Gorman still mum on firing

This is what covering the old Soviet Union must have been like.

Instead of responses of "nyet, nyet, nyet," however, it's a string of "no comment" replies from Bishop Gorman High School.

In an effort to find out why Gorman fired championship football coach Bob Altshuler on Jan. 29, the school has thrown up a brick wall. No one will talk on the record.

Off the record, though an incomplete picture remains, those with knowledge of the program's inner workings say a small but especially influential faction thought Altshuler didn't give certain players enough playing time, and they wanted to bring back former coach David White.

One Altshuler supporter said the coach wanted to play the best players regardless of last name. It worked. The Gaels went 26-2 in two seasons with a state title and apparently without any major off-field issues.

Gorman's administration thinks not talking about the bizarre firing will make the story go away, but it creates lingering questions that put the school under a cloud.

Who decided to fire Altshuler?

Did the administration bow to outside pressure?

Did White play a role?

White is a graduate assistant at Oklahoma, but he recently has been seen in Las Vegas. An attempt to reach him for comment was unsuccessful.

Figures. Nyet, nyet, nyet.

• FOUL PLAY -- College football is considering a major rule change to further decrease taunting.

If a foul takes place during a scoring play, under the change the touchdown would be taken off the scoreboard and the penalty marked from the spot. The current penalty is assessed on the ensuing kickoff.

A penalty after a touchdown is scored would be considered a dead-ball infraction and enforced on the kickoff.

The rule, if approved, wouldn't take effect until at least 2011.

Trying to eliminate taunting is the right move, but taking away TDs goes too far. Eject players instead. It would cut down on taunting without directly affecting the score.

• HARD TO BLAME HER -- Except for Ashley Judd close-ups, the only reason to watch Kentucky basketball is for the uncomfortable halftime interviews. Now they might be a thing of the past.

ESPN's Jeannine Edwards couldn't take being treated disrespectfully by Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie a third time, deciding not to interview him Tuesday when the Wildcats played at Vanderbilt. She told Nashville's Tennessean, "I cut my losses."

It's also a loss for bloggers. The first two interviews are all over the Internet.

• NOW FLYING SOLO -- Upset at constantly seeing her coworkers fly first class while she got stuck in coach, Stacey Dales wanted an upgrade in contract renegotiations with ESPN.

Now Dales, a talented sideline and studio analyst, isn't on ESPN anymore, telling The Oklahoman she left on "a matter of principle."

It's understandable Dales would be miffed at receiving inferior treatment compared to her colleagues. Especially her male colleagues.

COMPILED BY MARK ANDERSON LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL