McNall Might Take His Rocket and Go Home

A year ago, owner Bruce McNall of the Toronto Argonauts was being called the savior of the Canadian Football League after signing receiver Raghib (Rocket) Ismail.

Earlier this week, McNall told the Toronto Sun that he is “peeved and hurt” at the treatment he has received from both the CFL and the Skydome, home of the Argonauts. McNall’s complaints concern television rights, money from the live gate and advertising within the Skydome.

“I thought I had done things to create some excitement and credibility,” McNall told the Sun. “I think the view sometimes is, ‘(Toronto) has deep pockets, so who cares?’

“Larry (Smith, CFL Commissioner) is concerned about small-market teams losing $500,000. Hey, we could lose $5 million. We’re expected to share. Who’s sharing my expenses? Who’s sharing (Rocket’s) salary?”

McNall said his ultimate move if things don’t improve would be to release Ismail to the Raiders, who own his NFL rights, and sell the Argonauts.

“It is absolutely my last resort,” McNall said.

Trivia time: Ennis Whatley, a reserve guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, was the 13th selection of the 1983 draft, placing him one pick higher than a current teammate. Name that teammate.

The Hull truth: Southern California boat owners fight a constant, losing battle with city governments over rising rental fees for their slips. According to Gus Gutstadt, president of the Long Beach Marina Boat Owners Assn., “there is a misconception, a total misunderstanding, about the wealth of boat owners.”

To prove his point, Gutstadt retained an auto dealer to appraise the value of cars in the marina parking lots. Said Gutstadt: “The survey revealed an average value of boat owners’ cars to be just $8,000.”

The auto dealer also checked the City Hall parking lot. The average value of cars: $11,000.

Hair today . . . Andre Agassi wears caps, bandanas and other assorted headgear because he wants to hide his increasingly thinning hair, according to the French sports daily, L’Equipe.

The paper reported Friday that Agassi won’t even take off his cap in the locker room, causing his fellow pros to tease him mercilessly.

Trivia answer: Clyde Drexler. Although he had been a star at the University of Houston, Drexler was only the 14th pick that year.

Quotebook: Marc Rosset, asked how it felt to reach the men’s doubles final in the French Open: “Well, let’s say it’s like a cheeseburger and fries.”