Duly Noted

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005 | 8:22 a.m.

KNIGHT TO REMEMBER

Here's a side of Bob Knight, whose Texas Tech team will play UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center tonight, most don't get to see.

Last year, when Tech played at New Mexico, my brother, who grew up in Indiana but is now growing old in Albuquerque, went to the game. About three hours early. To him, having Bob Knight in his adopted hometown was akin to a papal visit.

Although he did not get to shake The General's hand, my brother was able to introduce himself to The First Lieutenant, Knight's son Pat, who has been promised the Tech job once his dad tires of it. The total strangers chatted as if they were old fraternity brothers. So my brother wrote the old man a letter, telling him what a fine job he had done in raising his son.

Bob Knight wrote back. He told my brother that's about the nicest thing anybody could say to a parent.

That letter is now framed, hanging on the wall in my brother's den. With candles and incense burning around it. He charges admission to see it.

But family members do get a 2-for-1 discount.

WEIGHT OFF HIS BACK

According to at least one Sun reader who left an anonymous message on my voice mail, San Diego Chargers defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely wasn't the only one to benefit from being fired by UNLV, as I noted in this space last week.

"You know that Winnebago you mentioned in your column?" the caller said in reference to an item on strength coach Mark Philippi, who was let go by UNLV this week. "Well, he just got it off his back."

If strength coaches are like football assistants, perhaps you can understand why a new head coach, such as UNLV's Mike Sanford, would want to work with one he knows. But unless Philippi also was calling plays, it's pretty tough to hold him responsible for UNLV's 2-9 season.

As for his credentials to be a strength coach, well, I've seen those anti-aircraft guns that he calls arms. No need to check his references.

PHONE-Y OPERATOR

When you call the Gladiators office, the first voice you hear is that of Ron James, the local football-in-a-can head coach, who tells you what button to push for season tickets, what button to push for a tryout, what button to push for accounting, what button to push for corporate sales, what button to push to ask one of the Goddesses, which is what the Gladiators call their cheerleaders, out on a date ... and so forth and so forth and so forth.

The menu is so long that when I put down the phone, watched "Titantic" on DVD and returned to the phone, James was still talking.

"For catering, dial 783, for the training office, dial 784, for an arena football refrigerator magnet, dial ... "

No wonder the team seems to be stuck on 8-8. The coach appears to have spent the entire off-season cutting voice mail ringy-dingies.

41-21

The final score of Wednesday's college basketball -- yes, basketball -- game between Monmouth and Princeton.

17,000

The number of seats in the Richard Petty Terrace going up in Turn One at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Consecutive bowl game victories by Utah of the Mountain West, which meets Georgia Tech in the Emerald Bowl Dec. 29.

Basketball legend John Wooden:

"His methods are a little different. Gen. Patton's methods were different, but I sure wanted him on my side."

on fellow NCAA coaching icon Bob Knight.