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Show Standard-Examiner SPORTS 2B Sunday, December 26, 1993 Bowl system mayfall victim to hugeslip in TV ratings Chicago Tribune ings. it is likely the network won't put as The Rose is losing its bloom, there’s too much pulp in the Orange, and the Cotton feels like polyester. much money on the table. been devalued. If iclevision do payoffs to the NCAAto Did anyone The NCAA got greedy bysanctioning too many bowls. The effect has been twofold. The ratings have become splintered. In 1980, the big four bowls avéraged a 21.2 rating, with the Rose Bowl checkingin at 28.6. Last year, the big four bowls, no longer alone on Jan. 1, averaged just better than an I1 rating, with the Rose Bowl cut in half at 14.3. The college football bowls have been as much a part of the holidays as champagne, ut even the best traditions fade away. The bowl system is on the endangered species list. Whether anything happens mexl year, or the year after, or the year after that, there is little question this enterprise has lost its pop. Television ratings have gone down, and in some cases dropped to levels of any show opposite the Super Bowl. Last year’s Orange Bowl had a miniscule 4.0 rating, compared to a 25.1 in 1980; one rating point currently is equivalent to 942,000 viewers, Premium games such as the Rose and Orange Bowls, which routinely playto sell- outs, failed to fill their stadiums last Jan. 1. Also, there’s the increasing frustration that the bowls can’t produce a true national champion. However, that's only part of it, as the real squeeze is coming from the outside. The ever-expanding National Football League season continuesto leave the bowls with precious few television windows. This year, there will be 12 games played on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Three of the major Jan. | games, the Orange, Cotton and Fiesta Bowls, all see their television contracts expire with NBC after next year’s game, and with unsteadyrat- NBA From 1B scored 20 points. — Johnson had 18 points in the second quarter, when the Suns took advantageof fast-break baskets to expand a 24-21 first-quarter lead to a 61-39 bulge at halftime. “There is no one in the league we would beat when you allow 32 transition points in the first half,” Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. “You can't beat any team like that. We really had too many mental errors.” Olajuwon said the Rockets came in planning to slow down the Suns, who were averaging 110 points per game. “To beat this team, you have to make them playfive-on-five basketball, which was our game plan, but we gave them too manyoppor- lunities to get easy baskets,” Olajuwon said. Barkley scored 13 points in the third period, helping the Suns to an 84-68 lead. But the Suns went 4:45 without a point early in the fourth quarter and Olajuwon led a 12-0 rally. The dominating center started the run with a basket and finished it with a three-point play, shaving the deficit to 88-82 with 7:10 remaining. But Barkley snapped his team out of its funk with an offensive rebound. Although he missed the layup, Barkley was fouled and made two free throws, and the Suns went on a 7-0 run to open breathing space. “Nobodycan playat the level we were playing at the first three quarters,” Barkley said. “They made a run, but we hung on.” The Suns stopped a three-game road winning streak by the Rockets, who dropped to 0-2 in games when an opponent made more than half its shots. The Suns shot 52.4 percent compared to 39.8 for Houston. Horry got the last six Houston points in the first period with three dunks in the final 2:49, helping the Rockets pull within 24-21. Otis Thorpe tied it at 24 with a three-point play 14 seconds into the second, but that wasas close as the Rockets could get to the lead. The Suns outscored them 37-15 the rest of the half. Johnson answered Thorpe with a three-point play of his own, then stole the ball from Sam Cassell at midcourt for a lavup that made it McEachin From 18 The pain and humility he and his family were forced to endure were very real, but he saw the chance to set an example in dealing “With adversity. Face up to it, he = youngsters, and don't use rugs to try to hide your problems. Young never stopped believing in himself and eventually found the win column. “I know most people must think I'm a bad pitcher,” Young said during the streak, “but I know I’m better than that.” revenues fall, so potentially the schools. That will leave look at other options. say playoff? A couple weeks ago. the NCAA appointed a special review committee to explore the playoff issue, a huge first step to the bowls’ ultimate nightmae, It’s little wonder the bowls feel they are caught in a vice. The question is, will they be able to get themselves out? “Unless the team is playing for the national championship, I don't sense the same kind of excitement for the bowls that I did 10-years ago,” Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese said. “I think the next couple years are going to be extremely cru- cial for the bowls and college football. There are a lot of big decisions to be The marketis glutted. The inventory has The Orange Bowl gladly would have taken that number last year when hardly any- one tuned into the Florida State-Nebraska match-up. For the rights to that game, the network paid $8 million, hardly getting its money