GOLDBERG ALMOST REBOUNDS FAMILIAR `EDDIE'.

Byline: Michael H. Price Fort Worth Star-Telegram 

The fish-out-of-water sports-comedy tradition plods on with Whoopi Goldberg in ``Eddie,'' a charming but unremarkably written box-office workhorse that - like umpteen other pictures before it - confronts a losing team with an unlikely coach who proves to be a genuinely motivational human being.

The charm comes with the turf for Goldberg, who seems to be living a role that varies little from parts essayed recently by Emilio Estevez (in too many ``Mighty Ducks'' movies), the lamented John Candy (in ``Cool Runnings'') and James Belushi (in ``Race the Sun''). Basketball, hockey, bobsledding - the sport may vary, but the tune remains about the same. Curiously, this rash of locker-room uplifters is concentrated at the Disney group, whose Hollywood Pictures label is responsible for ``Eddie.''

Goldberg is Edwina Franklin, a k a Eddie, a Manhattan limo jockey whose passion for the New York Knicks knows no reasonable bounds. Granted an honorary coach-ship in a contest, Eddie finds herself given the job for real by a new owner (Frank Langella, doing his patented glad-handing businessman shtick), who cares little for improving the team's losing streak but figures a fan-turned-boss gimmick will sell tickets.

Goldberg is a bundle of energy, as usual, full of glib wisecracks and smooth moves, and doing memorably well by a role that, somewhere in the process of passing through the hands of six screenwriters, got changed from a male bank teller to a feisty lady chauffeur. Goldberg's own lifelong fondness for the Knicks figures largely in bringing the film to life, and it doesn't hurt that director Steve Rash - a native Texan, still best-known for 1978's ``The Buddy Holly Story'' - is also an avowed fan.

But the script is strictly formula-bound, with the fan-become-coach finding herself in the impossibly awkward position of having to dispense practical strategies and impart valuable life lessons all at once. Goldberg performs the chore with more grace than such forced writing deserves; she almost makes it feel genuine. A heightened sense of authenticity comes from the casting of genuine players.

THE FACTS The film: ``Eddie'' (PG-13; vulgar humor, scattered rudeness, mature themes).

The stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Langella.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Steve Rash, produced by David Permut and Mark Burg. Released by Hollywood Pictures.

Running time: One hour, 40 minutes.

Playing: Citywide.

Our rating: Two Stars.

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Photo: In ``Eddie,'' Whoopi Goldberg, pictured with NBA pla yer Dwayne Schintzius, is a limo jockey and New York Knicks fan who suddenly finds herself coaching the Knicks.