Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 7, 1990

Sorry, David Stern, but Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan will be going one-on-one tonight at the Forum. . . .

Well, at least about half the time. When the Lakers have the ball, Michael will guard Magic. But when the Chicago Bulls have the ball, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper or James Worthy--or a combination of all three--will guard Michael. . . .

It’s strictly a matter of styles, the 6-foot-6, 196-pound Jordan being quicker than the 6-9, 220-pound Johnson. . . .

With nobody else on the court, Jordan would have to be a heavy favorite over Johnson. Michael is the greatest individual talent the game has ever known. But Magic might be the most valuable. It’s what he does for the rest of the team that puts him in a class with Bill Russell. . . .

The best backcourt duels of all time, though, were those waged by Jerry West of the Lakers against Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati and Milwaukee from 1960 to 1974, the length of each Hall of Famer’s career. . . .

That was before the days of point guards or off guards, big or small guards, one or two guards. Just Mr. Clutch and the Big O, two of the fiercest competitors ever at any position, going head to head for most of 48 minutes. . . .

“My attention span and my desire were always more in focus when we played Oscar,” says West, the Laker general manager. “Early, my skills were not on the same level with his. He had the edge. But I kept improving, and later on I had the edge.” . . .

West on Jordan: “Like Magic, he has the mental package to go with the physical. He’s extremely tough and knows how to play the game.” . . .

Jordan, on the way to his fourth consecutive NBA scoring championship, is averaging 33.3 points. The most he averaged during his three years at North Carolina was 20 points in his sophomore season of 1982-83. . . .

The All-Star break will be a long one for the Lakers, who won’t play a game for six days. However, you can be sure Pat Riley will keep them in shape. . . .

On one extreme, you have NFL players pulling out of the Pro Bowl for no reason at all. On the other, you have the NBA supposedly forcing Charles Barkley either to play in the All-Star game or sit out regular-season games until then. . . .

Lou Holtz deserves a raise after the signing of the $10 million-a-year Notre Dame-NBC television deal. . . .

Texas A&M; is enjoying a banner football recruiting year. . . .

USC also is doing well, although the big one, tailback Robert Smith, got away to Ohio State. . . .

Mike Holmgren isn’t the first San Francisco 49er assistant to turn down a head coaching job. George Seifert once could have moved to the Indianapolis Colts. . . .

The Phoenix Cardinals’ new coach, Joe Bugel, was nearly hired by the Raiders before Al Davis opted for Mike Shanahan. . . .

Some NFL player personnel experts think the handling of the Plan B free-agent list has become as important as the college draft. . . .

Don Newcombe will be honored as man of the year by the Volunteers in Parole at a dinner March 3 at the Los Angeles Hilton. . . .

Best fight arena I ever saw was the Hollywood Legion Stadium. . . .

Michael Dokes still has some ability but will have to trim down from 246 1/2 pounds to beat even the Razor Ruddocks of this world. . . .

The U.S. Tennis Assn. has banned commentator Mary Carillo from telecasts of Davis Cup matches in the United States, saying she is too critical. . . .

Former major league pitcher and Idaho state Senator Larry Jackson has begun radiation treatments in Boise. . . .

George Wendt, who portrays Norm on “Cheers,” played rugby at Notre Dame. . . .

National cable telecasts of high school football and basketball games put too much pressure on the kids. . .

Eric Wynalda, who attends San Diego State and grew up in Westlake Village, quickly has become the most effective forward on the U.S. World Cup soccer team. . . .

Baseball America projects pitcher Alex Fernandez of Miami-Dade Community College in Florida as the top college prospect for the June draft. USC second baseman Bret Boone, son of Bob, is projected as No. 8, UCLA pitcher David Zancanaro as No. 23. . . .

Missouri and Kansas are playing the best basketball now, but it’s questionable whether either has enough pure talent to win the NCAA tournament. . . .

Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson, who left the bench and went to the locker room in protest of a call, never should have been allowed back by the officials for the overtime of the Texas game. . . .

Frank Deford is always sitting at a typewriter in those advertisements for the National. In this computer age, he must be the last of a breed.