Notes on a Scorecard - April 11, 1990

Calgary seems to be going up in flames, but it should be remembered that as recently as last year a team rallied from a three-games-to-one deficit to win a Smythe Division semi-final series. . . .

That team was Los Angeles, which overcame Edmonton. . . .

Cancel those orders for pipes and slippers for 34-year-old Dave Taylor, who scored a hat trick Tuesday, and 38-year-old Larry Robinson, who has saved his best hockey of the season for the playoffs. . . .

When three players from the same team score three goals apiece, should it be known as a hat-trick hat trick?

Question from the 1980s: How will the Lakers do the year after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retires? Answer: They will improve their regular-season record. . . .

The Lakers’ victory over Dallas Monday night was their 58th of the season, one more than they had all last season. . . .

At this pace, they will compile their third-best won-lost record since moving to Los Angeles from Minneapolis for the 1960-61 season. They’re 58-17. In 1971-72, they finished 69-13. In 1986-87, they were 65-17. Next best were three 62-20 finishes. . . .

Next question, of course, is how will they do after Magic Johnson retires? Do not expect any improvement then. . . .

Magic is unstoppable when he drives and sacrifices his body as he did against the Mavericks. . . .

The drafting of Vlade Divac as the 26th player in the first round was equal parts the Lakers being smart and the rest of the league being dumb. . . .

One of the joys of any basketball season is listening to Chick Hearn. . . .

Roy Tarpley of the Mavericks fits the description of a player who is available on a “day-to-day” basis. . . .

Terry Price of the Hartford Courant calls Saturday’s Michael Nunn-Marlon Starling fight “Camp Confusion vs. Camp Calm” and reports that Nunn was late for a workout Monday afternoon in Las Vegas. . . .

Caesars Palace is trying to line up a doubleheader featuring Mike Tyson and George Foreman against modest opposition in June. . . .

I still don’t understand why the Angels--who drew only 38,406, compared to 48,686 for the Dodgers--chose to open their Anaheim Stadium season at the traffic-jam hour of 6 p.m. . . .

Ordinarily, I say never take out a pitcher when he has a no-hitter going, but Texas Ranger Manager Bobby Valentine was justified in yanking Nolan Ryan on opening night after he threw 90 pitches in five innings. . . .

San Diego’s Bruce Hurst was the only major league pitcher to go the distance Monday. . . . Wonder if Hurst would have been allowed to pitch to the Dodgers’ Hubie Brooks in the eighth inning if the Padres still had Mark Davis. . . .

Look-alikes: Rodney Peete and Oscar winner Denzel Washington. . . .

Pete Rose will appear in Las Vegas on May 20 at a baseball card show. . . .

Former Dodger publicist Steve Brener has become the agent for former Dodger outfielder Mike Marshall. . . .

The Oakland Athletics will miss the fielding and timely hitting of Tony Phillips as much as they will the power of Dave Parker. . . .

You know Commissioner Fay Vincent is a baseball fan when he stays for all nine innings of Pittsburgh’s 12-3 victory over the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. . . .

The Pirates, who were overrated last year, are underrated this year. . . .

In Hartford, Whaler goaltender Peter Sidorkiewicz is known as El Sid. . . .

The 10th annual Swim With Mike swim-athon will be held Saturday at the USC McDonald’s Swim Stadium. More than $500,000 has been raised to provide scholarships for physically challenged athletes at USC. . . .

Let’s hope the latest lawsuit against the NFL will bring about true free agency for all players, not just the least desirable ones who fit under Plan B. . . .

A London bookie has made Nick Faldo 200-1 to win all four major golf tournaments--the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA. . . .

Another national championship event is coming to Southern California--the U.S. Open Badminton Championships Nov. 6-11 in the Bren Events Center at UC Irvine. . . .

The USC-UCLA dual meet on April 28 could be the last track and field meet ever held in the Coliseum. . . .

The same people who complained that Brent Musburger didn’t discuss his firing by CBS at the time now are blasting him for telling his side of the story on other networks.