Troy’s father. Their team won 79 consecutive games.

So who does?: Relief pitcher Dave Righetti, who signed with the San Francisco Giants last week, told the Associated Press about playing in a pro-am golf tournament a few weeks ago at Pebble Beach.

Righetti said he was kidded about the uncertainty of where he would be playing in 1991. “(Catcher) Rick Dempsey and (minor league manager) Jerry Royster from the Dodgers called me ‘teammate,’ things like that,” Righetti said. “I didn’t know how I felt about that. Playing for the Dodgers would be exciting . . . but I don’t fit in L.A.”

Trivia answer: “Golden Wheels.”

Quotebook: Cleveland center Mike Baab, on where to place the blame for the Browns’ 2-11 record: “The coach says, ‘Don’t jump offsides.’ Well, if you do, whose fault is that? Is that your fault or the coach’s fault?”