CAUGHT ON THE FLY

Hey, didn’t you used to be the Colorado Avalanche?

You-n-Fly know the best (read: 1 vs. 2) Pac-10/Big Ten matchup’s gonna be in Tempe come January. But Rose Bowl suits elbow, wink-n-whisper: “Notre Dame vs. Nebraska wouldn’t be bad.” Yeah, yeah, Wiscansin’s another Pasadena possibility, but forced to make a choice between, say, two 10-1s don’t expect Big Ten commish Jim Delany to need no stinking Badgers because, remember, he’s pitchin’ serious woo at the Irish.

The Spies say ‘Phins fans should read between the lines when J.J. speaks so glowingly about Daunte Culpepper. Preparing for his Aqua-n-Orange A.D. (After Dan)? Ol’ Helmet Hair just chuckles about the prospect of tradin’ up in the spring’s draft.

Fly’s Top 5 or “Hey, season-ducat holders prepare to dish out Mo money if/when we sign him”: 1. Pinstripes; 2. Orioles; 3. Mets; 4. Dodgers; 5. Angels.

Prime ‘vine in Tags’ little show: The Packers (rhymes with “slackers”) are lackin’ on the rush (offensive and pass), and it’s startin’ to take toll. Fly’s pal Wile E. Walsh says the Vikes debuted in prime time what the rest of this here league’s showin’ in repeats. And speaking of repeats, don’t expect one come playoffs time, processedcheesefoodproductheads.

Speaking of things up Green Bay way, the Spies say the Deadskins’re pressin’ nose against Packer glass, window-shoppin’ for their next coach and G.M. rolled into one Mike Holmgren-sized package, which is a big package . . . especially if you count the “I gotta run my own show” ego. (Pssst, there’s a reason Pack ownership won’t 86 Ron Wolf to elevate Holmgren; they know Wolf’s more valuable.)

Since his team took an ALCSta, Grover’s had time to put together an off-season to-do list for John Hart and . . . hey, it looks just like last year’s! 1. “Our rotation could be improved”; 2. “The back end of our bullpen, we’d like to see a little bit of help”; 3. “Second base has been a problem.”

Fresh from the Rumorama (where the featured dish is always pipin’ hot): When the Ray Rhodes Show closes in Philly (waaay off-Broad Street), his next stop’ll be Ballimer, where Ted Marchibroda’s hiss-toe-ree. Rhodes and Ravens veep Ozzie Newsome’re thistight and that’ll move Art Modell (insert Browns vitriol here).

Finally, you-n-Fly caught a case-o-Midnight Madness over the same weekend Formerly Most Powerful Dave was timin’ labor contractions. Hey-yo, union prez Pat Ewing’s wagin’ Norma Rae-like D of the status quo . . . especially the part that lets him earn $18 mil a year. Bottom linin’ it: Now that college hoops is started, basketball’s alive-n-well, just not in the overcoached, overlegislated and overpaid world of the NBabies.