History, if not odds, on his side

Chris Roberts, the radio voice of UCLA football and basketball, was among the speakers Friday at the Pasadena Quarterbacks Club luncheon at the Brookside Clubhouse next to the Rose Bowl. And no one could blame him for doing a little gloating.

At this luncheon last year, he predicted the Bruins would beat USC, 13-10.

“If not for USC missing an extra point, I would have been right on,” Roberts said.

His prediction for today’s game is Bruins, 17-14, on a last-second field goal.

Then, chiding the gathering, Roberts added, “You were laughing at me last year. I don’t hear anybody laughing at me this year.”

Trivia time

In his 16 seasons of announcing UCLA football, Roberts has worked with five game commentators. Name them.

Another viewpoint

Former Trojans Jeff Bregel, an All-American guard, and Marvin Cobb, a star defensive back, also were at the Quarterbacks Club luncheon, and they predicted a USC victory, by 45-10 and 35-10, respectively.

“UCLA has had a year’s worth of bragging rights, and that’s enough,” Cobb said.

Another topic

Concerning the issue of whether USC would be moving to the Rose Bowl, Cobb said: “Look at it this way. The L.A. Rams left the Coliseum. The L.A. Raiders left the Coliseum. I think USC and UCLA may once again be roommates.”

Good source

Other speakers at the luncheon were Frank Cornish, a former UCLA offensive lineman who now lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with his wife and five children, and Donn Moomaw, an All-American linebacker for UCLA in 1950 and ’52 who chose the ministry over a pro football career.

Of course they both predicted an upset victory for UCLA.

Moomaw, who had the Bruins winning, 24-14, said he had some inside information.

Said the minister: “I have been conferring with the great designer.”

New game plan

Moomaw said the 1951 USC-UCLA game was his most memorable, a 21-7 victory for the Bruins. “And it wasn’t because I scored a touchdown in that game” on an interception return, he said.

“Gee, I say that as if I scored a lot of touchdowns at UCLA,” he said. “That was my only one.

“No, why it was memorable for me was because after the game a businessman invited me to go to church the next day. I hadn’t been to church since I’d been in college.”

Moomaw said he and the booster attended a service at the Hollywood Presbyterian Church and it was there that he learned of his calling.

Danger zone

With the New York Knicks losing to the Boston Celtics, 54-31, at halftime on their way to a 104-59 loss Thursday night, the topic on TNT was whether Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas was safe from being fired.

“He’s about as safe as me in a room full of cookies,” Charles Barkley said. “If I’m in a room full of cookies, the cookies ain’t got a chance.”

Trivia answer

David Norrie, Rick Schwartz, Steve Hartman, Billy Ray Smith and the incumbent, Matt Stevens.

And finally

UCLA is inviting architectural firms to explain why they should get the Pauley Pavilion renovation job, and the request for qualifications includes an explanation of all the improvements to be made. Then there is this line: “All of these efforts will help improve the home-court advantage for UCLA.”

That has to be a little scary to future UCLA opponents.

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larry.stewart@latimes.com