Vacation Plans Mapped Out for ‘Mr. Irrelevant’

As the last player selected in the recent NFL draft--by Green Bay--Army quarterback Ronnie McAda will be honored during the annual Irrelevant Week celebration June 22-27 in Newport Beach.

Even though McAda still has service commitments, he plans to spend his leave each year in Green Bay’s training camp, prompting Packer Coach Mike Holmgren to say:

“I’m sure every guy wants to spend his vacation time getting yelled at in training camp.”

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Add Packers: Direct inheritance is the only way Green Bay Packer stock can be transferred.

Packer fan Joan Bartig recalls a classified ad that once appeared in the Green Bay Press-Gazette: “38-year-old male available for adoption. Parents must have Packer stock.”

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Trivia time: Joe DiMaggio holds the major league record for the longest hitting streak at 56 games. Who is the runner-up?

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Select itinerary: Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune on Rick Pitino: “My, what a coincidence that his ‘book tour’ has taken him to Boston, Orlando and Philadelphia. What, they don’t buy books in cities that have secure NBA coaches?”

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Trashing Luc: Syndicated columnist Norman Chad, pointing out that the Chicago Bulls are 141-23 the last two regular seasons with Luc Longley at center:

“Folks, if [Michael] Jordan’s Bulls can win 70 games a season with Luc Longley at center, you have to figure they’d win at least 60 with Herman Munster in the middle.”

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Typical employee? Charlotte owner George Shinn on former Hornet Larry Johnson, now with the New York Knicks: “All Larry did down here was complain and collect his paycheck.”

So what’s new? New Jersey Net Coach John Calipari has a $15-million contract. His predecessor, Butch Beard, earned $300,000 for one year and won four more games than Calipari.

When Beard was fired he said, “They can bring in [Rick] Pitino or Calipari or whomever and it won’t change a damn thing.”

It seems Beard knew what he was talking about.

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Looking back: On this day in 1992, Jordan scored 56 points as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Miami Heat, 119-114, to sweep the opening-round playoff series, 3-0.

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Trivia answer: Pete Rose in 1978, 44 games. (Wee Willie Keeler also hit in 44 in a row, in 1897.)

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And finally: Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News writes that Vinny Cerrato, now the player personnel director of the San Francisco 49ers, became a legend in college recruiting circles when he was an assistant coach at Notre Dame:

“This occurred at the 1989 Fiesta Bowl, as Notre Dame was in the process of winning a national title.

“Cerrato stood near the team bench with his cellular phone and dialed up high school recruits, making sure they could hear the crowd noise as he sold them on the chance to play in a bowl with the Irish.”