Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 17, 1990

This may be the dullest week of the NFL season. No games. On second thought, next week will be even duller. Super Bowl hype week. . . .

And speaking of hype, here’s a statistic for the Denver Broncos to ponder until Jan. 28: Joe Montana has thrown 93 passes in three Super Bowls without an interception. . . .

A spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame should be reserved for Ram tackle Jackie Slater, whose 14th and perhaps final season in the NFL was another great one. . . .

Charlie Cowan, who was a 15-year veteran in the Ram offensive line, badly needs a kidney dialysis machine. The Los Angeles chapter of the NFL Alumni Assn. hopes to buy him one with the proceeds from a dinner, auction and program that begins at 4 p.m. today at Rams Park. . . .

The Atlanta Falcons covet Keith McCants, but another linebacker from the state of Alabama, Aundray Bruce, has been a flop since they made him the first pick in the draft two years ago. . . .

Gerry Cooney looked scared when he walked down the aisle Monday night at Atlantic City. Then he won the first round over George Foreman before being destroyed by accurate, heavy punches in the second. . . .

Picking on has-beens or never-weres is nothing new for Foreman. His nine knockouts before winning the title from Joe Frazier in 1973 were over Vic Scott, Leroy Caldwell, Ollie Wilson, Luis Faustino Pires, Murphy Goodwin, Clarence Boone, Ted Gullick, Miguel Angel Paez and Terry Sorrels. . . .

Most pay-per-view heavyweight fights don’t last nearly as long as the buildup between the semi-main and the main events. . . .

Donald Trump is paying $12 million in site fees for the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield fight at Atlantic City. The Mirage Hotel casino at Las Vegas reportedly netted $8 million the night of the Sugar Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran fight. . . .

James Worthy put Vlade Divac, his new Laker teammate, in some pretty fair company when he compared him to Dan Issel. . . .

The Lakers are one of only six teams in the league not reporting any significant injuries. . . .

Take his usual points-rebounds-assists triple double away from Magic Johnson and how would he have fared against Michael Jordan in that one-on-one contest? . . .

The season isn’t even half over and New York already is conceding the NBA MVP award to Patrick Ewing. . . .

Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, not Don Nelson of Golden State, should be the 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball coach. . . .

When freshman Tracy Murray gets set for a three-point shot, the UCLA rooting section at Pauley Pavilion shouts, “Hail, Murray!” . . .

Miami played Washington in college and pro basketball Monday. The Huskies beat the Hurricanes and the Heat beat the Bullets. . . .

Terry Mills, the Michigan forward who was rated behind only J. R. Reid as a prospect four years ago, is beginning to look the part. . . .

Syracuse is multi-talented but will have a hard time going far in the NCAA tournament without a legitimate point guard. . . .

Best sixth man in the nation may be Jerome Harmon of Louisville. . . .

No wonder there weren’t too many fast times recorded on the old Cal State Long Beach track. After the recent installation of an all-weather surface, they surveyed the oval and discovered it was 31 1/2 inches too long. . . .

On his farewell tour, Bill Shoemaker is being bothered by an old knee injury that forced him to skip what was supposed to have been his last mount at Bay Meadows on Monday. . . .

It will be interesting to see where the Will Clark case is placed on the arbitration calendar. Everyone who goes to arbitration afterward figures to be helped by the contract the Giants’ slugger is awarded. . . .

Have you ever seen film of Babe Ruth catching a ball? . . .

There is a power struggle in Atlanta between General Manager Bobby Cox and Manager Russ Nixon of the Braves. . . .

Among other things, Cox and Nixon are debating a trade that would send left-handed pitcher Tommy Glavine and others to Boston for outfielder Mike Greenwell. The Braves may be able to afford to deal Glavine because they have a couple of good left-handed prospects in Steve Avery and Kent Mercker. . . .

The NHL invites thuggery when it suspends Detroit’s Gerard Gallant for only three games after he punches a linesman in the face. . . .

I assume it went this way the other day in Landover, Md.--Washington Capital General Manager Bud Poile to Coach Bryan Murray: “First, the bad news. You’re fired. Now, the good news. You’re being replaced by your brother Terry.”