Generally Speaking, Vitale Misfires on Knight Moves

Announcer Dick Vitale, in Basketball Times, wrote this about Bob Knight’s future:

“Will the General surface again? You can take that to the bank. Guaranteed. There is no doubt in my mind you will see him coaching on the college level next year.”

Not according to Steve Sloan, athletic director at Central Florida, who told the Orlando Sentinel that Knight was “unhirable.”

“In my opinion, Bob Knight is unhirable from a legal standpoint,” Sloan said.

“Think about it. What if his behavior continues the way it has and he accosts a woman? Or grabs a kid? A lawyer for the plaintiff is going to ask: ‘Didn’t you know his past history when you hired him?’ ”

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Trivia time: Which NFL running back holds the career record for longest average gain?

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Add Knight: According to Liz Mullen in SportsBusiness Journal, the General doesn’t need to coach.

“The first order of business (for Knight) is a book on his life, including his version of events that led to his firing,” Mullen wrote.

A “number” of publishers are interested in seeing the book proposal, according to Mullen, and she added there’s talk of a $2-million advance.

Sandy Montag, vice-president for sports marketing at International Management Group, said Knight could command $30,000 per speech on the lecture circuit.

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Are you ready? With women’s professional basketball established and a soccer league on its way, what about women’s pro football?

It’s already here.

The Women’s Professional Football League’s first season is underway, with 11 teams--three in Florida, two in both Texas and New York and others in New England, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Colorado.

“We all started out as football fans, with our brothers and Dads, watching it on TV,” said Jodi Armstrong, a newspaper copy editor who plays for the Minnesota Vixens.

Players make roughly $100 per game and the WPFL’s rules are the same as the NFL’s except for two: A smaller ball is used (to better fit a woman’s hand) and there is no blocking below the waist.

So far, attendance is well under the hoped-for 3,000 per game.

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Looking back: On this date in 1956, the Brooklyn Dodgers announced the sale of Ebbets Field to developer Marvin Kratter, who later demolished it and built a housing project on the site.

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Trivia answer: Jim Brown, 5.22 yards per carry.

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And finally: From SportsBusiness Journal columnist Bert Sugar, writing about NBA star Allen Iverson’s controversial lyrics in a rap music album: “The NBA now has a John Rocker-esque problem on its hands.”