Al Curry Satellite Beach, Fla. On the eve of the NCAA tournament, what teams are some of the editorsÆ dark horses? The Clemsons, Indianas, UCLAs etc., can certainly be classified as “favorites” but who do you see as hot right now and capable of making a surprise drive toward the final four? Of course, I’m prejudiced, but Univ. of South Florida is on fire right now! Poul Swain: Although I think it will be a case of the usual suspects (Virginia, UCLA and Indiana) vying for the national championship, I do have a couple of dark horses who I think can make a run at the title. Washington and UConn have both had solid seasons this year. If they can get through the first two rounds in the postseason they will meet in the quarterfinals. The winner of that match could cause trouble in the final four. South Florida has a tough road in front of it. The Bulls must, in theory, defeat both Clemson and Indiana, the No. 1 and 2 teams in our poll, before they reach Richmond. If they can do that, I wouldn’t bet against them. Severn Barloco Dallas Teams from the Mexican League are invited to participate in the Copa Libertadores. Since D.C. United showed that our U.S. clubs are finally starting to come up to par by winning the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, is there any chance that MLS champions may also be invited to participate in the South American club championship? Think about the invaluable experience it would bring to our teams and the revenue it could potentially bring to the league! Mike Woitalla: U.S. participation in the Libertadores Cup would be great for the development of U.S. Soccer. Scheduling could be a problem though (if the South Americans would indeed invite MLS teams). The Libertadores Cup generally runs from February to August, thus overlapping with much of the MLS season. Moreover, MLS teams already schedule mid-week leagues games, play in the U.S. Open Cup, play in the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, and juggle dates to accommodate conflicts with fellow stadium tenants. Throw in the extreme distances teams would have to fly — Argentina is as far as Europe — you see that the logistics are problematic. Jason L. Craig Ogden, Utah I read that Bruce Arena will be paid [about] $500,000 per year to coach the U.S. national team. What was Steve Sampson paid? Ridge Mahoney: That figure has not been confirmed, and exact numbers are often difficult to determine because of bonus clauses, etc. But Steve Sampson made about $225,000 as U.S. coach. Arena, by the way, was the highest-paid MLS coach during his tenure, with a base salary of about $200,000 and fairly generous bonuses. Tony D. Randall Alta Dena, Calif. What do you think about Kansas City’s decision to leave Ron Newman as head coach of the Wizards going into the 1999 season? It strikes me as an odd decision given that Kansas City has gone from one of the best records in the Western Conference to one of the worst, with practically the same team. Additionally, given K.C.’s dismal attendance records, shouldn’t management at least show the fans that they are attempting to make some changes and win some games? Are they trying to alienate the few fans left in K.C.? Apparently, there is much unrest within the team, with several players demanding to be traded before next season. It strikes me as very ironic that while Octavio Zambrano had to worry about his job after L.A.’s tremendous season, Ron Newman is safe and sound after the debacle in K.C. this season. I guess that’s why people go to the games in L.A. though right? Duncan Irving: Why single out Ron Newman, what about Doug or Guy, or the players? You’re right, though, K.C. is in a sorry state on and off the field and normally somebody has to carry the can. Last year, it was Tim Latta, this year, by rights it should be Ron’s turn, but he’s a dear old friend of the Hunt family and they were never likely to give him the boot — just yet. The whole KC experiment has been a bit of a wash. When the team was winning matches it helped disguise the fact that no one came to games, there was no practice site and the schedule had to be worked around the Royals. But it’s Lamar Hunt’s money and he likes the place, so there they’ll stay. Show me a team that finishes last that’s thrilled with the coach. Players like to complain, they just do it less often when things go well. Ron has always picked strong “characters” on his teams, players who hate each other off the field but work together on it. When the team wins, it’s great, when they lose you’re just left to listen to people who hate each other, which isn’t. By the way, players in L.A. weren’t thrilled with Zambrano, either. But you do have to question the wisdom of any GM that consults his players before talking to his coach after taking office and days after the Galaxy had been dumped by the Fire. Smart move. A final word on K.C. It could be worse — they could be Tampa. Don Singer St. Louis My son’s high school English teacher read football poems to the class. When my son asked why she didn’t read soccer poems, she challenged him to find some. Can you help? Mike Woitalla: Sorry, you’d probably need a British library to find some in English. But here’s something from the Bard:
| “Am I so round with you as you with me. |
| That like a football you do spurn me thus? |
| You spurn me hence, and he will spurn me hither; |
| If I last in this service you must case me in leather.” |