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To know list: 7 reasons to eat lunch at your desk this Thursday and Friday

Sporting News, The, March 25, 2005

[1] STARS AND STRIPES

The All-Call Hall

The refs stink! (See Charley Rosen's guest column on page 6.) OK, maybe they aren't so terrible after all. (See NBA Insider Sean Deveney's story on page 30.)

No matter where you stand on the stripes, there's no denying that everything went these players' way--especially when they didn't deserve it.

Larry Bird. The man shot 1,012 playoff free throws and fouled out once. What, was he wielding a chain saw that night?

Wayne Gretzky. There's a mom at the playground who freaks every time her perfectly healthy and strong kid takes a spill. We call him the Great One. And her the Head Linesman.

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Shane Battier. I've got to believe that one time at Duke when he shoestring-tackled the guy on a three-on-one fast break, it wasn't a charge.

Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. Yeah, yeah, we get it--they've got great aim. It just so happens they've spent less time in strike zones than Wal-Mart execs.

Reggie Miller. Where does it say in the rulebook that a player is to be rewarded with free throws for kicking the nearest defender in the groin on a 3-point attempt?

Sugar Ray Leonard. "Tough tomato cans, Marvin Hagler; you can pummel me until next Tuesday, and they'll still give me the decision."

Dan Marino. To the untrained eye, that appeared to be his right foot creeping a mile and a half into the backfield before every single stinkin' snap.--Steve Greenberg

[2] IN TRAINING

The shortlist of new starters

A's shortstop Bobby Crosby was the American League Rookie of the Year last season, and Padres shortstop Khalil Greene finished second in the N.L. balloting. This year's rookie crop includes four more shortstops of note, two in each league:

J.J. Hardy, Brewers. Bench coach Rich Dauer calls Hardy a "new-age Belanger," referring to the late Mark Belanger, Dauer's former teammate with the Orioles. Hardy, 6-2 and 181 pounds, should prove a better hitter than Belanger, who was 6-1, 170. Some Brewers officials say Hardy possesses the best instincts on the team.

Clint Barmes, Rockies. Barmes is similar to the Diamondbacks' Craig Counsell, a player with modest tools but a winning edge. "He's made as much improvement in three years as I've seen a shortstop make," says former major league shortstop Walt Weiss, a special assignment coach with the Rockies.

Jason Bartlett, Twins, Some scouts question his throwing accuracy, but Bartlett projects as a No. 2 hitter with doubles power. He rates as a typical Twins heist--G.M. Terry Ryan acquired him from the Padres for outfielder Brian Buchanan in July 2002.

Russ Adams, Blue Jays. Perhaps the weakest player in this group, Adams might not be strong enough defensively to remain an everyday shortstop in the majors.--Ken Rosenthal

[3] NFL MEETINGS

A jam-packed dance card

No one expects commissioner Paul Tagliabue and players association president Gene Upshaw to do the hula at the NFL meetings next week on Maui, but team owners and executives will spend plenty of time trying to make that happen.

The most important item on the agenda is discussing how to move closer to an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, which expires in 2008. If no agreement is reached in the next year, the salary cap will not be in effect in 2007. The issue already is causing problems with player contracts, so team owners have to debate the merits of giving players a bigger piece of the pie.

Ongoing negotiations with television networks also will be discussed. The latest thought: The Monday night package could go to ESPN, with the Sunday night package going to ABC, FOX or NBC.

The league's competition committee will present a report on the growing number of injuries and could recommend a modification of rules governing low blocks. Other competition committee issues include how the overtime period should be run and the number of players allowed to dress for each game.--Dan Pompei

[4] FIRED UP

Not a bad career track

Who says being fired is a career killer? It sure hasn't hurt John Willenborg, who appeared in six episodes of NBC's second season of The Apprentice before being dismissed by Donald Trump. Willenborg now is a field reporter for the new show NASCAR Nation, which debuted last month and is televised at 7 p.m. ET Mondays-Thursdays on the Speed Channel. "I do all of the dangerous stuff and tell everyone what it's like," he says.

Willenborg, 24, has been a NASCAR fan since childhood, interned for the Speed Channel in college and counts racing as one of his hobbies. So, what's more intimidating, a car going 160 mph or a glare from Trump in the boardroom? Willenborg laughs. "Is the car heading at me? Trump is scary. I'm more nervous in the boardroom than I am behind the wheel of a racecar, I will say that."--Tricia Garner

[5] HEAVY DUTY

Lorenzen goes back to work

Remember Jared Lorenzen, the "Hefty Lefty" from Kentucky? The quarterback signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent last spring, but he didn't report to camp after being told by coach Tom Coughlin to show up weighing less than 300 pounds. Lorenzen told people the Giants had cut him, but in fact they retained his rights. Now Lorenzen has told the team he will resurface in its offseason conditioning program next week.--D.P.

To know list: 7 reasons to eat lunch at your desk this Thursday and Friday

Sporting News, The, March 25, 2005

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