I already skipped the bowl games in January.

The World Series? We'll see.

There's Hope Yet

But I'll probably go back to Briggs Cage next winter to see athletes such as Harvard sophomore Ian Smith, who packs biology books with his Nikes and gives meaning to that first forgotten word in "student-athlete."

And I'll be back at Bright this weekend, watching the Harvard hockey team. The Crimson is the top-ranked squad in the nation, owning the best Division I record. But Coach Bill Cleary is more likely to compliment the players' attitudes and characters than their hockey abilities.

"More than a great hockey player, Lane MacDonald is a great individual," Cleary says of his captain.

MacDonald's being courted by the Hartford Whalers...and watched by the Hobey Baker committee. Money? Awards? That's not the main reason why he plays the game.

What is?

Three weeks ago, a little girl asked MacDonald for his autograph, pinched his cheeks, and told him he is "cute."

"That's what makes it fun," MacDonald said. "That's when you really enjoy playing the game."

Somebody call up Norman, Okla. The Sooners just might have the collegiate sports concept all wrong.