Notes on a Scorecard - March 15, 1990

Baseball? I would miss it the first week of April. But not now. Not with two of the most competitive sports events of the year, the Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor junior welterweight title fight and the NCAA basketball tournament, coming right up on our TV screens. . . .

Chavez-Taylor might not be glamorous, but to sweet scientists it is one of the best matchups in memory, probably the most attractive bout between smaller men since Aaron Pryor-Alexis Arguello I. . . .

“I don’t make picks on fights I work,” said Larry Merchant, a commentator on HBO’s telecast Saturday night from the Las Vegas Hilton. “However, I don’t know how you can pick against a guy who is 68-0.” . . .

That would be Chavez, although some historians believe he should be 67-1 because he once was disqualified for knocking out a guy with a punch that supposedly was thrown after the bell, only to be ruled less tardy by a Mexican commission that awarded Chavez the knockout. . . .

For sure, Taylor is unbeaten. Only a draw with Howard Davis in 1986 mars his 25-fight career. . . .

What helps make the St. Patrick’s Day matchup so special is that both are still young--Chavez 27, Taylor 23. . . .

Taylor, who has been known to snack on pizza the night before a fight, reportedly ballooned to 160 pounds, 20 over the junior welterweight limit, before starting serious training. . . . The notion here is that Chavez will defend his title successfully with a 12-round unanimous decision. Taylor, who is quicker, will build an early lead, but Chavez, who has more experience, will wear him down with body punches. . . .

Most of the opening-round games in the NCAA tournament today and Friday won’t be nearly as closely contested as the fight figures to be, but this is a field that brings new meaning to the term wide-open . . . .

How difficult is it to repeat as champion? Nobody has since UCLA won its seventh consecutive title in 1973. . . .

Oklahoma, No. 1 in the final AP and UPI polls, is in trouble. Last wire service champion to win the tournament was North Carolina in 1982. . . .

La Salle (29-1) has the best record in the tournament, Kansas State (17-14) the worst. . . .

The Midwest--whose field includes Oklahoma, Georgetown, Purdue, Illinois, Arkansas, Georgia and North Carolina--is probably the deepest regional. . . .

March Madness? The championship game will be played April 2. . . .

The women’s championship game is expected to outdraw the men’s. Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., site of the women’s, seats 24,535. McNichols Arena in Denver, site of the men’s, seats 17,022. . . .

Don’t knock the NIT to Bill Frieder. Arizona State’s invitation to that tournament meant a $20,000 bonus for the first-year coach. . . .

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor of UCLA, was voted outstanding player of the NCAA tournament three times, but Elvin Hayes of Houston holds the career tournament scoring and rebounding records. . . .

UCLA and Alabama Birmingham are rated dead even. . . .

Gene Bartow had the second-highest winning percentage (85.2) of any coach at UCLA. Gary Cunningham won 86.2% and John Wooden 80.8%. . . .

Heavy first-round favorite least likely to be overconfident is Arkansas. The Razorbacks play Princeton, one-point loser to Georgetown in the first round last year. . . .

Mark Carrier’s decision to enter the NFL draft means USC will have only seven returning starters, the least since the switch to two-platoon football in 1965. . . .

Redshirt freshman Howard McCowan lined up at Carrier’s safety position in spring practice the day of the announcement, but there will be plenty of competition for the spot. Coach Larry Smith is pleased by what he’s seen of two players switching positions--junior Calvin Holmes from tailback to cornerback and redshirt freshman Gidion Murrell from tight end to inside linebacker. . . .

Don’t ask me why, but the NFL draft isn’t until April 22-23. . . .

A review of the Hank Gathers files by USC showed that he suffered no incidents relating to a heart problem during his season at the university. . . .

Now that Hollywood Park has lost its bid for the services of the best race track announcer in the land, Trevor Denman, it should hire the capable Robin Burns. . . .

I wonder if Susan Butcher walked the dog around the block this morning. . . .

How Quickly They Forget: At a charity auction in Washington this week, a replica of Buster Douglas’ heavyweight championship belt went for $10,500. A pair of boxing gloves signed by Mike Tyson went for $1,000.