Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 5, 1990

His rival jockeys wished him well. The public bet him down to 3-5. The track announcer rooted him home. But nobody let Bill Shoemaker win the fifth race Saturday and that says something about the class and integrity of the sport at Santa Anita . . .

Instead, Eddie Delahoussaye and Exemplary Leader and Fernando Toro and Happy Toss came flying on the inside, Oraibi and Corey Black came roaring on the outside, and Shoemaker and Patchy Groundfog finished out of the money. . . .

Before the race, New York Times racing columnist Steven Crist wrote, “Does anyone really believe that the other jockeys in the Legend’s Last Ride . . . will fulfill their legal requirement to put forth their best effort to win?”. . . .

Yes, Steven, anyone who regularly watches the world’s greatest jockey colony compete in Southern California believed so. . . .

Doing the honors on ABC-TV, Dave Johnson varied his usual call by shouting, “And down the stretch he comes!” . . .

This was the first and only time in his career that Shoe was cheered after finishing out of the money on a 3-5 shot. . . .

“That was fun,” said Julio Canani, trainer of Patchy Groundfog, once the commotion had died down. “A lot of fun. No regrets.” You got the feeling that putting Shoe’s leg up on his last mount was as big a thrill for Canani as winning the Big ‘Cap with Martial Law last year. . . .

Something is wrong with the system when Pascual Perez gets paid more money to play baseball than Bo Jackson. . . .

If anything turns Bo into a full-time football player, maybe it will be his loss at the arbitration table. . . .

Another robbery in Las Vegas. Challenger Troy Dorsey did most of the fighting, but IBF featherweight champion Jorge Paez got the decision Sunday. Paez is the pride of NBC, but even Dr. Ferdy Pacheco’s card had him losing. . . .

That was Jerry West, who follows boxing nearly as closely as basketball, sitting next to Jerry Buss ringside at the Forum-promoted fight. . . .

Too bad the hype for the Macho Camacho-Vinny Pazienza bout was in such bad taste. The fight itself, won by Camacho on a 12-round decision Saturday, was exceptional. . . .

Now that Gary Grant has joined Ron Harper on the sidelines, the Clippers should hold onto their two No. 1 draft choices for next season. Both their original and the one traded from Cleveland could be lottery selections. . . .

How much do the Detroit Pistons really miss Rick Mahorn? With Mahorn in Philadelphia, James Edwards and Dennis Rodman play more. Edwards was particularly effective in the rout of Utah Sunday. . . .

USC’s victory over UCLA was the Trojans’ biggest in years, but a lot more people would have seen it if game time had been moved a half-hour later to accommodate ESPN. Instead, it was shown on tape delay on Prime Ticket. Good break for Jim Harrick, bad break for George Raveling. . . .

I’ll never understand why teams ahead by three points in the final seconds don’t commit a foul and take away the chance of a tying three-point shot. It cost Texas what should have been a victory over Arkansas Sunday. . . .

Anthony Peeler is becoming a marquee player for Missouri, which rose to No. 1 in the ratings without any famous names. . . .

Cheryl Miller, doing the commentary on the Texas-Arkansas game on ABC, showed she isn’t bashful about expressing an opinion. . . .

Poor George Allen is going to have to begin his Cal State Long Beach coaching career at Clemson in September because the 49ers have accepted a $250,000 guarantee. . . .

San Diego Padre first baseman Jack Clark says he’s thinking about buying a top fuel dragster and driving when he retires. . . .

Most college basketball play-by-play announcers sound the same to me. . . .

The book of Jewish sports heroes will have to be enlarged after the singles victories by Jay Berger and Brad Gilbert for the United States over Mexico in the Davis Cup. . . .

Runners from at least 15 nations will compete in the Times/Eagle Indoor Games Feb. 16 at the Forum, but the big one from Mexico got away. Arturo Barrios, who set a world record for 10,000 meters last summer, accepted a lucrative peso offer from Japan instead. . . .

Mike Tyson will segue from defending his heavyweight title against Buster Douglas Saturday to appearing as referee of the Hulk Hogan-Randy Savage wrestling match on NBC Feb. 23. . . .

Leave it to Lee Trevino to put some new life into the PGA Senior Tour. . . .

Guess who we get to see in the next televised pro football game? None other than the Denver Broncos against the Chicago Bears in the Hall of Fame Game Aug. 4 at Canton, Ohio.