Morning Briefing : ‘The Refrigerator’ Just Melting Away

Only two months ago, the weight of William (The Refrigerator) Perry was listed at 360 pounds. When he checked into the Chicago Bears’ headquarters after being drafted No. 1, he reportedly weighed 318.

Bob Bradley, sports information director at Clemson, where Perry was an All-American defensive tackle, told The Sporting News: “It’s all according to how many boxes of cereal he eats--and I’m not talking about those small boxes, but those big family-sized boxes.

“His wife serves him his cereal in a mixing bowl. And then she uses the mixing bowl to make him a cake for lunch.”

Add Perry: Said Mike Hickey, personnel director of the New York Jets: “The Fridge was the cult hero of the draft. The rumor was that he went out in the woods and ate small bears. No one really knows. Someone called us before the draft and asked, ‘If we get him down to 300 pounds, would you be interested?’ And I said: ‘We’re not interested in amputees.’ ”

10 Years Ago Today: On May 17, 1975, Dan Issel scored 26 points to help the Kentucky Colonels beat the Indiana Pacers, 109-101, before 17,388 fans at Indianapolis for a 3-0 lead in the American Basketball Assn. championship series. The Colonels, coached by Hubie Brown, won the title in five games.

Artis Gilmore led Kentucky with 41 points and 28 rebounds. Among the other Colonels were Louie Dampier and former Pepperdine star Bird Averitt.

Add Issel: Said Utah Coach Frank Layden after the Denver center helped eliminate the Jazz from the playoffs: “I don’t know why Dan wants to retire. He could sign a six-game contract next year and just play against the Jazz. Pick up some vacation money.”

From Dick Young of the New York Post: “Digger Phelps, the Notre Dame coach, has added this line to his banquet routine: ‘My good friend Bobby Knight has gone into the furniture business. You buy a couch, and he throws in a chair.’ ”

Rookie Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls won $10,000 from Seagram for being named the NBA Player of the Year by a computer.

Jordan had 82.47 points. He was followed by Larry Bird with 80.81, Isiah Thomas with 74.60, Magic Johnson with 71.04 and Moses Malone with 69.91.

Said Jordan: “I can’t compare myself to Larry Bird. I still feel he’s the best in the league.”

Add Bird: Said Houston Coach Bill Fitch, former coach of the Celtics: “You could go up to Larry on any given night and say, ‘We want you to go out and get 50 points and forget about all the other things you do,’ and he would easily get the 50 every time. That would be like a night off for him.”

Assistant coach Jack McMahon of the Philadelphia 76ers told Anthony Cotton of the Washington Post that he thinks Patrick Ewing will compare favorably with Boston’s Kevin McHale as an offensive player.

McHale said, though: “I think his numbers will be more like Bill Walton’s, 15-16 points and 10-11 rebounds per game. Sometimes, those guys are more effective for a team because the energy they’re not expending on offense, they’ll bring over to defense.”

Actually, Walton is being short-changed. In Portland’s championship season of 1976-77, he averaged 18.6 points and 14.3 rebounds.

Quotebook

San Diego third baseman Graig Nettles, to a radio talk-show caller who wondered if his trade from New York would hurt his chances of getting to Cooperstown: “No, I don’t think so. They don’t have a team there, do they?”