CrunchTime

KO's CALLS

by Kris "KO" Olson

G21 Sports Writer

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Edition #124, Version 4.0 VOX POPULI the page of E-Mail from YOU is updated! TABLOID HART: The talk of the trailer parks of America can be found right here. Enquiring Minds Know the Truth is Out There. This Week: "CyberMom: Wanted Felon?" CRUNCHTIME: G21 SPORTS More from our newest sensation, Sports writer KRIS "KO" OLSON, the man who makes Yankees fans ballistic. Your HOUSE OF CARDS has an all new Joke of the Day. G21 NEWS: Part 1 of 3: ROD AMIS reports on the WEB DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT '98 Conference. DON'T READ ME FIRST! has more notes from our Publisher. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LAST ISSUE - LONDON CALLING!: FLISS USSHER talks about the magic in the world. POWERSSOUND: BOB POWERS looks at the work of CHICK COREA. STONEWALL VIEWS: PHIL MARTIN on Father's Day and the true meaning of FAMILY. LIFE ON THE STREET: REDUX! RADIO RAHEEM goes solo again in the rebirth of LOTS. BarnesandNoble SEARCH: Every writer here still reads offline. We support Barnes and Noble and hope you will, too. This is the place to find the best and brightest! For rapid response, use The Message Board HOME

NBA DRAFT THOUGHTS: I'll spare you a self-indulgent tome about how excited I am that Kansas' Paul Pierce fell to the Boston Celtics. (Suffice it to say: In Pitino we trust.)

But tapes of Rashard Lewis' agonizing evening should be required viewing for prep stars from coast to coast.

Lewis, a 6-foot, 10-inch forward from Alief Elsik High School in Houston, was seeking to take the Kevin Garnett/Kobe Bryant fast track to the big time, bypassing college altogether to make himself eligible for the NBA draft. He was also one of about 15 or so draftees flown to the draft site in Vancouver to endure the goofy ballcap presentation (then again, being handed a cap by some NBA intern is as close as most of these guys'll get to going through the ceremony where one scoops up a sheepskin) and a series of inane questions from TNT's Craig Sager.

I honestly don't think Lewis was "set up" for his moment of ignominy. Most mock drafts had him being picked in the early to mid-teens. And with his hometown team, the Rockets, holding picks 14, 16 and 18, the conventional wisdom was that chances were high that the TNT cameras would capture a "Local Boy Makes Good" story.

Instead, they got repeated shots of the "green room" emptying out, until only Lewis and his entourage remained. Houston passed on him not once, not twice, but three times. Finally, in the second round, Seattle called his name with the 32nd pick. The disappointed youngster choked back sobs during his brief interview. (For his part, [TNT's] Sager was nice enough to remind Lewis that, as a second-round pick, he would not receive the guaranteed three-year deal that all first rounders are handed automatically and instead would have to work just to earn a roster spot.

Memo to TNT: Perhaps some sensitivity training might be in order before next year's broadcast.)

DRAFT THOUGHTS, REDUX: I'm not buying that this was a "strong" draft, or even a "decent" draft. Sounds like some the-ship-isn't-sinking propaganda to me. "No, we won't have any problems filling seats if Michael retires. See, look at all this great young talent coming into the league."

But was Mike Bibby really a more accomplished collegian than last year's point-guard flops, Chauncey Billups and Antonio Daniels? Sure, he's got a title, but Mssrs. Simon and Dickerson had a lot to do with that.

And wasn't Michael Olowokandi drafted last year? Oh yeah, that was Adonal Foyle.

Congrats to the Raptors for snaring the guy I predict will be the top prize from this year's draft (along with a bundle of the Warriors' cash). For a Duke guy, this is a big admission, but Vince Carter should be a great pro. He'll be a regular on Sportscenter dusting one-on-one defenders.

FROM THE PENTHOUSE TO THE OUTHOUSE: The Raptors go from getting my praise for the Carter pick to my scorn for helping to revivify the moribund New York Knicks. The 24-year-old Marcus Camby for the 34-year-old Charles Oakley?

Hey, Toronto. That was the Pacers that pushed the Bulls to the brink of elimination. Not you guys. Oakley's a player you trade for as the last piece of the puzzle. You guys haven't even gotten the shrink wrap off the box containing the puzzle yet.

START SPREADING THE NEWS: The announcement wasn't a surprise. But the forum chosen certainly was. When Bulls' Phil Jackson decided to finalize his intentions for next year (opting for seven months in Turkey over a bid for a seventh title), he spilled his guts to Newsweek.

Newsweek?

Hopefully there's no truth to the rumor that, as a measure of revenge for Newsweek encroaching on its turf, SI will feature Linda Tripp in their annual "Swimsuit Edition."

BOO HOO: The U.S. is out of the World Cup. In a nice gesture, the American Olympic hockey team has offered to fly to France and help the soccer team trash its hotel rooms.

HOME RUN DERBY: Many have written on the subject of Mark McGwire and others: Will they or won't they? Few have been so bold to pin the players down to actual numbers. But here, for the record, is what my crystal ball tells me:

Two will surpass Maris. McGwire just hit his 34th tater last night. Something about saying he's only half done me as accurate. FINAL TOTAL: 68.

It's becoming a lost season for Ken Griffey, Jr. and his Seattle Mariner teammates. As it becomes more and more evident that the playoffs are a lost cause, Griff will start swinging for the fences more and more. FINAL TOTAL: 63.

Sammy Sosa has been on quite a tear recently. Certainly, if he kept up the pace he too would leave Maris in the dust. But as hot as Sosa has been, I smell a stretch where he goes equally cool. Still, a fine season. FINAL TOTAL: 59.

Thanks for reading to the bottom. 'Til next week.

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