CBS Coverage: Practice Is Perfect for Nagano Games

Tim Keown writing in the San Francisco Chronicle: “What word could we find to describe the television coverage of the Winter Olympics?

“We’re being asked to watch people practice. At CBS where the official motto seems to be ‘Yesterday’s Results Tomorrow,’ one of the only events we’re getting live isn’t an event at all.

“It’s Michelle Kwan, walking into the arena. It’s Michelle Kwan, lacing ‘em up. It’s Michelle Kwan, practicing.”

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Trivia time: Now that Mark McGwire will be playing a full season for the St. Louis Cardinals, the club home run record is in jeopardy. Who holds it?

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Melting pot: The Atlanta Hawks’ Dikembe Mutombo is enthralled with New York because “the city is wild and crazy and they’ve got a million bad people and a million good people here all mixed together.”

What about the other six million?

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Isolated: Utah Jazz President Frank Layden contends that if Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan were coach of the Lakers or the Knicks “he’d probably have the accolades from the media around the country.

“He may be the best coach in the game, but he’s doing it in Salt Lake, where we have one phone and one TV.”

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Clip and save: Bob Smizik in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Super Bowl XXXIII will be played in Miami in 50 weeks. You [fans] might be there because there’s an excellent chance the Steelers will be playing.

“What’s more, if the Steelers make it to Miami there’s a reasonable expectation they’ll finally earn that elusive fifth ring.”

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How do you really feel? Rich Pilon, New York Islander defenseman, who was fined $1,000 for these remarks about referee Paul Stewart:

“He never liked me. I know because he told me that before. . . . He thinks I’m a dirty hockey player. . . . I hate his guts.”

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Enough is enough: Mike Singletary, who was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last month, on watching film as a rookie with Chicago Bear defensive coach Buddy Ryan:

“I watched so much film with him that one night he said, ‘Mike, I can’t watch film with you anymore. My wife thinks I’m having an affair. Go home.’ ”

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Looking back: On this day in 1997, the Lakers routed the Denver Nuggets, 132-117, as Nick Van Exel made eight three-point field goals.

The Laker record for most points in a game is 162 against Golden State on March 19, 1972.

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Trivia answer: Johnny Mize, with 43 in 1940.

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And finally: Indiana Pacer point guard Mark Jackson and power forward Dale Davis have opened a custom clothing shop in downtown Indianapolis and are counting on their teammates to become regular customers.

“Absolutely,” Davis said, “if they want to see the ball.”