Musical Mav Is First String in Their Eyes

By MAL FLORENCE

Nov. 15, 1997 12 AM PT

Hubert Davis of the Dallas Mavericks is a journeyman NBA player, but he’s the hero of the American String Teachers Assn.

“He would be our player of the year, if we had one,” said Carol Rawleigh, a spokeswoman for the group.

The organization is dedicated to making string music accessible to every public school student.

Davis plays a cello, and may be the only one in the NBA who does.

Trivia time: Which NBA team holds the record for turnovers in a game?

Mighty Michigan: Joe Falls in the Detroit News, commenting on Michigan’s dominating 34-8 victory over Penn State last Saturday:

“It’s hard to remember when a Michigan team played this well.”

Perhaps, you have to go back to Jan. 1, 1948, when the Wolverines routed USC in the Rose Bowl game, 49-0.

Kiss of death: Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Cowboy owner Jerry Jones gave Barry Switzer a vote of confidence, but Jeff Ebbesen of Petaluma is skeptical: ‘Isn’t that like getting a kiss on both cheeks from Michael Corleone?’ ”

Well-kept secret: Peter Vecsey in the New York Post: “A.C. Green [of the Dallas Mavericks] appeared in his 901st straight game last week without revealing what his initials stand for.”

Come again? Some philosophy from John Madden on teams embroiled in quarterback controversies: “When you have more than one quarterback, you don’t have any quarterbacks.”

Pac-puzzle: Washington State Coach Mike Price, on the Pacific 10 Conference Rose Bowl scenarios:

“I tried to explain [to a booster club] in 30 seconds or less what the situation is and got myself confused. It will all be flushed down the toilet without a victory [today] over Stanford.”

Celebrity secured: Outfielder Mike Kelly, on being the first Tampa Bay Devil Ray, after being traded by the Cincinnati Reds: “I get to be trivia for the rest of eternity.”

Looking back: On this day in 1960, the Lakers’ Elgin Baylor scored a career-high 71 points in a 123-108 victory over the New York Knicks.

Looking back again: On this day in 1907, USC defeated the USS Colorado, 16-4. The Trojans had a 5-1 record that football season, losing only to Los Angeles High School, 16-6.

Trivia answer: The Lakers, with 43 against Seattle on Feb. 15, 1974.

And finally: At 48, George Foreman keeps on fighting. He’ll meet 26-year-old Shannon Briggs a week from today in Atlantic City, N.J.

Foreman says he’ll continue “until somebody knocks me down. Nobody’s knocked me down except [Muhammad] Ali.”

Someone reminded Foreman that he’s been decked by Jimmy Young and Ron Lyle too.

“That’s the trouble with you guys,” Foreman told reporters. “You’ve been around as long as I have.”