Information Age Mirror Has Too Many Faces

Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press writing on the throat-slitting, chest-pounding, finger-pointing gestures of today’s pro athletes:

“Why are athletes like this today? In part, blame TV. The ‘SportsCenters’ of the world have become video bulletins for the players’ egos. They make their statement, post it and want the world to view it.

“TV has turned players into Narcissus at the water’s edge, so enthralled with their own image they set their VCRs so that they can go home and watch themselves strut.”

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Trivia time: Which Pacific 10 schools have the distinction of bringing the worst overall records into the Rose Bowl game?

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Hayseeds: Scott Ferrell of the Shreveport (La.) Times on Louisiana Tech losing to USC, 45-19, Friday at the Coliseum:

“The Bulldogs had looked Jaguar sleek most of the season. On Friday, this Bulldog team looked like the biggest jalopy to hit town since Jethro Bodine pulled up in Beverly Hills, with Jed, Granny and Ellie Mae along for the ride.”

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Come again? St. Louis quarterback Kurt Warner, after the Rams swept the 49ers this season: “We got that skeleton off our back.”

Noted Bud Geracie of the San Jose Mercury News: “I guess there’s a monkey in the closet.”

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His Airness speaks: Michael Jordan in an interview with Skip Bayless of the Chicago Tribune:

“Oh, I could still play [at a high level]. I can’t pick the ball up off the floor like I used to [palm it while dribbling because the index finger won’t grip], but I can still use these fingers [middle and third] to flick my shot.

“Man, with these new rules [less contact by defenders], I could play until I’m 60.”

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Pippen put-down: Houston’s Charles Barkley on former teammate Scottie Pippen, now with Portland: “He’s not a leader. That’s the mistake we made last year. That guy is never going to lead. He’s a nice player. But he’s just a role player. He fits in. That’s what he’s doing here [at Portland].”

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Boring bunch: Bernie Miklasz in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “The Rams lead the NFL in yards, points and cliches. The Rams may have the NFL’s most exciting offense, but they’re last in the league in good quotes.

” . . . Their locker room is where reporters’ note pads go to die.”

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Trivia answer: Washington, 6-4 in 1964. and UCLA, 6-4-1 in 1984. The Huskies lost to Illinois, 17-7. The Bruins, however, routed another Illini team, 45-9.

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And finally: New Jersey Devil enforcer Krzysztof Oliwa has taken up astronomy as a hobby. The Polish left winger has a telescope and a growing library of astronomy books.

“It’s my escape from stress,” he told the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger. “I’m like a new person after I spend some time looking at the planets and stars.

His wife, Dawn, says she has no idea what he is talking about at times.

“He is into the fact that there are aliens out there. He really feels there is life on other planets.”