Lance Van Zandt will be sorely missed by many in the coaching profession, starting with Bum Phillips. Phillips was in Ardmore, Okla., when he learned cancer claimed Van Zandt’s life Thursday night and was clearly shaken. “We go way back,” said Bum, his voice breaking. “Lance played on the first Port Neches team I coached against when I was at Nederland. The first time I met him, I sensed he just understood things better and was different than most guys in his approach to coaching. He was about as good as I’ve ever seen in handling players, in being able to fuss at them and not be resented. He was a really, really good coach and friend. I’m going to miss him.” . . . Bum, by the way, has high hopes for his son Wade and the Dallas Cowboys this season. But, like a coach, as well as the father of a coach who’s taken way too much heat after a 13-3 season, he’s fretting about the Cowboys run of training-camp injuries. Two in particular he’s concerned about are receiver Miles Austin and linebacker Anthony Spencer. “Austin was really coming on. It was a setback to lose him,” said the former Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints coach. “Now Sam Hurd is out for a few weeks. With Terry Glenn gone and (Isiah) Stanback hurt, they are really thin at receiver. They can’t stand any more injuries there.” Bum is really high on two new Cowboys — linebacker Zach Thomas and cornerback/kick returner Pacman Jones.

Jamaal Charles, after missing Kansas City’s previous two games with a shoulder injury, opened some eyes in the Chiefs final pre-season game Thursday night against the Rams. Charles rushed six times for 43 yards, with a long of 13. Although it came against Rams’ reserves, veteran Kansas City Star writer Joe Posnanski was moved to say Charles looked like Gale Sayers. Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle repeated an earlier refrain, saying Jamaal was one of the fast football players he’s ever been around . . . Charles’ former Memorial teammate James Johnson, who is trying to make the Bengals as a free agent running back, made the most of his first extensive playing opportunity Thursday night. Johnson, listed No. 5 on the Bengals running back depth chart, had a team best 54 yards on eight carries. He may have to sweat out the final cut, but might stick the same way a lot of young guys do — as a special teams contributor . . . Since I can’t give Tom Halliburton and Mike Tobias a raise, I must lavish them with public praise for their efforts in making the Port Arthur News Football 2008 its usual artistic success. Tom laid out the entire section, and did a beautiful job of making it all come together. It’s a process much more tedious and time consuming that readers will ever know. Tobias, meanwhile, delivered his usual package of outstanding photos, starting with the PN-G cover shot. His team lead-ins on Memorial, PN-G, Nederland and Bridge City were eye-catching and terrific. Guys I make you co-MVPs.

LSU’s Andrew Hatch has to be the most unlikely starting quarterback for any team in a BCS conference. As a freshman three years ago, he was the QB on the Harvard junior varsity. He left the Ivy League school after the 2005 season to go on a Morman mission, then wound up at LSU because of Tiger assistant coach Gary Crowton. Crowton, before being fired at Brigham Young, had tried to recruit Hatch when he was playing high school football in Las Vegas . . . Nederland’s Dravannti Johnson became part of an ever-growing trend among high school football stars last winter when he graduated early, then enrolled at Texas in time to participate in spring practice. According to a story in USA Today, Johnson was one of 105 incoming freshmen in BCS affiliated leagues to arrive on campus early. That number is up from 67 in 2007, 53 in 2006 and 34 in 2005 . . . Looks like former West Brook standout Joe Chaisson won’t be enrolling at Lamar after all. The Arkansas transfer, after indicating serious interest to Cardinal coach Ray Woodard, apparently decided he didn’t want to wait until 2010 to play again. That feeling, combined with a strong recruiting pitch from Texas State, has Chiasson headed to San Marcos. Because he’s transferring from Division 1 to 1-AA, he’ll immediately be eligible.

Lamar athletic director Billy Tubbs made a quick trip to Oklahoma last week to be with Waymon Tisdale, the former Sooner great who was the heart and soul of Tubbs’ greatest teams in Norman. The 6-9 Tisdale, who spent 12 seasons in the NBA, was suffering from bone cancer and had to have most of his right leg amputated. Tisdale first learned he had he had a cancerous cyst after breaking his leg in a fall in February of 2007. Tubbs said his former star was in remarkably good spirits and plans to resume his career as an award-winning jazz musician . . . The NBA is moving fast to cash in on the renewed basketball craze in China following the Olympic Games. With the Chinese Basketball Association claiming 300 million people there are playing basketball, the NBA plans to install 800,000 baskets and backboards in towns and villages throughout the country . . . Barack Obama may have wooed new voters with his dynamic acceptance speech at the Democratic convention Thursday night, but the Chicago south sider probably lost some Cubs fans with his answer to a question from ESPN’s Stuart Scott. Asked who he’d root for in a White Sox-Cubs World Series, Obama said, “Oh, that’s easy. White Sox. I’m not one of these fair weather fans. You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren’t watching the game. It’s not serious. White Sox, that’s baseball.”

Speaking of baseball, they don’t exactly have the fever in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area of Florida, despite the upstart Rays being the best story of the 2008 season. Tampa Bay, which is battling the Cubs and Angels for the game’s best record in 2008, ranks 26th out of 30 teams with an average attendance of 21,206. Amazingly, the Rays never reached that number in a recent three-game showdown with the Angels, drawing 15,896, 15,902 and 19,157. They will be baseball and television’s worst nightmare in the playoffs . . . Dr. Neal ElAttrache, director of sports medicine at the Kerland-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, and the Los Angles Dodgers team physician, made an observation last week that had to be chilling for the Tigerless PGA Tour. “To prolong his career, he may have to make some concessions,” Elttrache said of Woods. “He may have to alter his swing somewhat. He’s going to have to adapt significantly to his situation. If he doesn’t, his career is going to be short lived.” With PGA Tour TV ratings in a serious nose dive, that is not what commissioner Tim Finchem and friends want to hear . . . It doesn’t get much bigger in Texas high school football than Friday night’s opener in Galena Park between No. 3 ranked Katy, the defending 5A, Division II state champ, and No. 5 ranked North Shore, a perennial power which came in with 70 consecutive regular season victories. North Shore won 10-6 to move within one of Southlake Carroll’s state record of 72 straight regular-season wins.

Sports editor Bob West can be e-mailed at rdwest@usa.net. His Sportsrap radio show has moved to Wednesdays at 8:05 p.m. on KLVI (560-AM).