Power of Press Doesn’t Impress These Guys

Gene Wojciechowski of the Chicago Tribune comparing the Bears and Green Bay Packers:

“The Bears haven’t always appreciated the media. A reporter once approached [Jim] McMahon after a game and said, ‘Are you in pain?’ McMahon said: ‘Only when I look at you.’

“The Packers haven’t always appreciated the media. A persistent radio reporter kept sticking a microphone in [Vince] Lombardi’s face, causing Lombardi to snarl, ‘You’d stick that thing in a coffin.’ ”

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Trivia time: What is the record for the most overtime periods in a USC-UCLA basketball game?

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Grisly thought: Before the Dennis Rodman kicking incident in Minneapolis last week, the Washington Bullets’ Tim Legler watched Rodman conduct a news conference while on the move and surrounded by a pack of backpedaling reporters after grabbing his 10,000th rebound.

Said Legler: “I thought they were moving Hannibal Lecter.”

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Scorecard: From David Letterman: “Oksana Baiul over the weekend lost control of her car and was arrested for driving under the influence. According to police reports, her blood alcohol level was .16, .16, .15, .16, .16, .16, .16, .15 and .14 from the East German judge.”

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It’s all over: The Packers will be wearing their home green jerseys in the Super Bowl, which gives them a psychological advantage over the New England Patriots, whose lighter uniforms make them appear weaker, according to an expert in color psychology.

“The darker the color combination, the more physical weight an object can appear to have,” Samuelle Easton said. “Green and gold will tackle harder.”

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Even money next? British bookmakers previously listed Tiger Woods at 6-1 to win a major championship this year. After winning the Mercedes Championship in a one-hole playoff with Tom Lehman, those odds have been slashed to 7-2.

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Please come: New Orleans Saint owner Tom Benson sent out job application forms to several prospects for the team’s head coaching position, including former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz.

According to the Chicago Tribune, two of the questions were whether the coach would be willing to move to New Orleans if hired and be willing to work weekends.

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FYI: Only two defensive backs have won the most-valuable-player award in the Super Bowl: Larry Brown of the Dallas Cowboys in 1996 and Jake Scott of the Miami Dolphins in 1973.

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Trivia answer: Four, on Feb. 28, 1985, at Pauley Pavilion. USC won, 80-78. Earlier in the season, USC beat UCLA, 78-77, in two overtimes at the Sports Arena.

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And finally: Dennis Rodman at the Super Bowl? That’s what Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser is thinking, especially since it’s in New Orleans.

“He’d barely stand out among the transvestite strippers, voodoo priests, Tarot card readers, street musicians and costumed psychics in billowing satins,” Kornheiser wrote. “Come to think of it, Rodman’s got nothing to do for a while, so he ought to come down.”