Big Numbers

After scoring Morrisville's first and only touchdown Friday night against Academy of the New Church with just 2 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the football game, John Smith began to feel the fatigue as he walked to the sideline. The Bulldogs turned to Smith to fill the void left by star running back Juan Jones, who is probably out for the season with a foot injury. Without Jones, Morrisville hadn't scored a point in its previous two games. Smith, who had 18 carries for 131 yards and the touchdown, performed nobly.

Walking off the 10th green of Merion Golf Club yesterday, Billy Stewart was 4 strokes over par and fearing that his second trip to the U.S. Amateur would be only a two-day stay. But the senior at St. Joseph's steadied himself and posted a couple of birdies on his final eight holes to finish with a 2-over-par 72 and give himself some hope that he'll be among the 64 match-play participants at the end of today's play. "This feels real good," said Stewart, of Devon and Llanerch Country Club.

Cinnaminson and Pitman are one step away from state title games in Groups 2 and 1, respectively, as they compete in semifinal contests today. At 2 p.m., the Group 2 Pirates, who are 20-1-1 and ranked No. 2 in South Jersey by The Inquirer, will meet Freehold Boro (15-4-2) at Burlington County College. Cinnaminson has won three in a row since suffering its only loss, to Lenape in the South Jersey Coaches Tournament. The teams played to a 1-1 tie, but the Pirates lost, 2-1, in a shoot-out.

Chalk up the latest developments on Wall Street to the triumph of optimism and realism. That's how Kenneth Kopecky, professor of finance at Temple University, views the stock market's quick rebound from its seeming free fall. People "became more realistic," and "that helped to re-evaluate the stock market to a more realistic level," he said. "People never lost their optimism," Kopecky added. "The picture is still rosy, just less rosy. " To understand Monday's market panic, some psychologists suggest, think of rabbits.

Notre Dame didn't play a perfect first quarter last night. But it sure must have seemed that way to Interboro. The visiting Bucs got singed by a red-hot Irish team, one loaded with gunners and solid inside scorers. The result: Notre Dame ended up scoring 24 points on 11-for-18 shooting in the first eight minutes, building up more than enough momentum to coast to a 64-45 nonleague victory in girls' basketball. The Irish have been putting up big numbers in the early part of this season, and coach Mary Beth McNichol expects big things from this talented group, almost all of whom are underclassmen.

Notre Dame didn't play a perfect first quarter last night. But it sure must have seemed that way to Interboro. The visiting Bucs got singed by a red-hot Irish team, one loaded with gunners and solid inside scorers. The result: Notre Dame ended up scoring 24 points on 11-for-18 shooting in the first eight minutes, building up more than enough momentum to coast to a 64-45 nonleague victory in girls' basketball. The Irish have been putting up big numbers in the early part of this season, and coach Mary Beth McNichol expects big things from this talented group, almost all of whom are underclassmen.

When the Cardinals' defense is introduced on Sunday at the Vet, four former Eagles will be named: safeties Andre Waters and Terry Hoage, linebacker Seth Joyner and defensive end Clyde Simmons. No matter what kind of Philly reception they get, it may be one of the few times you hear their numbers called all day, because - with the exception of Hoage - they have not been putting up very big numbers. Hoage, the free safety, is fourth on the team, with 58 tackles. He has one interception.

There was Tony Zecca and Dave Horn and Sandy Fox and Nancy Williams and, of course, the numbers and political guru, Martin Weinberg - the veterans and volunteers of the Rizzo years in City Hall and the comeback campaigns. They ate brownies and pizza on the 21st floor of the Metro Bank Building in Center City, while a steady parade of camera crews and reporters trampled into the cavernous office where Frank L. Rizzo was beginning his fifth try for mayor. He's 2-2. In 1971, Rizzo - the former police commissioner and a Democrat - saved the Democratic Party from losing control of City Hall.

Tonight represents your last dress-rehearsal look at the Eagles. The next time these guys line up in full uniform, it will be 10 days down the road in Washington, in the regular-season opener. So tonight's exhibition game against the Lions is extremely important to players who aren't starters, since rosters will be either at 45 or at 49 during the season, depending on how negotiations go on a new collective- bargaining agreement. Currently, there are 59 Eagles. Everybody says winning and losing doesn't much matter in exhibition games, but winning tonight would make it a lot easier for Eagles fans - and for coach Buddy Ryan - to feel optimistic about embarking on the Eagles' tough schedule.

Joe Crispin never panicked. For the longest while, he kept running up big numbers while basketball critics scrutinized his game. At 6-foot-1, Crispin was a scoring machine at Pitman, but there were doubters who questioned everything from the point guard's size to the quality of competition he faced. That's why his phone wasn't ringing off the hook with calls from recruiters. Then, finally, Crispin convinced the critics that he was an NCAA Division I prospect. And this week, he made an oral commitment to Penn State.