6-9, 352 Pounds - And Still Growing

Chad Kolkow came into the world at about 8 pounds. That was 17 years and 344 pounds ago.

Now 6 feet 9 and 352 pounds, Kolkow, a senior tackle at Hidden Valley High School in Grants Pass, Ore., is larger than most NFL linemen.

And he thinks he will grow some more.

"He's just a very large man," Hidden Valley Coach Jim Figoni said. "Some of the stuff I've seen him do in practice is most amazing. We have some specific drills we do, just to see him launch people. When he really connects, it is mind-boggling.

"Chad gets several `pancakes' per game - he usually puts a guy on his back a number of times."

Kolkow, whose play blossomed this year after two subpar seasons, hasn't received much interest from college recruiters yet.

"I think Chad is a legitimate Division I player," Figoni said. "Some development needs to take place, but he's a kid who could play at the Division I level for two or three years."

Brewing up success

While everybody's doing The Fish in Florida, Dennis Valdez appears to have landed the big one.

Valdez, a Metro-Dade firefighter and para-medic, launched his Blue Marlin Beer about six weeks ago and sold all 1,500 cases quickly.

Now that the Florida Marlins have won the World Series, the microbrewer's distributor is getting calls from bars, restaurants and fans - all fishing for more.

"A lot of people buy it because of the novelty of the bottle," said Ron Santos, general manager of Levy Restaurants at Pro Player Stadium. "They all want to keep the bottle."

Already decided?

ESPN's Lee Corso says Washington "will beat any Big Ten team in the Rose Bowl."

Presumably, Corso doesn't think too much of unbeaten Penn State, Michigan . . . or Washington State.

Looking up

Jacques Martin, who led the Ottawa Senators out of last place and into the playoffs, is the NHL's lowest-paid coach at $236,000 a year, according to the Nov. 7 edition of The Hockey News.

"I'm 26th? That's encouraging," Martin said. "That means there's only one way to go. That's up."

Which coach is paid the most? Detroit's Scotty Bowman, $970,000 a year.

They said it

-- Goaltender Glenn Healy, Toronto Maple Leafs, recalling his days playing for the Los Angeles Kings: "I remember being in those ghastly purple-and-gold uniforms . . . which, I might add, I still wear to the mall on Halloween."

-- Sugar Ray Leonard, on the biggest difference between boxing and golf: "In golf, you can make a mistake."

Compiled by Chuck Ashmun, Seattle Times