NBA’s Youth Could Learn From This

Average attendance in the NBA is lower than it has been in almost a decade. That, says Craig Daniels of the Toronto Sun, is because style has replaced substance.

“Players come into the league too young and don’t have the skills,” Daniels wrote. “They’re good at open-court dunks, but barely understand how to run a pick and roll. They get paid lots of money, wear nice jewelry, talk on their mobile phones, but don’t bother to play defense.

“They score plenty of points, often in spectacular fashion, but their teams struggle.

“In the post-Larry Bird, post-Magic Johnson, post-Isiah Thomas, post-Michael Jordan era it’s hard to escape the notion that the overall lack of basketball played the way guys such as [John] Stockton and [Mark] Jackson play it is the very thing that’s keeping fans away. The theory is this: Fans want more proficiency, less hype.”

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Trivia time: Which four teams in NHL history have exceeded an .800 winning percentage over a full season?

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Something to roar about: Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press sees at least one positive aspect to the abrupt ending of the Lions’ season.

“When all you have to do to make the playoffs is beat a terrible team at home, and even with that, you still have to throw an interception for a touchdown, you have to fumble, you have to draw an illegal motion penalty on fourth down, you have to fail to reach the end zone from the 10, you have to give up a 54-yard field goal--and you have to do all that in the final seven minutes of the game--well, let’s face it, folks, not every franchise in the NFL can pull that off.”

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Numbers to ponder: In 1975, the average baseball salary was $44,676. This year it was $1.9 million.

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Fashion update: It was bad enough for Deion Sanders that the Redskins’ season unraveled quicker than a cheap sweater, but imagine picking up the Washington Post the morning after the season finale to find that Tony Kornheiser had critiqued his wardrobe.

“Deion wore a loosely fitting yellow, gray and black matching sweater-and-pants set. The sweater was hooded to keep his head warm. The black cashmere scarf and full-length fur coat Deion wore kept the rest of him warm.

“The colors and textures of the sweater-and-pants ensemble all swirled together like the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny, Monongahela, Mississippi, Nile, Yangtze and Amazon rivers. The outfit looked like something you might wear to give out a lifetime achievement for schizophrenia on the MTV Awards.”

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And so it goes: Bowling Green basketball Coach Dan Dakich is nothing if not philosophical about today’s game against top-ranked Michigan State.

“I think it’s important to give our kids different experiences,” he said. “Some kids will be jacked and show what they can do, and some will be uptight. It’s just the way kids are.”

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Dishware: Don’t count Bernie Lincicome of the Rocky Mountain News as a fan of NFL parity.

“The fact that the Giants have the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs exposes how shallow is the vessel that carries the qualifying teams for this Super Bowl,” he wrote. “In fact, it might better be called the Super Saucer this year.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1964, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts, 27-0, for the NFL title.

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Trivia answer: The 1929-30 Boston Bruins (.875), the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens (.830), the 1976-77 Canadiens (.825) and the 1977-78 Canadiens (.806).

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And finally: The Miami Herald’s Dan LeBatard points out that “New England is ranked 26th in the league in rushing offense, 23rd in rushing defense, but first in cornerbacks getting caught with Ecstasy.”