Eyes of Texas Are Upon Seifert, Not Donahue

Despite media conjecture to the contrary, Terry Donahue insists he won’t be the next coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

I believe him.

George Seifert will be the Cowboys’ next coach.

The Donahue speculation persists because of his friendship with his former UCLA quarterback, Troy Aikman. But Aikman will not decide who takes over after the inevitable firing of Barry Switzer. Jerry Jones will.

None of the reasons he prefers Seifert has much to do much with football, although not even Jones’ critics will argue that the man who coached San Francisco to two Super Bowl titles is a frivolous choice.

Jones will hire Seifert because:

1. It would give Eddie DeBartolo another headache.

Out of respect for the organization, Jones’ favorite rivalry is still with the 49ers. He enjoyed nothing more than beating them with two of their former stars, Charles Haley and Deion Sanders, in Cowboy uniforms and would be equally ecstatic to beat them with their former coach.

2. It would be good business.

Or, as they say in Texas, bidness. If Jones expects to continue attracting multimillion dollar sponsorships, he knows he needs to clean up the Cowboys’ image. Except for Tom Landry, no one is cleaner than Seifert.

3. He can.

Few thought Sanders could be enticed out of San Francisco until Jones made an offer that not even Carmen Policy could figure out how to match. When it comes to the Cowboys, Jones appears willing to commit almost unlimited resources.

I say almost unlimited. Paul Allen could make the bidding interesting if his Seattle Seahawks, as rumored, decide they want Seifert.

Then Seifert would have to choose. Does he want to build a team around a nucleus that includes Aikman at quarterback?

Or Jon Kitna?

If Seifert chooses the Cowboys, look for Jones to make the announcement during the week of the Super Bowl in San Diego. It will be his way of crashing the party to which his team isn’t invited.

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I suppose I should apologize for my preseason prediction that the New York Giants would finish first in the race for Peyton Manning. . . .

I didn’t know the Giants’ John Fox was that good a defensive coordinator. . . .

Neither did Al Davis. . . .

Fox says he quit as the Raider defensive coordinator before last season because of harassment from Davis. . . .

According to the New York Times, Davis is involved in a lawsuit with the NFL that would prevent expansion teams from including black in their uniforms. . . .

As for our next NFL team, the Los Angeles Business Journal reports that Mayor Richard Riordan’s commitment to the Coliseum isn’t as firm as before. . . .

Perhaps he’s finally hearing what NFL officials have been saying for three years, that the Coliseum is a two-time loser that doesn’t deserve a third chance. . . .

In her insightful article for this month’s issue of Los Angeles magazine on Rupert Murdoch, former Herald-Examiner columnist Diane K. Shah calls the campaign by Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas and others to convince the NFL otherwise a “Custer-like stand.” . . .

Maybe it’s time for Riordan to send for Peter O’Malley on the sideline. . . .

Coliseum supporters can’t help but feel beleaguered. . . .

It seems now as if no one except John Robinson wants to coach there. . . .

One name mentioned has been the Seattle Seahawks’ Dennis Erickson, who, according to media speculation, will be looking for a job next week. . . .

But he has yet to be contacted by anyone at USC. . . .

The word is, he’s no fan of Los Angeles. . . .

Maybe he hasn’t seen the Getty Museum. . . .

Ross Porter shot a hole in one last week. . . .

Playing the par-three, 118-yard 15th hole at Sunrise Country Club in Palm Springs, he used a pitching wedge. . . .

He is the first Dodger broadcaster this off-season with an ace. . . .

It was his second. . . .

He got the first in 1992. . . .

Gift idea for golfers: “Masters of the Links,” a collection of loving essays about courses by their architects. . . .

It was edited by Geoff Shackleford, son of former UCLA basketball star Lynn Shackleford. . . .

Gift idea for UCLA basketball players: Alarm clocks.

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While wondering why we don’t call Canton right now and put Jerry Rice in the Hall of Fame, I was thinking: Joe Montana, Barry Sanders and Reggie White too, and Rice’s knee surgeon.