Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 26, 1990

Kirk Gibson said he was waiting for the owners to come to their senses. Well, they have. Now it is time for the ballplayers to come to their senses and sign an agreement. . . .

When I wrote recently that UCLA had a chance to make the Final Four, I meant the NIT Final Four. . . .

What the Bruins lack, among other things, are a legitimate center and a senior with leadership ability. . . .

This is a delicate situation because Larry Robinson is one of the all-time great defensemen in the National Hockey League, but shouldn’t the Kings finally admit their mistake and bench him? . . .

ESPN should send in Jim Konstanty, the former Phillie, to relieve Robin Roberts, the new woman on the late-night “SportsCenter” show. . . .

Pete Maravich not only set the NCAA scoring record in three seasons with 3,667 points and an average of 44.2, he did it before the advent of the three-point shot. . . .

Few, if any, college basketball coaches get as much out of their talent year in and year out as Gene Keady of Purdue. . . .

George Raveling believes Dwayne Schintzius will become a productive NBA center despite his controversial and short-circuited career at Florida. Raveling, who assisted John Thompson, says Schintzius’ attitude was exemplary during tryouts for the U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1988. . . .

Marquette University’s publicity department is sending out self-deprecating postcards calling guard Tony Smith “the best kept secret in college basketball.” . . .

Do you suppose Loyola Marymount will be tough to beat in the West Coast Conference tournament on its home court? . . .

CBS golf announcer Pat Summerall called Oklahoma’s victory over Missouri a major upset. Sorry, Pat. The Sooners were favored by five points. . . .

Sunday was a big day for “Boom Booms”--Boris Becker beat Ivan Lendl in the Stuttgart, West Germany, final and Fred Couples won the L.A. Open. . . .

Donald Sterling introduced Reggie Williams to the media as “our Michael Jordan” after the Clippers made him the fourth pick in the 1987 draft. That’s the same Reggie Williams who couldn’t hit the ocean with a basketball and was cut by the Cleveland Cavaliers the other day. . . .

Now that they’ve traded for Maurice Cheeks, the New York Knicks should go a step further and start him over Mark Jackson. . . .

Look-alikes: Evander Holyfield and Dominique Wilkins. . . .

Biggest loser of the Buster Douglas-Holyfield fight will be Mirage Hotel owner Steve Wynn if he pays Douglas $25 million. . . .

The commercials used to say that HBO was the network that “has Mike Tyson.” Now they say it’s the network that “has the fights that make boxing history.” . . .

Former Ram guard Joe Scibelli is down to 185 pounds after a battle with stomach cancer, but doing well and running his produce business in Springfield, Mass. . . .

For the first time, three Soviet women--Natalia Zvereva (13), Leila Meskhi (21) and Larisa Savchenko (22)--are ranked in the top 25 in the Virginia Slims tennis rankings. . . .

Sitting in the same press row at the King-Vancouver Canuck game on the 10th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice” were Herb Brooks, who coached the U.S. to the gold medal in 1980, and Jack McCartan, who tended goal for the U.S. gold medalists in 1960. Brooks was doing color commentary on SportsChannel America and McCartan was scouting. . . .

New York, New York: Ten members of the Kings have played for either the Rangers or the Islanders. . . .

Times handicapper Bob Mieszerski thinks Pleasant Tap, trained by Chris Speckert, could be the surprise of the upcoming races for 3-year-olds. . . .

Making a good impression at Santa Anita is apprentice rider Chris Morales. . . .

If you like the lottery, you’ll love the Pick Nine. . . .

The major leagues should copy the Missouri Valley Conference and operate a 20-second time clock between pitches when nobody is on base. . . .

You tend to think Tony Conigliaro’s career ended when he was beaned by Jack Hamilton in 1967, but three years later he finished second in the American League in RBIs (116) and fourth in home runs (36). . . .

Quote of the Week from commentator Jesse (The Body) Ventura during the pro wrestling matches on NBC Friday night: “I don’t believe this.”