Their Home Court Is Where the Achy Breaky Hearts Are

The Iowa State men’s and women’s basketball teams are not sure if they will have a home court this season. The school’s 14,000-seat Hilton Coliseum is still a mess from last month’s disastrous flood.

A major storm on July 8 resulted in nearby Squaw Creek overflowing, leaving the arena under 14 feet of water. Structural damage is estimated at $2.7 million, not including the loss of the basketball floor, gymnastics equipment, wrestling mats and anything else that was being stored there.

“When I drove into school that day, it looked like a beautiful giant lake with the sun shining on it,” athletic official Tom Kroeschell said. “Then I realized something was wrong when I saw guys hanging from the trees and cars floating by the Coliseum.”

Kroeschell said workers are hurrying to get the first phase of cleanup ready before a Sept. 5 concert by Billy Ray Cyrus.

Trivia time: Tom Kite is the all-time leading money winner on the PGA Tour with $8,338,019. Who is second?

A loud swing: Al Del Greco, kicker for the Houston Oilers, wishes patrons of golf courses would take some lessons from those attending football games.

Del Greco, accustomed to the jeers of fans while attempting a crucial field goal, said a noisy golf course might help him sink a difficult putt.

“It’s worse in golf because everybody gets quiet,” he said. “You hear them saying, ‘Shhh.’ You get the feeling they should be yelling things at me. Just say something, hum or whatever.”

A weighty problem: Defensive linemen Dennis Brown and Ted Washington of the San Francisco 49ers have been allowed to return to training camp after getting their weight under control. But they have vowed not to sit next to offensive lineman Guy McIntyre at future team meals.

The 274-pound McIntyre has a reputation for eating everything in sight, claiming he needs the calories to maintain his weight.

“I eat a lot whenever I can,” McIntyre said. “Let’s see, today for lunch I had a plate of spaghetti, a bowl of soup, chicken enchiladas and a lot of Mountain Dew. Oh yeah, I had a turkey club sandwich too.”

Sorry, sir: First baseman Bob Hamelin of the Omaha Royals may beat a rap for violating the minor league ban on tobacco.

Hamelin was notified by the commissioner’s office last week that he was being fined $300 for using a tobacco product during the Royals’ game against Indianapolis on July 14. He immediately wrote a letter to the commissioner’s office, thanking it for showing concern for his health and also pointing out that Omaha didn’t play Indianapolis on July 14.

An earful: Denver Bronco linebacker Karl Mecklenburg is sitting out exhibition games because of an inner ear problem that could leave him deaf.

“My understanding,” Mecklenburg said, “is there are some stones that sit on a membrane in your inner ear that help your balance, and I got those knocked loose. So now, I’ve got to move my head around and do some weird deals until they get back in place.”

Trivia answer: Paul Azinger with $6,308,819.

Quotebook: Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres, commenting on how intimidating Will Clark of the San Francisco Giants was after a recent game: “He gave me that Nuschler look. His middle name’s Nuschler. Will Nuschler Clark. You know that stare he gives sometimes at pitchers? He just looked at me.”