Byline: Sam Adams Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
Think of Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis and you might think Super Bowl. Or Pro Bowl.
How about plain ol' bowling, period?
Davis recently filmed a series of commercials at Crown Lanes with KRFX-FM (103.5) morning disc jockeys Rick Lewis and Michael Floorwax that will air later this month.
We will, ahem, spare you all the details. But the commercials might be enough to give Broncos coach Mike Shanahan a headache. One commercial has Davis turning into a human bowling ball to score a strike - headfirst.
``This was the B-O-M-B bomb!,'' Davis said after filming the last commercial segment. ``I had a good time. I saw (Colorado Rockies outfielder) Larry Walker's spot with Lewis and Floorwax and got a little jealous. Really, I thought they were funny.
``Now I have the opportunity to work with them. I like doing the comedy thing.''
Davis actually is a pretty good bowler - he rolled four strikes in a row against me in an impromptu game during a filming break. But he wasn't the only Broncos player to film a spot with Lewis and Floorwax. Safety Tyrone Braxton did two commercials that will air soon and are sure to leave viewers' ears ringing with laughter.
Line drives - Sunday is Gary Zimmerman's 37th birthday. No, Zim told me, he won't be celebrating by watching the Broncos-Giants game . . . Former University of Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart felt the liquid wrath of Pittsburgh Steelers fans upset about the team's loss to New England on Sunday at Three Rivers Stadium. After the game a fan hollered, ``Hey, Stewart.'' Stewart looked up in the stands and was doused with beer. The fan finished, ``You suck.'' Later Stewart told reporters, ``I never had that happen to me before in my life. These people booed Neil O'Donnell after the man had just taken us to the Super Bowl. They ran him out of this place, but they're not going to run me.'' . . . The Broncos' Davis is one of 10 athletes labeled by Sport magazine as the most dominant in 1998. The others: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Michael Jordan, Marion Jones, Dominik Hasek, Jeff Gordon, Roger Clemens, Cynthia Cooper and Chamique Holdsclaw . . . Former Denver Nuggets player Kenny Smith staged a charity basketball game in Dallas last weekend. Mammoth Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was expected to play but didn't because his uniform shorts - XXXL - were too small. ``They looked like biker shorts on him,'' Smith said. ``I said, `Darn, Shaq. You must have put on weight.' ''
. . . Former Denver Gold head coach Mouse Davis took in Saturday's Western Athletic Conference championship game between Air Force and Brigham Young in the radio booth with Falcons announcers Mike Nolan and Ben Martin . . . Denver-based R.A.M. Sports Inc., which produces basketballs, footballs and other sporting goods, will unveil its new facility (3660 E. 40th Ave.) during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday. Mayor Wellington Webb is expected to attend . . . Before you count out the Giants' chances to win Sunday's game against the undefeated Broncos, remember, they've got a versatile fullback (Charles Way) and a quick young halfback (Tiki Barber) who could make things tough on Denver's defense . . . Going into Tuesday night's game against the New York Islanders, the Colorado Avalanche had the NHL's best percentage for penalty kills on the road, allowing four goals in 53 shorthanded situations. At home, though, the Avalanche has allowed 16 goals in 73 shorthanded situations - 24th among the league's 27 teams.
Buzzer beater - The Dec. 14 issue of The Sporting News lists Broncos owner Pat Bowlen as the 42nd most powerful person in sports. No. 58 is Broncos coach Mike Shanahan - 10 ahead of golf star Tiger Woods. No. 100? Glory, the 1998 All-Star Game Beanie Baby.
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Every now and then an athlete says something really bizarre. Take New York Knicks All-Star center Patrick Ewing, who recently said: ``If you look at people who play professional sports, not a lot of them are financially secure. They make a lot of money and they also spend a lot of money.'' With that, Ewing and other NBA players announced an exhibition game to benefit fellow players in ``financial need.'' Well, here's one man's suggestion for those players who make hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, who now find themselves in ``financial need:'' Pawn some of those high-priced items you buy like penny bubblegum - the expensive tire rims, alligator shoes, furs, thick gold necklaces . . .
