Notes on a Scorecard - April 5, 1990

Please don’t tell Mister Frisky, but the record winning streak he will be trying to tie Saturday in the Santa Anita Derby is one of the least imposing in American sports. . . .

Edwin Moses won 122 consecutive 400-meter hurdles races. Rocky Marciano retired unbeaten after 49 fights. UCLA won 88 consecutive games in basketball, Oklahoma 47 in football, the Lakers 33 in the NBA and the New York

Giants 26 in the National League. . . .

But no thoroughbred in the U.S. or affiliated islands such as Puerto Rico, where Mister Frisky began his career, ever has equaled the 16 consecutive victories by Citation in 1948-49. . . .

It’s a case of animals being even less predictable than human beings and the conditions of racing--horses moving up in class and adding weight--being a great equalizer. . . .

The world record of 54 in a row was set by Kincsem, who raced in Europe in the 1870s. . . . I’m surprised major league baseball owners and players didn’t reach a compromise on roster limits for the first three weeks of the season--25 1/2 men per team. . . .

Mike Witt’s poor spring training performance and demotion to the bullpen haven’t exactly increased his trade value. And now it’s doubtful that the Angels would include Kirk McCaskill in a deal. The rumor mill had McCaskill and Devon White going to Philadelphia for Von Hayes. . . .

One reason the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Billy Hatcher to the Cincinnati Reds was his $690,000 salary--pretty hefty for a reserve outfielder even these days. . . .

The New England Patriots are leaning toward Illinois quarterback Jeff George as the third pick in the NFL draft. Alabama linebacker Keith McCants will go first to the Atlanta Falcons and Penn State running back Blair Thomas most likely second to the New York Jets. . . .

Andre Ware isn’t the only Houston undergraduate turning pro. Linebacker Lamar Lathon is high on several draft lists, including the Raiders’. . . .

Sports fan deluxe Bill Cosby will wear the jersey of Ramon Ramos, the Portland Trail Blazer who was seriously injured in an auto accident, in tonight’s episode of “The Cosby Show.” . . .

Now that Marvin Hagler’s divorce is final, talks about a Hagler-Sugar Ray Leonard rematch have begun. . . .

Julio Cesar Chavez and Meldrick Taylor should meet again, but the IBF’s decision to make a rematch mandatory because referee Richard Steele didn’t signal Chavez to go to a neutral corner before starting his count in the 12th round is absurd. . . .

He’s still a heavy favorite, but the odds on IBF middleweight champion Michael Nunn beating Marlon Starling April 14 at the Mirage in Las Vegas have dropped since Nunn split with Ten Goose Boxing. . . .

George Foreman isn’t going to fight Gerry Cooney’s sparmate Wesley Watson, after all. Instead, it will be James Waring on April 17 at Caesars Tahoe. Waring is ranked fifth by the WBA--in the junior-heavyweight division, that is. . . .

I used to think the U.S. Open was the biggest tournament in golf, but now it’s the Masters. . . .

If you like sitting behind home plate, but not behind a screen, old Seals Stadium in San Francisco would have been your favorite ballpark. During Pacific Coast League games, fans were protected from foul balls by unbreakable glass instead of wire. . . .

The Kings aren’t the only NHL team that went into the playoffs without its best player. New York Ranger defenseman Brian Leetch is also out because of an injury. . . .

Marty Blake, the NBA’s director of scouting, says Chris Jackson, who is leaving LSU for the draft after his sophomore year, can’t play defense. That puts him in a category with just about every other guard who will be picked. . . .

It was in the postseason invitational tournaments--Portsmouth, Va., this week and Orlando, Fla., next week--that small-college players such as Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen first came to the close attention of NBA scouts. . . .

Sleepers? There’s no longer any such thing as a low draft choice in the NBA now that only two rounds are conducted. . . .

Having nowhere to play big-time basketball regularly in this country after completing her eligibility at Stanford, Jennifer Azzi plans to compete in Italy before trying out for the 1992 U.S. Olympic team. . . .

Once again, the coach of the NCAA champion, Nevada Las Vegas’ Jerry Tarkanian, was slighted in coach-of-the-year balloting that was done before the tournament began. . . .

However, Larry Johnson was voted consensus All-American, a first for a Rebel. . . .

Prognostication of the year: The day of the NCAA championship game, LSU Coach Dale Brown told friends that Nevada Las Vegas would beat Duke by 30 points.