worth. CBS, for its part, decided enough was enough. The network had a 35-year association with the Cotton Bowl. But when it came time to negotiate after the 1992 made.” game. CBS" best offer was to cut its $4 mil- The sorting out process will continue during an important bowl meeting in Feb- lion paydayin half; the bowl jumped to NBC. “The rights fees were based on the days of Roger Staubach,” CBS Sports vice-president Len DeLuca said. “For the last 18 years, we lost and lost. I won't speak for the other guys, but we've already told the bowls that we won't pay to lose monev.” Even the top games don’t get as much mileage. Last year’s Sugar Bowl, featuring No. | Miami versus No. 2 Alabama, did an 18.2 rating. Yet the biggest game of the year barely outdrew CBS’ premiere of “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Women,” which helped ruary with conference commissioners. “I think weall need io see where we stand,” Cotton Bowl executive director Rick Baker said. The real problems, though, might be impossible to rectify, and the schools have themselves to blame. In the mid-70s, there were 11 bowls, with the big four on NewYear's Day — Rose, Cotton, Sugar, and Orange. This year, there are 19 bowls, with eight games on Jan. |. the network pull a 16.4 rating. When the best of college football has trouble beating a previously unknown network show, there’s a problem. There was an obvious reason. No matter how attractive the match-up, the Sugar Bowl was the eighth game ofthe day. It makes about as muchsense as scheduling seven other pro games on Super Bowl Sunday. “There’s no question that there are too many games on New Year's Day,” Trangh- ese said. “By the time, you get to 9 p.m., people are exhausted from it.” Tranghese thinks the NCAA should legislate the number of bowls on Jan. 1. Big 10 Commissioner Jim Delany agrees, but points out that the NCAA would be limit- ed byanti-trust legislation. “Would we better off with four games? Sure we would,” Delany said. “The bowls would be more valuable.” The two-year old coalition also has added to the problem. While it has doneits job in pairing up the No. | and No. 2 teams for the second straight year, its critics contend too much of the emphasis is only on that game. As a result, the other gameslose their impact. Witness what happened to Florida StateNebraska last year. Critics also look at the slew of second-tier coalition bowls that are matching up third-place teams from one conference against a third-place team from another. Imagine the excitement in Miami for a At Chicago, Toni Kukoc made the game-winning shot, but it was Scottie Pippen, reviving memories of Michael Jordan and Christmas past, who madeit possible by engineering a fourth-quarter comeback that carried Chicago past Orlando. The victory, secured when the Magic's Nick Anderson failed to get off a shot at the buzzer, was made possible when Kukoc’s running ieft-hander into the lane broke a 93-93 tie with two seconds remaining. But it was Pippen, scoring 28 points and playing both ends ofthe floor in the final quarter like the just-retired Jordan, who almost willed the Bulls to their ninth straight victory, the NBA’s longest current win streak. Kukoc and B.J. Armstrong added 17 points each for Chicago. The Magic began the final quarter ahead 74-70, only to watch the lead disappear because of Pippen and their own sputtering offense through the opening three minutes. The bowls say they are going to act, and they have no choice. This isn’t simply about enhancement. It is about survival. They've heard the calls for a playoff for ages, and they are hearing concerns from the schools that the money would be better elsewhere. So would the showcase. Time clearly is running out for the bowls. Even worse, there’s no solution in sight. I don’t know the answer,” said the Cotton Bowl’s Baker. “I wish we had a system that could generate more funds and produce a true champion.” Gary Brown also helped maintain possession, finishing with 114 yards on 19 carries. “| think they're the best team we've played this year,” 49ers tight end Brent Jones said. Moon had a touchdown pass but, like Young, was off target much of the day, completing [1of-26 for 158 yards. He wasalso intercepted three times, twice by cornerback Michael McGruder. need to have that finalized as soon as possible.” In trying to help the budget, the Wildcats are still trying to get involved in a big money game (usually around $250,000), but those games, against the likes of Florida, Auburn, Nebraska and even Brigham Young University, are tough to comeby, particularly so late in the scheduling year. Arslanian hopes to pick up one of those games in the near future, but it won't happen next season. With all those football plans in motion, the program is still left trying to collect on all the pledges and donations fans submitted. That won't be easy. Whowill actually collect all the pledges is something that has yet to be determined by Arslanian and WSU athletic director Tom Stewart. Arslanian also said the football § staff and those who supportedit need to reunite with the athletic administration which did not come out and sayit strongly supported Of all the college football coaches in football. history, which ones won the most national “We need to makethis an athlet- championships?...Topping the list is Bear ic issue. Not just football,” Arslan- Bryant...He