Karl Still Has Real Trouble Handling Press

George Karl, former coach of the Golden State Warriors who had a sometimes stormy relationship with Bay Area reporters, isn’t faring any better with the Spanish media.

Karl, in his second season as coach of Real Madrid, says the Spanish press has been tough on him.

“The press in New York and Philadelphia is known to be tough, but multiply it five times and you have what it’s like here,” Karl said. “The press seems to think this way: ‘What chaos can I create tomorrow?’

“In America, it’s much more accepted that a team can play ugly and bad and still win. Here, it’s not accepted. Real Madrid is always expected to play well.”

Karl may have aggravated his problems by failing to learn Spanish.

“That was true the first year, but not now,” he said. “I can’t communicate well in Spanish, but I can communicate basketball terminology. Even if I did speak better, the Spanish press probably wouldn’t listen.”

Trivia time: What was the Foolish Club?

On-the-job training: Former Denver Nugget star Dan Issel, who played at Kentucky and went on to play for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA, has been named Kentucky’s tourism secretary by Gov. Brereton Jones.

“I don’t know a lot about tourism,” said Issel, who will oversee a department with a $117-million budget. “I think what I bring to the table is a pretty decent name and reputation. It’s my intention to use those assets to make more people aware of the great assets that the state of Kentucky has.”

Issel lives in Denver, where he broadcasts Nugget games, but he will move to Kentucky after the NBA season.

Fit to be tied: The Burnet High Bulldogs haven’t won a playoff game in three weeks--they have played three ties--but the Central Texas school has advanced to the state 3-A football championship game because of a tiebreaking system that rewards getting close.

“What’s so incredible about them? They haven’t won in a month,” said Marble Falls Coach David Denny, one of the three victimized coaches. “Only in Texas can you not win in a month and still play for the state championship.”

According to the Texas high school rules for tied playoff games, winners are determined first by the number of times a team crosses its opponent’s 20-yard line, then by first downs and finally total yardage.

Starting early: Frosty Westering, football coach at Pacific Lutheran University, met with a new faculty member recently.

“He told me he wanted me to coach his son some day,” Westering said. “I asked him how old his son was. He said he was 1. I told him I didn’t think I’d be the coach when his guy was old enough to play.”

Westering is 64.

Big windfall: Time magazine says Bobby Bonilla, who signed a five-year, $29-million contract with the New York Mets, is overpaid.

“To put his windfall in perspective, consider that next year Bonilla will make 2 1/2 times what Babe Ruth earned in 22 years, 14 times as much as the Mets manager, 27 times the salary of George Bush, 42 times as much as the mayor of New York City and 200 times as much as the average teacher.

“Or look at it this way: To make what Bonilla will make next year, Dan Quayle would have to be vice president until 2025.”

Trivia answer: The Foolish Club consisted of the eight original American Football League owners--Bud Adams of the Houston Oilers, Bill Sullivan of the Boston Patriots, Carl Kunz of the Denver Broncos, Ralph Wilson of the Buffalo Bills, Lamar Hunt of the Dallas Texans, Harry Wismer of the New York Titans, Wayne Valley of the Oakland Raiders and Barron Hilton of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Quotebook: USC basketball Coach George Raveling on Ohio State, which plays the Trojans Saturday at the Sports Arena: “They’re starting five Nike campers and we’re starting four Boy Scout campers.”