Well, at Least He Was Given a Good Reason

Don Burke, a former USC linebacker who played with the San Francisco 49ers from 1950-54, must chuckle every time he reads about the 49er payroll, highest in the NFL.

In May of 1952, Burke received a letter from Vic Morabito, then co-owner of the team, responding to a request that the 49ers make good on a promised performance bonus.

Morabito wrote: “Actually, we (Morabito and his brother Tony, also co-owner) have spent a good deal of time discussing the matter of the $250 bonus, which you say was promised you to be paid on the basis of your performance during the 1951 season. Before I go any further, I want to first tell you that I have very seldom seen an arrangement of that type work out to anyone’s satisfaction. It is an agreement to make an agreement, and there are too many factors involved to permit it to work smoothly.”

Add Burke: Morabito closed his letter:

“Don, we have considered your particular case very thoroughly and have concluded that it would not be fair either from your standpoint or ours for you to receive extra compensation for the 1951 season.

“I know, Don, that you realize that we have given this matter our most serious consideration. We feel our decision is justifiable--not only to you but to your teammates as well.”

Trivia time: Name the six former San Francisco 49ers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Now it can be told: Just what were the Cameron Crazies of Duke University yelling at Louisiana State center Shaquille O’Neal when he scored a season-low 15 points in the Tigers’ 88-70 loss Sunday?

Cameron Indoor Stadium’s rooters chanted: “Overrated! Overrated!” and “One, two, three, four, Shaq can’t play this game no more.”

Another world: When was the last time a World Series game drew a six-figure crowd?

The Australian Cricket Board announced that the World Cup final would be at at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 25, 1992. ACB Chairman Col Egar said: “Melbourne has the capacity to guarantee a crowd of at least 85,000 and possibly as many as 100,000 if (defending world champion) Australia reaches the final.”

Yet another world: The World League of American Football announced Monday that 43 “world-class athletes,” among them former Division I soccer player Phil Alexander of England; Victor Ebubedike, a London native drafted in 1990 by the New York Jets; and former European 100-meter champion Frank Emmelmann and Olympic javelin thrower Gerald Weiss, both of Germany, were trying out for its 10 charter teams.

Dubbing the tryout “Operation Discovery,” the WLAF, which opens its first season in March, will assign four players to each team from the “world-class athletes” pool on Feb. 25.

Trivia answer: Hugh McElhenny, Leo Nomellini, Joe Perry, O.J. Simpson, Bob St. Clair and Y.A. Tittle.

Quotebook: Kelly Chase of the St. Louis Blues, after fighting with Wayne van Dorp of the Chicago Blackhawks: “I was trying to make friends, but he’s a hard guy to talk to. I’m not fluent in cement.”