Plans for Las Vegas Tournaments Went Bust

College presidents, athletic directors and members of Congress were startled last week after learning that Cincinnati basketball promoter Chris Spencer scheduled three college tournaments at a Las Vegas casino.

This, after Congress was preparing NCAA-supported legislation that would outlaw Nevada gambling on college sports.

Many went ballistic over the news, including the Washington Post’s Tony Kornheiser.

“Are you people nuts?” he wrote.

“It doesn’t matter if the court is 400 yards away from the actual casino or four feet away--YOU CAN’T PLAY THERE.

“You can’t make the argument that players won’t actually walk past a slot machine on their way from the layup line to the scorer’s table--are you kidding me? What do you call that precious technicality, the Ostrich Defense?

“The NCAA sends speakers to campus to lecture about the evils of point-shaving and dumping games, and show photos of college players actually going to jail for gambling.

“Again, are you people nuts?

“Do you need a dictionary definition of the word ‘hypocrisy?’ ”?

Point made. The promoter said the three tournaments would be moved.

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Trivia time: What was Lou Gehrig’s highest salary?

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No way: When no one knew how long that train would burn in a Baltimore tunnel, the Washington Post’s William Gildea wondered if the Orioles could have played some games in Washington’s RFK Stadium.

Only if the train burned for a month, he was told.

“For us to have the stadium in major league condition, it would take about four weeks,” stadium official Bobby Goldwater said.

“There’s no infield, we’d have to move seats around; there’s grass where there shouldn’t be grass and there’s dirt where there should be grass.”

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Looking back: Fifty years ago this summer, Topps introduced its first baseball cards. Among the first players featured: Yogi Berra, Bob Feller, Ralph Kiner, Duke Snider and Warren Spahn.

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For what it’s worth: Houston Astro outfielders Moises Alou and Lance Berkman, who were hitting .357 and .351 going into Tuesday’s game, could be the first National League teammates to finish 1-2 in the batting race since the New York Giants’ Willie Mays (.345) and Don Mueller (.342) in 1954.

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Double speak: Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News, on a recent statement by former Jet coach Bill Parcells:

“What Bill Parcells said: ‘I don’t know why I have to sign an affidavit about the future. I feel pretty much the same as when I stopped coaching. I believe my career is over.’

“What Bill Parcells meant to say: ‘Nothing has changed. I’m still the master fence-straddler and media manipulator. I’ll be talking again in December when all those coaching vacancies open up. Have a nice day.’ ”

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Trivia answer: $39,000, for the New York Yankees in 1937.

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And finally: The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick on the logo for the NBA’s new developmental league, which depicts a player dunking:

“This is the logo for the NBA’s developmental league, for players whose skills need work.”