Quiet, Please: SEC Cracking Down on Noise

The Southeastern Conference is taking the rah-rah out of its football games, or, at least, diluting it.

The 12 member schools have ruled that fans will have to cheer on their teams without the aid of amplifiers, microphones and megaphones.

Only cheerleaders will be allowed to use those devices, and they can use them only during timeouts, pregame, postgame and halftime activities, the conference voted at its spring meeting.

Also, the rule prohibits cheerleaders from using stadium public-address systems while the teams are on the field, including pregame warmups.

Trivia time: What was the host city for the first modern Olympic Games in the United States?

Olympic spirit: Want to park your car in downtown Barcelona during the Summer Olympics? It will cost you $65 a day.

It’s a tactic officials hope will discourage visitors from driving to Olympic events in the city.

Run out of town? Jim Lynam, talking about new Philadelphia 76er Coach Doug Moe:

“I can tell you this, Doug Moe’s team is going to score at least 85 points every night, probably by halftime most nights.

“All coaches say they love to fast break. Well, Doug Moe knows how to fast break. That style of play is what’s going to be successful as this game moves further in the ‘90s.”

They were saying the same thing about Paul Westhead in Denver not so long ago.

Tongue twister: Pity the poor race caller. Alnasr Alwasheek is one of the favorites to win the English Derby next Wednesday.

Crazy game: Pat Williams, the Orlando Magic’s general manager, reflecting on his team’s good luck in getting the first pick in the recent NBA lottery:

“It’s bizarre. Sixty-six Ping-Pong balls rattling around, and one blows up a chute, and that determines the next 20 years of your life? What can you say about this profession?”

All in the family: Detroit Lion quarterback Erik Kramer led his team to six consecutive victories at the end of the regular season and then won one more to open the playoffs while replacing injured Rodney Peete.

So will Kramer be the Lions’ starting quarterback next season? Not necessarily.

Said Coach Wayne Fontes: “I don’t want to address that (issue) until training camp. But we will not have a quarterback controversy, that much is certain.”

Trivia answer: St. Louis in 1904.

Quotebook: The late Dizzy Dean, defending his mangled use of the English language: “A lot of people who ain’t saying ain’t, ain’t eatin’.”