He’s Looking Forward to a Super Bawl

Bernie Lincicome in the Chicago Tribune: “It is just as well that Dick Vermeil has not puddled up this week because his tears would have frozen to his cheeks and how silly would that look?

“A grown man with icicles on his face. At the Super Bowl.

“Still, I’m disappointed at Vermeil’s self-control because I was promised tears and now I’m going to have to wait through a whole football game to see them.

“ ‘He’ll cry if the game film is in focus,’ St. Louis defensive end Ray Agnew said.”

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Trivia time: Who scored the first touchdown in the first Super Bowl game at the Coliseum in 1967?

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Sharp needle: Former San Diego Charger quarterback and San Francisco TV sports anchor Dan Fouts, after receiving a smattering of applause when introduced as the master of ceremonies of the NFL’s player-of-the-year news conference in Atlanta:

“It’s always difficult to make your way to the podium as the ovation dies down. Thank you for your show of indifference.”

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He’s back! Peter Vecsey in the New York Post: ‘And you wonder what Mark Cuban, the [Dallas] Mavericks’ owner-in-waiting, sees in Dennis Rodman? Evidently he needs a leader for this freak show.

“Once Rodman joins Don Nelson’s circus, Cuban’s next act will be to recruit John Rocker as director of community relations. What could be bigger than the Worm and the Germ?”

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Class act: Steve Rosenbloom in the Chicago Tribune: “Remember how Twisted Sister suddenly acted all sanctimonious in asking the Braves to stop playing their song, ‘I Wanna Rock,’ when Rocker came into the game because of Rocker’s controversial comments in Sports Illustrated?

“Well, those moral bellwethers are the proud authors of these lovely lyrics: ‘If they wanna play, then let’s make them pay. Shoot them down with a [expletive] gun.’ ”

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Loyal guy: Dan Shaughnessy in the Boston Globe: “Bill Belichick’s behavior in recent weeks indicates he might be enough of a wacko to be an effective NFL head coach.

“The Patriots’ new major domo is a man who accepted a $1-million bonus to stay with the Jets after the 1998 season, signed a contract that would keep him in New York through 2002, quit his job, lied about reasons for quitting, claiming it was restricting him from making a living.

“Oh, then he asked the Jets if they’d take him back.”

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Trivia answer: Green Bay’s Max McGee, on a 37-yard pass from Bart Starr. The Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.

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And finally: Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Whether or not the Rams win [today], they get points for keeping Tampa Bay, 28th in the NFL in total offense, 30th in passing offense, out of the big game.

“ ‘Keeping the Buccaneers home,’ says Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times, ‘is a gift to sports fans similar to keeping fungus out of the clubhouse shower.’ ”