Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 12, 1989

What may be a final bid to keep the Raiders in Los Angeles will be made this morning. . . .

Spectacor, the private firm that has a management contract with the Coliseum, is sending its heavyweights, Chairman Ed Snider and President Tony Taveras, to meet with Al Davis. They are expected to spell out in detail their plans to tear down the Coliseum and build a new one on the same site if the Commission will lease them the land. . . .

“Something attractive is going to be proposed to the Raiders,” said Coliseum General Manager Joel Ralph. “Maybe more attractive than anything Oakland or Sacramento can come up with.” . . .

Similar meetings have been held with Clipper owner Donald Sterling about building a state-of-the-art arena in Exposition Park for the basketball team. . . .

Whether the Raiders stay or not, Ralph is leaving the Coliseum Jan. 3, after 2 1/2 years on the job, to become Eastern regional vice president for Spectacor. He will be replaced by Peter Luukko, who has been general manager of the Sports Arena. . . .

Ralph insists he was happy here, but says he prefers living in the East, where he was general manager at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia for 16 years. . . .

Kansas City’s signing of Mark Davis makes baseball’s toughest division, the American League West, just that much better. . . .

Mr. Class: Wide receiver Steve Largent gave his jersey to Seattle Seahawk radio announcer Pete Gross, who is battling stomach cancer, after making his record 100th NFL touchdown catch Sunday against Cincinnati. . . .

That was a nice touch, the Raiders introducing special teamers instead of the offense or defense before their final regular-season home game. And Vance Mueller was something special again, returning a kickoff to the Phoenix 46-yard-line to set up the winning touchdown drive. . . .

Why should a muff be treated any different from a fumble? The nullification of Raider defensive end Mike Wise’s 64-yard return for a touchdown after he scooped up a loose ball Sunday was proper, but the rule is nonsensical. . . .

The Raiders ought to dial Mike Dyal’s number more often. Like his predecessor at tight end, Todd Christensen, Dyal always seems to get open. . . .

Only four of the 14 AFC teams have losing records. . . .

Most halftime shows bore me. . . .

News item: Nine of the San Diego Chargers’ last 10 defeats have been by seven or less points. Reaction: Bad teams lose close games. . . .

If you want to stump all but the most ardent boxing fans, ask them what title Sugar Ray Leonard defended against Roberto Duran. It was the WBC super middleweight. . . .

Unbeaten heavyweight Tommy Morrison will have a major role in “Rocky V.” After Morrison won a decision over Ken Lakusta on the Leonard-Duran undercard, ringsider Sylvester Stallone congratulated him and told the ringside press, “Nice kid.” Lakusta might not agree. Morrison butted him, hit him low and also punished him legally during their six rounds. . . .

Their scoreless tie with the Rangers Saturday was only the fourth in the 1,387 regular-season games the New York Islanders have played. . . .

Look-alikes: Nadia Comaneci and Patty Hearst. . . .

Hollywood Park chairman Marje Everett can be persuasive. She invited record-breaking jockey Kent Desormeaux, who’s trying to decide whether to campaign here or in New York, to her Holmby Hills mansion over the weekend and threw a dinner party for him after the races Sunday. . . .

Any arena with the name Colisee de Quebec deserves a better hockey team than the Nordiques. . . .

The NHL should include Atlanta in its expansion plans. . . .

Safetymen Mark Carrier of USC and Tripp Welborne of Michigan, who won’t socialize much in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, were roommates before the taping of the Bob Hope special showcasing the Associated Press All-American team. . . .

John Jackson, the Trojans’ record-breaking wide receiver, has been named to Collegiate Baseball’s preseason All-American team as a center fielder. . . .

Irv Kaze, soon to become commissioner of the Continental Basketball Assn., reports that the NBA is paying the 16-team league $2.7 million over the next three years for player and referee development. Fifty-four former CBA players and two former coaches--Bill Musselman and Phil Jackson--are working in the NBA. . . .

Southern California is represented in the CBA by the Santa Barbara Islanders, whose roster includes former Laker Larry Spriggs and former Cal State Fullerton standout Leon Wood. . . .

The Army-Navy game must not mean that much anymore when Navy fires its coach two days after beating Army. . . .

ESPN still is interested in hiring Joe Torre for its major league telecasts next season. . . .

The Lakers could have used Orlando (Woolridge) in Orlando (Florida) Sunday night. . . .