They’re Taking the Air Out of Jordan

Thomas Boswell in the Washington Post, commenting on “the dirge of doubts” about Michael Jordan’s remaining ability:

“Jordan faces so many skeptics, you’d think he was 88, not 38. To hear people talk, you’d assume he was picked as the greatest athlete of the 19th century.”

A sampling from the doubters:

* Red Auerbach, former Boston Celtic coach and general manager: “In the beginning, it will be great. In the middle, it’s going to be fair. In February, he may be saying, ‘What the hell am I doing here?”’

* Former Georgetown Coach John Thompson: “All that stuff about him jumping from the foul line [to dunk] is over. His game is going to be on the floor now. We’re going to start calling him Floor Jordan.”

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More on Jordan: Boswell doesn’t agree: “Don’t worry about Mike. Worry about the guys who have to guard him. The fun is just resuming.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NCAA Division I-A record for touchdown passes in a game?

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Lax executive: Adrian Wojnarowski of the Bergen (N.J.) Record writes that Jordan was no Wiz as a Washington Wizard executive:

“For most of two years, he mailed the job in to Washington, dishonoring his promise to have his ‘imprints and fingerprints’ on his team.

“Mostly, his fingerprints were on the satellite remote in his suburban Chicago living room, far from the responsibilities it takes to change the course of a lost cause such as the Wizards.”

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Change needed: Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated is hopeful that sports can now be put in perspective in the wake of the terrorist attacks:

“Let’s hope television stations start showing the playing of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ again .... Let’s hope Upper Deck comes out with a line of fireman and policeman trading cards .... Let’s hope the first golf commentator to call a putt ‘courageous’ gets his mousse taken away for a month.”

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Praise indeed: Sam Clancy, father of USC basketball standout player Sam Clancy Jr., has a younger son, Samario, a high school junior in Cleveland.

“He’s only 6-foot-4 but he’s a better athlete than my oldest son,” Clancy told Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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Spread the word: Stanford quarterback Randy Fasani told Brad Weinstein of the San Francisco Chronicle that the Cardinal should be ranked higher than 27th in the Associated Press poll.

“I think we belong in the top 10, not just the top 25,” Fasani said. “We want to put Stanford football on the map. We want people to talk about us.”

Weinstein: “Coach Tyrone Willingham would prefer to hear the chatter three months from now.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1972, UCLA routed Oregon, 65-20, at the Coliseum. And, on the same day in 1934, USC edged College of Pacific, 6-0, at the Coliseum.

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Trivia answer: David Klingler of Houston, 11, against Eastern Washington on Nov. 17, 1990.

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And finally: While Barry Bonds pursues baseball’s record for home runs in a season, Todd McFarlane cringes every time Bonds hits one out of a park.

McFarlane spent $3 million to acquire Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball in 1998.

“I can see myself holding up a big sign [at Pacific Bell Park] reading, ‘I won’t whine if you end up at 69,’ ” adding, “I’m either looked at as the idiot who bought that expensive ball, or the idiot who bought the ball that was expensive but isn’t anymore.”