Caught on the Fly

Sporting News, The, Oct 30, 2000

Hey, didn't you used to be the get-competitive-quick expansion franchises?

* Yappy-hour twofers at the Rumorama, where the dish is always fresh but the college coaches are canned: 1. Dennis Erickson's good as signed, sealed, delivered to ol' SC; 2. TCU's Dennis Franchione is sexiest name floatin' at the top of Mizzou's verrry short wish list.

* While strictly amateurs talk about his gap-sweet swing and .387 A-V-G this season, bird dogs tell Fly that Ichiro's speed, relative youth (28 last weekend) and "plus" throwing arm are what make him a starting outfielder for the M's on O.D. '01.

* Oh-n-fourgone conclusion is T-Bay heat's on Keyshawn, but NFL wonks whisper that the problem's not No. 19. It's kid QB's understandable inaccuracy when Les (Is No More ... 0, That Is) Steckel finally dusts off (gasp!) a downfield pass. When all else fails, blame the coordinator.

* Buzz is you-n-Fly'd better get used to hearin' this rent-a-player refrain (to the tune-o-"Somethin' for Nothin'") by NHL on-the-block-heads: John LeClair, Joe Sakic, Rob Blake and Jeremy Roenick.

* Prime 'vine is that last year's Final Four "Smackdown in the Semis" between Mich-State-n-Wiscansin was ground zero for NCAA czars sendin for rules' re-enforcement. When the season starts, you'll be seein' less clutch-n-grab, low-post backdown and cutter clothes-line. Hallelujah, peach basket-breath.

* The Spies say the Lakes inhaled first whiff of instability from Isaiah Rider last week when he blew off treatment for an ankle sprain. He suffered the wrath-o-Phil, whose bud-nipping point was made in the 24 mostly meaningless min.'s Rider spent hopping/limping, no sub in sight, in an exhibition against the Suns.

* Any wonder AkiLLLLLLi Smith is, his daddy tells the Spies, feelin' lower than, well, a Bungals QB's passer rating? Leaguewide word is the kid's hearin' footsteps, fearin' for his backside. Meantime, Cincy fans (both of 'em) are utterin'--tsk, tsk--the dreaded word: Klingler.

* Fly's Top 5 or "It Takes Five Guys to Replace Jayson Williams?

What ... Are You Nets?":

1. Jim McIlvaine;

2. Evan Eschmeyer;

3. Soumaila Samake;

4. Aaron Williams;

5. Jamie Feick (eventually).

* Finally, yup, Todd Zeile winks, the route to this Series was made sweeter because it ran over the Roadkill Redbirds, who he accuses of stiffin' him on a three-year, $4-mil-per handshake agreement waaay back, back, back when (time reference: back before Fly sat-n-watched Zeile & reps do the same cha-cha last winter meetings to a fuh-yumin' Doug Melvin and the strangers).

Sportingnews.com is where the slick pick to click for a daily dose-o-Fly.

DEFT SHOT

`Losing is not in me, and I'm trying to keep it out of me.'

Bengals receiver Peter Warrick, whose Florida State teams went 45-4 in his four years there, on adjusting to Cincinnati's 1-6 start starting