Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 27, 1989

If Bo Schembechler looks closely at the opposite sidelines on New Year’s Day, he will be reminded of one of his worst Rose Bowl experiences . . .

Standing near the USC bench will be Charles White, who ran three yards for a touchdown against Michigan in the second quarter of the 1979 game. Never mind that pictures showed that White didn’t have the ball when he crossed the goal line. He had fumbled it away, but the touchdown stood and was decisive in the Trojans’ 17-10 victory . . .

On Tuesday, Schembechler will retire as Michigan’s coach. The same day, White will begin his new job as special assistant to USC Athletic Director Mike McGee . . .

White, the former Heisman Trophy winner whose drug and alcohol problems were well-chronicled during his NFL days, will counsel student-athletes about the importance of earning their degrees and not abusing their bodies . . .

White’s contract with the university stipulates that he, too, must resume classes, graduate and stay clean . . .

USC Coach Larry Smith, a loser the past two years in Pasadena, believes his team peaked too early the last time and is varying its practice routine. “We were ready to play Michigan four or five days before the game,” he says. “Then we were stale the day of the game.” . . .

The UC Irvine practice field will be used by both the Trojans and the University of Florida today and Thursday. The Gators will play Washington Saturday in the Freedom Bowl at Anaheim Stadium . . .

Sam Wyche should be grateful that Cincinnati lost by eight points, not one, to Minnesota Monday night. Otherwise, the Bengal coach would have been second-guessed all winter, spring and summer for his fourth-down gamble late in the second quarter that led to a Viking field goal . . .

A reversal of a bad call is worth the extra time caused by not-so-instant replay . . .

The Jim Everett-Don Majkowski statistics were too close to call, but the Ram quarterback deserved a spot in the Pro Bowl on seniority . . .

A lot of one-liners went out of the window when the Houston-Cincinnati rematch failed to materialize in the playoffs . . .

San Diego fans may disagree, but Chicago made a mistake trading away Jim McMahon . . .

The NFC had a 28-24 edge over the AFC in interconference games this season . . .

Biggest error in the NBA expansion draft this year was made by Phoenix, which let Tyrone Corbin get away to Minnesota . . .

Danny Ferry says pregame meetings of the Messaggero basketball team last at least 90 minutes because the coach makes his talk first in Italian and then in English . . .

Big Little Man: The world amateur champion in the lightest division--106-pound Eric Griffin of Houston--has been voted boxer of the year by the U.S. Olympic Committee . . .

Olympic heavyweight champion Ray Mercer gets more merciful every time he fights . . .

I miss the characters at the old Main Street Gym . . .

The bettors beat the Mirage Hotel sports book in Las Vegas for $2 million on the Leonard-Duran fight . . .

Santa Anita should drop the pick nine and add another daily triple . . .

Last year, Dodger General Manager Fred Claire was criticized for not trading for Met second baseman Wally Backman. Now, after a disappointing season in Minnesota, Backman is a free agent who remains unsigned and pretty much unwanted . . .

Please don’t tell me that the baseball playoffs should be expanded. One hundred and sixty-two regular-season games have to mean a little something . . .

When are the Dodgers going to announce plans for the museum to be built on their stadium grounds? . . .

ESPN’s “Major League Baseball Magazine” is a treat any time of the year . . .

The surprise isn’t so much that the Kings and Calgary are tied in the Smythe Division standings before their game tonight at the Forum, but that they’re tied for second place instead of first . . .

Thanks in no small part to cream-puff schedules, six of the top 10 teams in the Associated Press college basketball poll still are unbeaten . . .

Would you believe that Billy Martin played for more franchises (seven) than he managed (five)? He played for the Kansas City Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Braves and Minnesota Twins after spending the first six-plus seasons of his major league career with the Yankees.