Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 7, 1989

Whoever thought no mas would become part of the English language? . . .

And little did Roberto Duran realize he was setting himself up for a $7.6-million payday nine years later when he surrendered to Sugar Ray Leonard in the eighth round at the Louisiana Superdome on Nov. 25, 1980. . . .

If Sugar Ray had won a lopsided decision in the second fight, there wouldn’t be nearly as much interest in Leonard-Duran III as there is today. In fact, there probably wouldn’t even be a fight. Without the desire to clear his good name, Roberto might have faded away long ago. . . .

My guest expert, Don Chargin, is picking Duran by decision. . . .

“Duran wants this more than Leonard does,” says Chargin, who is approaching his sixth decade in boxing as a promoter, matchmaker and manager. “Leonard has lost his speed and is getting hit too much. Duran isn’t what he was, either, but he got his weight down early and is capable of one last great effort.”. . . .

Leonard and Duran will need no introductions, but there have been longer rivalries. Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta met six times, including twice within 21 days in 1943. Archie Moore never got tired of looking at the same guy. He fought Howard King and Jack Chase six times each and Harold Johnson five times. . . .

Among those wearing gloves--well, at least one--in the Mirage Hotel stadium at Las Vegas tonight will be ringsider Michael Jackson. . . .

How much longer can the Dodgers keep fooling themselves? They need a center fielder and simply will have to give up some pitching to get one. . . .

Nine years ago, the Toronto Blue Jays drafted a little-known Dominican outfielder named George Bell from the Philadelphia Phillies. Three days ago, the Phillies drafted a little-known Dominican outfielder named Sil Campusano from the Blue Jays. . . .

Among those waiting for Mark Davis to sign is another free-agent reliever, Craig Lefferts. He doesn’t pitch quite as well as Davis but runs to the mound a lot faster. . . .

Eric Davis can’t be too happy about the Joe Carter deal. The Cincinnati center fielder wanted to go to San Diego. . . .

Only the World Series champion Oakland Athletics could shrug off the losses of Dave Parker and Tony Phillips. . . .

The Clippers still get no respect at the Forum, where they drew the smallest crowd of the season for a Laker game Tuesday night. . . .

It was a preview of coming attractions, though, when Danny Manning traded baskets with Magic Johnson during a lively stretch of the fourth quarter. . . .

Tony Campbell already has scored more points this season with the Minnesota Timberwolves than he did all last season with the Lakers. . . .

Freshmen aren’t supposed to play tough defense, but UCLA guard Mitchell Butler held Washington State’s Bennie Seltzer without a point in the second half after he scored 15 against other defenders in the first half. . . .

UCLA and Stanford each has won 23 national team championships in the 1980s. And now their women’s volleyball teams are alive for one last title. Both are entered in the NCAA West Regionals Friday and Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. . . .

The trainer of Caltech is more royally bred than the 3-year-old colt expected to be entered in the Hollywood Turf Cup Sunday. One of Eduardo Azpurua Jr.’s forefathers was president of Venezuela. . . .

Chuck Montalbano has been named head golf pro at Riviera Country Club. . . .

Boxing and wrestling are out at the Showboat Hotel in Las Vegas, where the arena has been turned into a bingo parlor. . . .

USC will open practice for the Rose Bowl next Thursday. Larry Smith must not be superstitious. His team will work out for a few days at UC Irvine, just like last year before the loss to Michigan. . . .

Although Bo Schembechler’s Wolverines have won consecutive championships, Illinois’ John Mackovic was voted Big Ten coach of the year for the second straight time. . . .

The senior circuits in golf and boxing are far more successful than the one in baseball, which is averaging fewer than 1,000 fans a game in Florida. . . .

Leave it to Buddy Ryan to create interest in the rematch of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 27-0 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. . . .

It has been quite a year for Nigerian-born football players. Kansas City’s Christian Okoye is leading the NFL in rushing, and BYU’s Mohammed Elewonibi won the Outland Trophy Wednesday. . . .

Whatever happened to the Boz?. . . .

Hockey may not be your thing, but it would be hard to argue with the selection of Wayne Gretzky as the pro athlete of the 1980s and the United States Olympic team’s victory over the Soviet Union at Lake Placid, N.Y., in ’80 as the greatest upset. . . .

Hold off on that TV movie about Nadia Comaneci’s defection from Romania. A soap opera may be more in order.