Columnist Dean Juipe: Chang leaves as he arrived

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998 | 10:45 a.m.

Michael, we hardly knew ya.

Of course, that's the way you wanted it and, as it turns out, that's the way it went during your seven years of residency in the Las Vegas valley.

A very private individual despite being in the public eye, tennis star Michael Chang has sold his home in the Green Valley area and moved to Mercer Island, Wash. He leaves more or less as he arrived in Nevada: quietly.

Chang wasn't totally inaccessible during his stay here, nor was he pressured to give interviews in a city loaded with celebrities. But few saw him out and about unless they happened to bump into him at Lake Mead -- where he had a boat -- or occasionally at UNLV, where he periodically practiced.

Best known for being the youngest French Open and Grand Slam champion in history, Chang skyrocketed to fame with his 1989 win in Paris. Defeating Stefan Edberg in the five-set final, Chang was 17 years, 3 months old at the time.

Still looking for his second Grand Slam victory, he'll turn 26 in two weeks. He'll celebrate, it's assumed, on Mercer Island.

Extensive celebrations are also expected in Germany and Norway as the Winter Olympics unfold. Based on projections, Germany will lead the final medal standings with 26 total, including 10 gold. Norway is anticipating 21 medals, including nine gold. The pre-Olympics view had the United States in fifth place with 13 total medals, including four gold. ... U.S. bobsledder Chip Minton, a rugged 245-pounder, makes his everyday living as a professional wrestler. He's known as "Mr. World Class" on the grappling circuit. ... The feuding women's professional basketball leagues -- the ABL and the WNBA -- missed an opportunity for peace when the WNBA rejected the ABL's proposal for an all-star game pitting one league against the other. ... The women's leagues agree on one thing: Neither is allowing players to turn professional until their senior class in college has graduated.

Clark High School is replacing the turf on its football field, named after Angelo Collis. ... The PGA Tour is at least giving thought to moving the AT&T National Pro Am -- which was washed out last week -- into the October slot now occupied by the Las Vegas Invitational. The AT&T tournament is habitually beset by bad weather and there are those who would like to have it trade places with the LVI. ... If the jury gets a look at his right leg, pro golfer Casey Martin will certainly win his lawsuit against the PGA Tour and be allowed to use a cart during tournament play. The leg is withering and looks awful, which makes it all the more remarkable Martin can play at such a high level. ... During that same trial, tour officials were asked why those on the PGA Senior Tour are allowed to use carts. "The Senior Tour is part exhibition," was the reply, which is something that has never before been admitted. ... Pro golfer Tom Kite is sporting a new look at age 48. Following surgery, he's no longer wearing glasses.

Colorado State may be 18-4 but voters in the Associated Press men's basketball poll remain unimpressed. CSU not only isn't in the top 25, it received only three votes in this week's survey. ... It doesn't make any sense to tell a coach he's going to be fired at the end of the season and then let him stay on through the final game, as they're doing at Alabama with David Hobbs. The Tide is 10-12 this season, which is Hobbs' sixth at the school. He's 114-84 overall yet has already been told he's gone when the SEC season is over. ... Attendance at last Thursday's UNLV at Air Force game was a paltry 1,017. In the not too distant past, the Rebels brought that many fans with them. ... Ex-Rebel Reggie Theus, who recently had his number retired, is getting a ton of exposure these days as a TV analyst. ... The Gilette razor company says it is getting its money's worth even after paying out two $1 million jackpots to randomly selected contestants who succeeded on one-time tricks like throwing a football through a distant hoop.

The dimensions of the Olympic hockey rink are out of whack with what we're accustomed to in North America, which may be one reason Sweden is favored. The standard rink in this hemisphere is 200x85, while the Nagano rink is a very wide 197x98. ... Boxing oddsmaker Herbie Lambeck didn't buy the excuse floated by Top Rank that Roy Jones dropped out of a proposed fight with heavyweight Buster Douglas because his father told him he might "get killed" moving up two weight classes. "Jones would knock Douglas out easy," Lambeck maintains. ... The televised interviews with rival figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were pitiful in that Kerrigan was in the awkward position of continually being asked if she forgave her one-time assailant, even though it was obvious she did not. ... Not every pro golf tour is flourishing these days as they've cut the South Africa Tour from the 11 events in 1997 to six in '98. Ex-UNLV star Warren Schutte is affected in that he would play his homeland tour if it was worth his while.

In his exclusive interview in the SUN last week, Magic Johnson came across as self-serving and totally infatuated with himself. The former basketball great is contemplating becoming a boxing promoter, which, to hear him tell it, will be easy for a man with his expansive knowledge. Even more offensive was his comment that the NBA was at "the lowest of the lows" before he came into the league and, presumably, turned it into the huge success it is today. ... Also a little offsides was Las Vegas Thunder general manager Bob Strumm, who, just a day before his team drew its smallest crowd of all time, said he believes the fans "love" the current players on the IHL club. ... Pro golfer Greg Norman doesn't have a site or the financing in place yet, but he says he wants to build the toughest course in history.