Columnist Ron Kantowski: USA Today: Big cut, no contact

Thursday, Dec. 23, 1999 | 9:38 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's notes column appears Tuesday and Thursday. Reach him at ron@vegas.com or 259-4088.

Granted, it was a daunting project for USA Today to compile a list of the five greatest athletes of the past century for each state, which it ran on Wednesday. I mean, what's coming tomorrow? A five-part series outlining world peace?

But in the case of Nevada, The Nation's Newspaper whiffed like Dave Kingman used to with runners on the corners in the eighth inning of a 3-2 game at Wrigley.

It had Andre Agassi at No. 1, but you didn't have to be Buzz Aldrin to figure that one out. But after that, give USA Today an "F" in rocket science or whatever method it used to determine its lists.

Nos. 2 through 5 on its Nevada honor roll are Jack Kramer (I think I once owned a tennis racket with his name on it), Maurice McLoughlin (never heard of him), former Rebel Greg Anthony and Tommy Bennett (never heard of him). The sixth man, the so-called "impact player of 2000" is Tony Graziani, who had three memorable title fights with Tony Zale.

(Actually, Graziani is the former Oregon Duck trying to break in at quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons.)

It should be noted that USA Today only considered athletes born in their native states, which disqualified guys such as Greg Maddux (who was born in Texas) and Matt Williams (from Carson City by way of California) from consideration in Nevada.

That was its worst decision since tackling the project in the first place.

* IN FULL BLUM: While it's not true that Bob Blum was Marconi's roommate when the latter invented radio, there's no debating that Blum is the dean of Las Vegas sportscasters. And he's easily the most forthright.

I caught about 20 minutes of the Lady Rebels' game against Sac State in the Bahamas Tuesday night -- not by design mind you, but because the radio in my truck is frozen on sports radio 1460-AM and 20 minutes is how long it takes me to drive home. But Blum was absolutely candid in describing how poorly the Lady Rebels were playing.

"To the Lady Rebels, defense is only a word in the dictionary," he moaned at one juncture.

"Can the Lady Rebels make any more mistakes?" Blum complained when one of them was called for a free-throw lane violation.

Anybody who knows Blum is well aware that his interest in the Lady Rebels is both deep and sincere. But he doesn't let that get in the way of his objectivity.

It was refreshing to tune into a game and not have the local broadcast crew make an average home team sound like Florida State, Duke and the Yankees all rolled into one.

* GIANT KILLERS: Sportswriters in Albuquerque are calling New Mexico's stunning 70-68 upset of No. 3 Arizona that halted the Wildcats' 37-game McKale Center winning streak one of the Lobos' three greatest road wins of all time.

Edgar Thompson of the Albuquerque Tribune said it compares favorably to New Mexico's conquest of defending national champion Texas Western (now UTEP) in 1966 and a win over UNLV in January of 1978 that snapped the Rebels' remarkable 72-game success skein at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

That 1978 Lobo edition also won at Arizona, the last time New Mexico beat the Wildcats prior to Tuesday. It was led by Michael Cooper, the defensive hawk who starred with the Lakers for so many years.

* REALLY GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT: The Birmingham (Ala.) News, in a report on the big money in college sports, said the revenues produced by the 29 NCAA conferences could prop up a small country. And that's not an exaggeration.

"The leagues' combined revenue topped the gross domestic product of a small nation," The News said. "The 29 conferences produced nearly $438 million during 1997-98. Samoa, in the South Pacific, had a GDP of $415 million."

Maybe so, but nobody's investigating Samoa for lack of institutional control as far as we know.

* ALI-FRAZIER IV: Jacqui Frazier Lyde, the 38-year-old daughter of former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, had this to say about a proposed fight between herself and Laila Ali, the 21-year-old pugilistic daughter of Muhammad Ali:

"It would be a great draw."

It would not be a great draw, no more so than a golf match between the daughters of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer (if they had daughters) would be a great draw.

Once again, as a former colleague used to say about once a week in regard to boxing, bring on the two-headed calf.

In fact, put him in with the winner.

* TAKE A NUMBER: Many college football coaches reward their fourth-string players, scout team guys and walk-ons for taking a season-worth of practice beatings by taking them along on a bowl game trip. That's a nice gesture, especially when some guy in an ill-fitting, pastel-colored blazer is picking up the tab.

But if instead of a jersey with a commemorative bowl game patch your kid gets one with the number O5 and the word "Fubu" where it usually says "Sooners" better get him a clipboard. Chances are he isn't getting into the game under any circumstances.

* AROUND THE HORN: Former Cincinnati Bengals running back James Brooks said this week he was accepted into Auburn University and spent six years there despite the fact he couldn't read and never learned to read while playing football for the Tigers. Brooks is now broke and owes more than $110,000 in child-support payments. He says he can't get a job because he can't read. ... Proof that the Internet has gone amok: In addition to listing the college bowl matchups, a site called Hoover's Online also has links to each of the bowl's corporate sponsors. So now you'll be able to follow the fortunes of Tostitos and the Outback Steak House on a year-round basis. ... Two things you won't see at this year's Super Bowl: The Denver Broncos and a 7-Up spot in which comedian Orlando Jones sports a T-shirt that says "Make 7" on the front and "Up Yours" on the back. Accor ding to the "Sports Business Daily," ABC already has flagged that one for unsportsmanlike conduct. ... Scary thought: Braves closer John "Off His" Rocker not only has the right to sit on his front porch with a loaded shotgun, but has the option to fire a 99-mph fastball at opposing batters -- including ones that don't share his narrow-minded ideology -- whenever the thought crosses his mind. And that's a pretty short trip.