Foreman Was Late, but Knew When Frazier Would Arrive

Today is the 20th anniversary of the epic George Foreman-Joe Frazier fight in Kingston, Jamaica. Frazier, a 3-1 favorite and the heavyweight champion, was in his prime and thought to be invincible.

But Archie Moore, Foreman’s trainer, saw that Frazier was a temperamental, irritable sort, who even in good humor tended to walk straight in on hard hitters such as Foreman.

So upon Moore’s advice, Foreman kept Frazier waiting 45 minutes at the weigh-in that morning. Frazier was in a rage when Foreman finally showed. That night, Frazier charged straight in on Foreman, who knocked him down six times before the fight was stopped in the second round.

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Trivia time: Who has played in the most Super Bowl games?

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Dynasty: It’s only January, but Stanford is already being touted as the future football power in the Pacific 10 Conference because of its promising recruiting class.

“Stanford has a fabulous class--a solid, solid class,” Rich Kimbrel, managing editor of Blue Chip Illustrated, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Stanford is really shining--they’re getting good people. With (Bill) Walsh at the helm, who knows what’s going to happen? All I can say is, watch out, Pac-10.”

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Insight: From Pro Football Weekly: “We hear the thought of the media circus in New York is not a concern for (Dave) Wannstedt. He would probably prefer New York because the organization is more stable than that of Chicago and is more willing to spend money on players.”

Wannstedt snubbed New York to coach the Chicago Bears.

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Free-agent fan: During a recent game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden, a fan hurled a puck from the stands into the net, prompting the goal judge to flash his red light and signify a Ranger goal.

Said Canuck assistant coach Rick Ley: “Whoever threw that puck should get a tryout with the Yankees.”

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Does it all: How about this for a triple-double? Pittsburgh’s Jerry McCullough had 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 turnovers in a victory over West Virginia.

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New breed: Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post lamented that colorful coaches, such as Mike Ditka, are disappearing.

“It’s almost complete, the evolution of NFL head coach, from caveman to corporate front man,” Wilbon wrote. “We once had Norm Van Brocklin and Allie Sherman and George Allen. Now everybody looks like Magnum P.I., says all the right things, never blows his cool, or says anything of the slightest interest to anyone outside a football locker room.”

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Trivia answer: Marv Fleming, five--with the Green Bay Packers, 1967-68, and the Miami Dolphins, 1972-74.

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Quotebook: Tony Kornheiser of the Washington Post on the Redskins’ injuries this season: “There’s enough cartilage floating in the Redskins’ locker room to raise the Spanish Armada.”