Get on the Bus, Gus, and Join the Madden Crowd

NFL television analyst John Madden is buying a new bus for next season but the one he’s replacing is hardly Kramdenesque, according to Richard Sandomir of the New York Times:

“[It includes] three TVs, including one in the bedroom, which is dominated by a queen-size bed and desk with swivel chair; a sofa and four cushy leather chairs; a galley with a microwave to cook high-cholesterol food, and a refrigerator stocked with Dr Pepper, which he endorses (so don’t ask for Diet Coke), and a satellite dish on the roof that lets him watch games on the move (with occasional breakup and loss of signal).”

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Trivia time: Which school holds the Pacific 10 Conference record for the most consecutive football victories?

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Outraged: Glenn Dickey in the San Francisco Chronicle before the Raiders played the St. Louis Rams Sunday:

“These impostors aren’t the Oakland Raiders. From owner to players, they’re desecrating the reputation of a great franchise. They should give up the name of Raiders and take something more appropriate. Buffoons, perhaps.”

Dickey may be mollified by the Raiders’ 35-17 victory over the Rams.

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Fan flight: From syndicated columnist Norman Chad: “The state of Alaska averages just one person per square mile, which puts it on par with the Liberty Bowl during most Oilers’ games.”

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For the record: The way they play, Archie Manning might well be an improvement for the Oilers at quarterback, but it really is son Peyton Manning they are hoping to draft next spring. Morning Briefing mixed up father and son Monday.

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The only winner: Steve Rosenbloom in the Chicago Tribune: “Contemplate that we live in a town where the Bulls win more games than the Cubs and lose fewer than the Bears.”

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No experience necessary: Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones has said he sometimes considers coaching the team. Why not, asks Denver Post columnist Woody Paige.

“If Rich Kotite could be a head coach in the National Football League [with two teams], then anybody, Jones included, should be able to do it.”

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Cheap shot: Peter Vecsey of the New York Post on Knick center Patrick Ewing’s election as president of the NBA Players Assn.:

“It’s the first time in 12 years he’s won anything. I hear the league’s plan is to elect him champion.”

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FYI: In losing to Stanford on Saturday, 58-49, Oregon tied a Pacific 10 record for most points scored by a losing team in a regulation game. Washington had 49 points in losing to California in 1973, 54-49.

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Trivia answer: USC, with 25 from 1931 to 1933.

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And finally: John McEnroe commenting on the $1.5 million earned by Pete Sampras for winning the Grand Slam Cup in Munich, Germany:

“The money on offer is obscene and it made the players look like money whores.”