General
Frank Deford, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 1995Posing as champions
The Gatorade shower and other choreographed victory celebrations douse Deford's enthusiasm.
Art Spander, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 1995Unruffled Riley always in control
Heat coach Pat Riley sometimes gets ejected -- as he did Tuesday night -- but he never gets dejected. Not a bad trait for a coach.
Stan Isaacs, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 1995NBC's hookin' up the Olympics
After buying up six of the next seven Olympics, NBC is putting big bucks in the IOC's pockets. But there is a name for those who take money to slip under the covers.
Art Spander, Sunday, Dec. 10, 1995Powerful Steelers look too familiar to Raiders
Two teams going in opposite directions, Pittsburgh's streaking Steelers and Oakland's fading Raiders, passed each other Sunday in a game reminiscent of the great Steeler teams.
Charlie Vincent, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 1995Do-gooder Lucas builds Sixers on shaky ground
Vincent says the Philadelphia 76ers are getting short-changed by coach John Lucas, who seems addicted to addicts.
Major League Baseball
Paul Hagen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 1995NL East: For Braves, life's lovely at the top
Atlanta's too talented, its farm system is too good and Ted Turner is too rich for the rest of the division to compete.
College football
Eddy Landreth, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 1995Florida State small on big mo' as Orange Bowl nears
Bobby Bowden says his Seminoles lost its momentum late in the season, and they need to get the ball rolling again before Jan. 1.
Jim Molony, Thursday, Dec. 7, 1995'Horns talk hold of last All-SWC team
To the victors go the spoils, so the Texas Longhorns should be spoiled rotten. Seven Texas players made the Zone's All-SWC team.
NFL
Ron Borges, Thursday, Dec. 14, 1995Playing quarterback is hazardous to your health
Toughness and bravado are masking a serious problem in football.
John Bansch, Thursday, Dec. 14, 1995Harbaugh gives Colts winning attitude
A mature Jim Harbaugh has learned what it takes to win.
Bill Wallace, Thursday, Dec. 14, 1995Stats expert dishes up the goods for NFL
Stats guru Bud Goode taught us all a new way to look at pro football.
Jerry Magee, Thursday, Dec. 14, 1995Don't go silently into the night, Buddy
If he's going, Buddy Ryan should go as he came: loud and brash.
Hub Arkush, Thursday, Dec. 14, 1995What a fine mess we've got here
Opinions are different and plentiful when it comes to fining for hard hits.
Howard Balzer, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 1995Coach of the Year race heats up
Pro Football Weekly's Howard Balzer takes an early look at the league's top coaches.
NBA
Jeffrey Denberg, Monday, Dec. 18, 1995Central: Big Head barks 'bout Big Dog's bite
After Dennis Rodman beat Glenn Robinson on the boards, the guy with the green hair gave a lecture about the Age of Image in the NBA. But Robinson wasn't listening.
Mike Monroe, Saturday, Dec. 16, 1995Central: The Griz second-best in Northwest
The Vancouver Grizzlies saved themselves from a dubious achievement Friday with a victory over the Trail Blazers.
Martin McNeal, Friday, Dec. 15, 1995Pacific: Land of the rising Kings and falling Suns
A quarter of the way through the season, we ask a few questions: What are the Kings doing on top? How did the Suns fade so fast? And when will the Sonics become super?
Mitch Lawrence, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 1995Atlantic: Michael misses a few takes but hits his shots
It took Michael Jordan a while to get through a recent commercial shoot, but he is once again swift and clean on the court.
NHL
John Dellapina, Monday, Dec. 18, 1995Espo waits for Lightning to strike
He used to trade at the drop of a puck, but Tampa Bay GM Phil Esposito is learning that patience can be a key to building a winning team.
Dave Luecking, Sunday, Dec. 17, 1995Probert finds focus in Chicago
Now that Bob Probert appears to have fought his demons, the NHL heavyweight can again focus on beating opponents.
George Johnson, Saturday, Dec. 16, 1995Gretzky graces us with more greatness
Hockey's greatest player offers a gift to savor all season; so catch the Great Gretzky while he can still dazzle us.
Men's College Basketball
Jerry Tipton, Monday, Dec. 18, 1995SEC: Weighty matters at the University of Kentucky
Who says you can't be too thin? If Walter McCarty wants to start for Rick Pitino, he'll just have to put on a few pounds.
Randall Mell, Friday, Dec. 15, 1995Big East: Syracuse won't go away
Who expected the Orangemen to be a potential force this season? Not many. But they're here and they're good.
Randy Holtz, Friday, Dec. 15, 1995WAC: Wyoming looks past crunching defeat
After a blowout at the hands of Cincinnati, Wyoming players dug in their spurs and came back with a winning attitude.
Jim Molony, Friday, Dec. 15, 1995SWC: The Red Raiders know how to win
Texas Tech is using its experience, hustle and smarts to get off to a good start. Coach James Dickey has built a real team.
Eddy Landreth, Thursday, Dec. 14, 1995ACC: Braswell hopes to Wake up happy Monday
Wake Forest guard Jerry Braswell should find out Sunday or Monday if he'll be eligible to play.
Mark Blaudschun, Thursday, Dec. 14, 1995Calipari a miracle worker
Out of the college basketball scrapheap, John Calipari has built UMass into a monster program.
Vic Feuerherd, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 1995Big Ten: It ain't what it used to be
In an obvious down-cycle, the league is 4-13 against schools ranked in this week's Top 25. And this on the heels of losing five of six first-round NCAA Tournament games last spring.
Jeff Faraudo, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 1995Pac-10: Jelani the real McCoy
Less than a month into his college career, UCLA center Jelani McCoy already has been dubbed "The Surreal McCoy" and "The Highlight Reel McCoy."
Randy Holtz, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 1995Big Eight: Jayhawks getting battle tested
Kansas coach Roy Williams says too many creampuffs on the schedule only will give you heartburn come tournament time.
John Clay, Monday, Dec. 11, 1995Conference USA: A Hog wild weekend for Bearcats
Cincinnati had a perfect weekend. The Bearcats welcomed back a key player, whipped a couple weaklings, slaughtered Arkansas and met the President.