won 6 at Alabama...Next is Bernie Bierman who won § at ian said. It’s no secret the football staff Minnesota...Then come 4 coaches who and those supporting it weren't happywith the athletic administration’s involvement. Some wonder if there even was any. The football budget will be in place in March, and thosefinalizing the figures have to have some idea soon of how much moneywill be donated by the community. WeberState will give the pro- ened it to 77-74 with a spectacular, ferdahl owns in the Miami area. Offerdahl, along with construction supervisor Pete Burch andtree trimmer Joe Hanley, dove in and saved the couple. While Burch and Hanley carried the man from the unlocked back seat, Offerdah! dove *You can’t be a sitting duck all the time.” From 18 Pippen leveled the game at 74 car into pond near a bagel shop Of- Adds Southwest commissioner Steve Hatchell, formerly with the Orange Bowl: “Even for the people who want a playoff, they better take a look at what they have. If it’s better, it has to be a heckuva plan.” But in the same vain, Hatchell concedes, WSU with consecutive baskets, the first on a short jumper and the second, a tip-in off a missed Kukoc shot. Bill Wennington followed bygiving the Bulls their first lead since the first quarter with 1-of-2 free throws at the 11-minute mark, then wid- Miami Dolphins linebacker John Offerdahl has been considered a hero on the field for manyyears, being voted to the Pro Bowl each of his first five seasons in the NFL, but a true act of heroism came in August. An 86-year-old couple drove a “It's still a great property,” Delany said, leaving. He was intercepted twice and fumbled to set up a Houston score. The Oilers also had turnover problems and Moon had to leave the game with just under seven minutes left. Carlson came on to lead a time-killing drive, denying the 49ers the ball the rest of way. Bulls 95, Magic 93 Quiet heroism the conference in excess of $15 million. Oilers 29-24 only 32 seconds into the period. Barkley got a three-point play by faking Carl Herrera into the air, then hitting a jumper in the lane with 9:00 remaining. Herrera’s jumper made it 38-33, but then Dan Majerle started a 10-0 run with a 3-pointer. Vernon Maxwell got thefinal six points of the quarter for the Rockets, who had only onefield goal in the last 6:55. one-handed rebound dunk of another Kukoc miss. Jeff Turner revived the Magic with back-to-back jumpers, and a Shaquille O'Neal slam at 5:04 gave Orlando the lead back at 84-83. But Pippen, who played all 48 minutes and finished with four steals, six assists and eight rebounds, grabbed his final rebound after Armstrong missed a short jumper and set up Armstrong a second time in the left corner. Armstrong’s 3-pointer at the twominute mark put Chicago ahead 93-90. Anderson led the Magic with 23 points. O’Neal added 20 and Anfrenee Hardaway 18. Carquest Bowl match-up between Virginia and Boston College. “The coalition pigeon-holes too many teams,” said former Miami athletic direc. tor Dave Maggard, now anofficial with the Atlanta Olympic Committee. “There’s too much awarenessthat these are third-place teams people are paying to see. I question whether people view them as Viable bowls.” Yet despite the flaws, the bowls have their supporters. The Big 10 will send sev. en teams to bowls this year, which will net gram a certain amount of money, The Associated Press Shaquille O'Neal(right) of the Orlando Magic keeps Bill Cartwright of the Chicago Bulls out of the way while shooting during the first half Saturday in Chicago. underwater 10 to 15 timesto get to the woman who wasdriving, then two other men joined in the rescue effort. Offerdahl left the scene as soon as he knew thesituation was under control because he didn’t want attention. “I’m no more a hero than the other four guys,” he told Sports Illustrated. “The.only difference between me and them is that they don’t play football.” The only way the public ever found out was from a reporter who recognized Offerdahl’s name in the police report. But heroism wasn’t a one-time thing for Offerdahl. He has been giving for years, like after Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida, he baked 6,000 bagels to give out to the homeless. Quiet contributions While contracts, holdouts and astronomical deals have become a big part of sports, players often share their fortunes with some worthy causes — and they usually do it without fanfare. Here’s a taste of what quietly went on in the past year: wGolden State’s Chris Webber formed the two charitable organizations after signing his lucrative probably in the neighborhood of $400,000. The community and WSUbackers will have to make up the rest of the budget that was around $1 million last season. rookie contract. The Timeout Foundation, a good-natured reference to his mistaken timeout in the NCAA championship game last spring, will help underprivileged children; and his other group will benefit the homeless. m Dallas Mavericks rookie Jamaal Mashburn gave the University of Kentucky $500,000 to fund scholarships for women, minorities and the handicapped. w Seattle Mariners manager Lou Pinella received a $50, check from the organization for an attendance clause in his contract, and promptly signed the check over to the Seattle area United Way. | bet you didn’t know... That John Watson Chevrolet has had a great 1993 and wants to thank and wish ‘ |