In an Off Year, He Made 76ers a Media Circus

Charles Barkley has said that Gene Shue, general manager of the Philaelphia 76ers, is a clown and a robot.

“What Barkley apparently doesn’t understand is that being a clown and a robot is a prerequisite for working for owner Harold Katz,” Jan Hubbard writes in Newsday. “Besides, I’ve known some pretty nice clowns and robots.

“Seattle SuperSonics Coach George Karl said he plans to hire a comedian to attend team practice before the playoffs. Karl read that comedy helps people retain information, and he figures it will keep players loose at practice.

“Too bad Karl wants a comedian and not a clown. Gene Shue is available. Come to think of it, Barkley has no plans for next week. Karl should hire Barkley. Why not the best?”

Add Karl: The former Golden State coach told C.W. Nevius of the San Francisco Chronicle about his state of mind when he was coach of the Warriors:

“I had so many combative emotions in my body. I was scared, paranoid. I don’t know if it was because I was young, stubborn or immature. A lot of my egotism and arrogance was to protect my insecurity.”

Anything else?

Trivia time: Lou Boudreau’s baseball jersey, No. 5, will be retired by the University of Illinois. Who are the only other Illinois athletes to have their jerseys retired?

Movie deal? Francisco Churruca was known as “the Babe Ruth of jai alai.”

Say it isn’t so: Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Littwin can’t believe that Oriole slugger Glenn Davis is back on the disabled list because of a rib cage injury, after sitting out 113 games last season because of a bad back.

“This can’t be true, can it?,” Littwin said. “It’s April, right? He’s played one game, right? Talk about durability. Was this guy made in Detroit? Heck, the cherry blossoms outlasted him this year.”

Sleep tight: Cleveland Indian catcher Sandy Alomar, who played all 19 innings in a 7-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox on April 11: “Tonight I’m going to sleep in my crouch.”

Putts with wolves? A proposed wilderness site for a golf course in the Canadian Rockies is also home at times to an eight-member pack of wolves.

Last fall, the wolves claimed the valley floor at the proposed site of the $6.5-million Alberta golf course as their own.

Memo to golfers: Tee off at your own risk.

Gilkey as charged: New nickname from ESPN’s Chris Berman: St. Louis outfielder Bernard (Innocent Until Proven) Gilkey.

Candid camera: Terry O’Neil, executive producer of NBC Sports, is enthusiastic about his network’s television coverage plans for the Olympic Games at Barcelona.

He told Newsday about a new camera on the bottom of the pool that will track swimmers up and down lanes.

“Viewers will appreciate the erotic view from below the swimmers,” O’Neil said.

We can hardly wait.

Come again? A reporter at the Masters golf tournament asked Davis Love III the name of his father.

Trivia answer: Football stars Red Grange and Dick Butkus.

Quotebook: Cincinnati Red relief pitcher Rob Dibble, on returning to action after being injured: “The only way I get something out of pitching is when some guy is trying to drive the ball back at my face.”