HOOPS, the Bullets mascot, will begin a 300-mile walk today
from Landover, MD to Secaucus, NJ for the May 21 NBA draft
lottery (WASHINGTON POST, 5/11)....VLADE DIVAC appeared on last
night's "Tonight Show."  Divac, on trash talking:  "First couple
of years, I talked Yugoslavian, now, I use English."  Divac said
after he was approached about doing a Taco Bell commercial, he
read the contract, and then asked, "What is taco?" (NBC, 5/11).
...GRANT HILL is writing a book tentatively titled "Change the
Game" to be published by Warner Books (DETROIT FREE PRESS,
5/11)....49ers President CARMEN POLICY will address the annual
convention of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association
May 18 in Scottsdale, AZ (Silverman, Warren/Kremer)....The
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES is reporting that Farragut High's KEVIN
GARNETT, USA TODAY's High School Player of the Year, will forego
his college career and apply for the NBA Draft (CHICAGO SUN-
TIMES, 5/11)....VENUS WILLIAMS has requested and received wild
card entries to three WTA Tour events in August and October.  She
will play at the Acura Classic in Manhattan Beach, CA, the du
Maurier Ltd. Open in Toronto and the Best of the West Classic in
Oakland (WTA Tour)....USA Baseball Deputy Dir WANDA RUTLEDGE will
be the featured speaker at the Women's Sports Foundation Annual
Summit in Dallas, May 19-21 (USA Baseball)....The Women's Sports
Foundation announced the winners of the '95 Miller Lite Women's
Sports Journalism Awards: TOBY SMITH of the Albuquerque Journal,
ELAINE LOUIE of the New York Times, JACK MCCALLUM of Sports
Illustrated, The Women's Sports Hour on Prime Sports Radio, LINDA
COHN and KELLY NEAL of ESPN, and MARK STEINES at KCAL-L.A.
(Women's Sports Foundation).

     CAL RIPKEN, JR., was profiled on last night's "PrimeTime
Live."  Reporter CHRIS WALLACE followed Ripken through the winter
and spring to the start of the season.  Ripken, on the streak:
"I'm afraid that if I start to think about it too much, I'll
change my approach and become obsessed with this thing. ...  So I
fight it, I fight listening to it, I fight talking about it, I
fight thinking about it."  ESPN's PETER GAMMONS, on Ripken: "He's
the most professional athlete in America."  PrimeTime's Sam
Donaldson:  "Go get'em Cal!" (ABC, 5/10).