At Least He Didn’t Form a Committee to Study It

In Atlanta, they are having a small disagreement about who is going to pay for getting the city ready for Super Bowl XXVIII in January.

It’s going to cost $420,000, and that’s not counting $300,000 the city already agreed to pay to get the event, according to Mayor Maynard Jackson.

The problem is that several Atlanta public officials were surprised to learn that the Super Bowl Host Committee expected the city, state and Fulton County governments to come up with the $300,000.

What to do? Mayor Jackson has come up with a plan: “We will try to get the cash.”

Good idea.

Trivia time: What three jockeys are tied for the most number of Breeders’ Cup victories?

Big role: Are you tall? Can you dribble? Can you carry a tune? Then Broadway wants you.

Producer Gene Corman is looking for a 6-foot-10, athletic, young, singing actor to play George Mikan in the a musical play, “Big George.”

History lesson: Exactly 35 years ago today, the Rams set an NFL attendance record when 90,833 were in the Coliseum to watch the Rams beat the Chicago Bears, 41-35.

Turnstile count: The Rose Bowl crowd of 65,656 for UCLA’s game against Arizona on Saturday night is the high point in home attendance this year among the Bruins, USC, the Raiders and Rams.

In fact, USC hasn’t hit 50,000 in three games, the Rams have failed to reach 51,000 in three and the Raiders’ biggest crowd in four games is the 50,000 they estimated at their home opener against Minnesota.

Really?This from General Manager Jerry Krause of the Chicago Bulls in a story in the December issue of Inside Sports: “There is a loyalty on the part of the fans for their team, but fans are more critical of players today and that’s because of the high salaries.”

Wow, what a bulletin.

Market report: Playoff and World Series underachiever Rickey Henderson has hired Dennis Gilbert as his agent. It might be the biggest professional challenge for Gilbert, who also handles Barry Bonds.

Diet news: According to Peter Gammons of the Boston Globe, Phillie Manager Jim Fregosi had this to say about pudgy pitcher David West when asked if the World Series experience--he had trouble getting anyone out--had destroyed West’s psyche: “It doesn’t stop him from eating after the games.”

Double faults: In a spirit-of-Thanksgiving column, Mark Preston of Tennis magazine wrote: “I’m thankful Vince Coleman and Bret Saberhagen don’t play tennis.”

Trivia answer: Pat Day, Laffit Pincay and Pat Valenzuela are all tied with six.

Quotebook: Former Marquette basketball coach Al McGuire, suggesting “Explorers” as the new school nickname, now that “Warriors” is being eliminated: “Father (Jacques) Marquette was an explorer and he’s always pictured pointing. Of course, he was probably pointing toward Europe and thinking, ‘Get me back to France.’ ”