THE ICE MAN COMETH[ldots].

NOW THAT WE HAVE played Judge Judy in the baseball proceedings, allow us to introduce the third LVP (Least Valuable Player) of the past winter, a Boston Bruin "enforcer" named Marty McSorley.

Marty played the leading role in the hit play of the season, "The Un-Nice Man Cometh." With three seconds remaining in a game against the Vancouver Canucks, McSorley casually glided up behind a stationary opponent named Donnie Brashear and then suddenly brought up his stick and slashed it across Brashear's face and neck, knocking him senseless.

The blow had nothing to do with anything happening on the ice. It was pure viciousness--mindless, thoughtless, and cruel--but exactly what you might expect from a professional sport that[ldots]

Sells fury, if not necessarily blood.

Worships toughness, if not exactly viciousness.

Wants aggressiveness, if not exactly assault.

The moral is obvious: You cannot cater to the worst instincts of the players without drawing out the worst in the players.

It makes you wonder how such nice kids as Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky ever got mixed up in such a business, and whatever happened to Lady Byng?