All He Wants for Christmas Is a Day Off

By THOMAS BONK

Dec. 25, 1994 12 AM PT

Laker Coach Del Harris has a Christmas streak going. He never has missed being home for Christmas in 10 years as an NBA head coach. Those familiar with the unpredictability of the NBA travel schedule will recognize this as quite a feat.

Harris said the closest call was in 1982, when he was coaching the Houston Rockets. After playing at Portland on Dec. 23, the Rockets were trying to get home on Christmas Eve, but Denver was snowed in and they couldn’t make connections.

Harris and assistant Coach Carroll Dawson managed to get the last two seats on a flight to San Francisco and made it home.

Now, as far as gifts go, Harris was sort of hoping to find a power forward under his tree.

Trivia time: In the movie “Forrest Gump,” Gump wore football uniform No. 44 for Alabama during the Joe Namath era. Who actually wore No. 44 then?

Treemendous: Eddie Jones of the Lakers bought 25 Christmas trees last week and gave them away to some people who couldn’t afford them. Twenty-five matches his jersey number.

That’s baseball: In its best-and-worst-of-1994 edition, the National Sports Review lists under Worst Event: “The baseball season. Next year, the teams shouldn’t even start. That way, fans will get an early start planning their summer vacations.”

Not to mention the players.

Here’s the score: Remember Rod Baxter? He was the coach at York College in Nebraska who asked his players to score points for the other side in a 124-69 defeat on Dec. 10. He got fired last week.

Baxter said he was being punished for spending time with his ill wife, who has had two operations for tumors since the summer. The York administration isn’t saying anything.

Dudley, do right: Portland Trailblazer center Chris Dudley, who had 20 rebounds and 15 points against the Clippers, hasn’t totally impressed Steve Brandon of the (Portland) Oregonian with his offense.

Said Brandon, “Dudley has given no one but the Clippers reason to worry about his post-up move.”

UnBearable: Bernie Lincicome of the Chicago Tribune doesn’t sound too impressed with the Chicago Bears’ chances if they get into the NFC playoffs.

Said Lincicome, “They are among the many still available to fill out the Dallas-San Francisco undercard.”

Auld lang syne: Last week’s victory over Atlanta was the Green Bay Packers last game in Milwaukee after 61 years.

For what it’s worth, the first Packer home game in Milwaukee was a 10-7 victory over the New York Giants on Oct. 1, 1933, at Borchert Field, the home field of the old Milwaukee Brewers of the American Assn.

It’s the end of an era in Milwaukee. Now let’s get some pizza and go bowling.

Fruity rookie: Raider rookie linebacker Rob Fredrickson said, “I give bland gifts for Christmas.”

Fruitcake? someone asked.

“No, I am a fruitcake,” Fredrickson said, “but I don’t give fruitcake.’

Trivia time: Mickey Andrews, now the defensive coordinator at Florida State.

Quotebook: Ken Norton of the San Francisco 49ers on the San Francisco media: “I’ve come to understand this is a very negative place.”