It Might Not Be a Work of Art, but It Is Symbolic Masterpiece

Columnist C.W. Nevius of the San Francisco Chronicle can’t understand why in the world any NFL player in his right mind would want to wear a Super Bowl ring.

“A Super Bowl championship ring is the largest, gaudiest gob of glitz ever wrapped around a finger,” Nevius wrote. “They are generally only worn for ceremonial occasions because there is always the chance that the owner might slap at a mosquito on his brow and knock himself silly.”

Needs mustard: Nevius doesn’t care for the Super Bowl’s Lombardi Trophy, either. A “big-silver-football-on-a-stick,” Nevius called it. “It is the corn dog of trophies.”

Clarification: Marc Dellins, UCLA sports information director, said Morning Briefing’s report of football Coach Terry Donahue’s $359,000 salary, more than Gov. Pete Wilson or any public employee in California, was somewhat misleading. Dellins said that Donahue’s money comes from university sources, such as television and ticket revenue and donations, not statefunds.

Trivia question: What is the forecast low for Super Bowl Sunday in Minneapolis?

Fashion statement: Coach George Raveling said his USC basketball team is switching to black sneakers. Why? “ ‘Boyz N the Hood,’ I guess,” Raveling said.

Hold that line: Chi Chi Rodriguez, who joins Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino in the Senior Skins Game this weekend in Hawaii, picks the Redskins in the Super Bowl, although he says that he is not much of a football fan.

“The only thing I know about football is when my wife goes shopping, I tell her to get my quarter back.”

Consistency: Note that the Redskins have lost both Super Bowls in which they were favored (1973 Miami, 1984 Raiders) and won both in which they were underdogs (1983 Miami, 1988 Denver).

Prospecting: For what it’s worth, Baseball Rookies magazine lists right-hander Pedro Martinez of the Dodgers as one of the 10 top rookies of 1992. Pedro is the brother of Dodger pitcher Ramon Martinez.

Shots are flying: According to calculations by Inside Sports magazine, the NBA player who would attempt the most shots in a projected 48-minute game, judging by his shots per minute, is Chris Jackson of the Denver Nuggets. He would shoot 32.2 times in 48 minutes. Bernard King of the Washington Bullets is second at 30.2, and five-time scoring leader Michael Jordan third at 29.1.

Bird size: Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post figured that Larry Bird’s $7.1-million salary means he makes more than the entire starting lineup of 14 NBA teams.

He pans out: In Dikembe Mutombo’s rookie season, home attendance for the Denver Nuggets has increased by 20%.

Rumor mill: The latest on Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer is that he plans to return for his senior year. But stay tuned.

Trivia answer: Ten below zero.

Quotebook: Robin Yount, 36, on why he was surprised when Manager Sal Bando said he thought Yount would quit after this season with the Milwaukee Brewers: “You’re always surprised when somebody tells you you are retiring, I guess.”