HOTBOX

Sporting News, The, May 31, 1999

Actors love athletes--just ask Carmen Electra (pardon, the archaic reference). Maybe love is too strong a word--let's just say actors respect athletes. Last week in La-La Land, actor Mark Harmon, who chucked the pigskin at UCLA (but was never quite as good as his Heisman Trophy-winning father, Tom), talked with some of his buds from the visiting Astros, including two-thirds of the Killer B's (Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell) and an S--as in Bill Spiers. We aren't exactly sure what they talked about, but we are sure Harmon could offer advice on two things--how to keep your job (he survived the recent cast overhaul on CBS' Chicago Hope) and how to make a lame baseball movie. Doubt us? Check out Stealing Home.

POOR, BILL, YEAH, RIGHT: Bill Bidwill, owner of the Cardinals, will not be getting the new stadium he sought after voters rejected a stadium proposal (insert your own Devalued Bill joke here), NFL spokesman Greg Aiello had this to say about the situation: "While the voters have spoken on this particular proposal, and we respect their decision, the issues of fan comfort and a competitive stadium remain very real ones for the Arizona Cardinals." Spoken like a guy who works for a league that has no chance of stopping Bidwill from moving again if he decides to. Several options still exist for the Cardinals in Phoenix--like upgrading Sun Devil Stadium and pursuing funding for another stadium in the Valley of the Sun--but another option for Bidwill is Houston, where some local investors are jonesing for a franchise. If Bidwill decides to move to Houston, the club would have to change its nickname, though, because the blending of Houston's old NFL nickname (the Oilers) with the Cardinals just doesn't seem ecologically prudent. Perhaps, the Two-Timers would be a better nickname as homage to the football fans in St. Louis and Phoenix.

THE FILM BOX: We figured you were already bored with all that Phantom Menace hype (and if you aren't, you should be and what's with that Darth Maul's face? Don't they have sunscreen in space?), so we would like to offer a little news on the sports movies front. For Love of the Game, scheduled for a September 17 release, stars Kevin Costner as a veteran Tigers pitcher whose career is winding down. Costner plays Billy Chapel, who is pitching a perfecto against the Yankees, is losing his sweetie (Kelly Preston) and is about to be traded. Just remember, folks: Costner plus baseball equals good time at the Cineplex, while Costner plus water/mail equals don't bother going. Also, round about August, filming will begin for the movie The Replacements, starring Keanu Reeves. It's a period piece, set way back in 1987--when Sonny Crockett roamed the Earth--during the NFL players strike. Reeves plays a replacement player for the Redskins, and the film follows Reeves and his fellow stand-ins. Should be an easy enough role for Keanu--he has been a replacement actor for many years.