Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 18, 1990

Now that Kirk Gibson wants to be the manager and general manager, as well as the left fielder, the Dodgers should tell him where to go. . . .

Wednesday night’s World Series game, which had a little bit of everything, was the best show of the new TV season. . . .

Was I seeing things or did Barry Larkin miss third base on his way to scoring the Reds’ first run. . . .

Johnny Bench, who ought to know better, called Riverfront Stadium the “Cincinnati Coliseum” during the CBS radio broadcast Tuesday. . . .

Look-alikes: Jack Buck and Harry Morgan, who played Col. Potter in “M*A*S*H.” . . .

My favorite crowd shot on opening night of the Series showed an older woman in a Reds jacket practicing the lost art of scorekeeping. . . .

Success story of the year at USC is nose guard Don Gibson. He missed the 1989 regular season after tearing up his knee, got into the Rose Bowl game and then suffered a broken ankle in 1990 spring practice. But now he’s back at the top of his game. . . .

“Gibson is playing at the same level as Tim Ryan and Dan Owens did,” Coach Larry Smith said. “In films, he jumps right out at you. At Arizona, we had the Boot Award for the comeback player of the year. He would win it here.” . . .

USC-Oregon State Nov. 10 at Corvallis, Ore., will be the only Trojan game not on television. . . .

Michael Nguyen, the UCLA freshman wide receiver who was born in Vietnam, appeared in the Michigan game, suffered torn ligaments in his hand and probably won’t play again this season. If not, he probably will get the year of eligibility back. . . .

If the remodeled Coliseum is as nice as it’s supposed to be, UCLA should consider moving back from the Rose Bowl. . . .

Can’t wait for the Independence Bowl. This week, representatives are scouting the Kansas State-Missouri game. . . .

Look for Louisville, the famous basketball school, in some bowl if it wins at Pittsburgh Saturday. . . .

George Allen got a letter from a fan in Dallas, who enclosed a $20 check to help Cal State Long Beach get started on a new football stadium. . . .

I would pick two Pac-10 teams, Washington and USC, over top-ranked Virginia on a neutral field. . . .

Athletic dorms are on their way out. . . .

Last week, Penn State and Syracuse ended their series. This week, Notre Dame and Miami will do the same. . . .

In his prime, Vann McElroy, the safety traded by the Raiders to Seattle, ranked right up there with Ronnie Lott and David Fulcher among the NFL’s hardest-hitting defensive backs. . . .

Have the Rams heard about that new invention, the Class B free agent? . . .

As with baseball, few football transactions were made just before the trading deadline. Big, complicated contracts have something to do with it. . . .

Eric Green, who has put the touchdown back into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense, is a product of Rev. Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. . . .

It wouldn’t kill me if the NFL delayed expansion. . . .

Don Meredith resurfaces as the new owner of the radio station in NBC’s “Midnight Caller” on Oct. 26. . . .

Any “Monday Night Football” lowlights film would have to include Herschel Walker’s performance against the Philadelphia Eagles. . . .

The 45-match winning streak of UCLA’s top-ranked women’s volleyball team will be put in jeopardy by fifth-ranked Stanford Friday night at the Wooden Center. . . .

Coach Mike Schuler has a good opportunity to make a strong early impression. Nine of the Clippers’ first 12 games will be at the Sports Arena. . . .

The Clippers’ second draft choice, Loy Vaught, is playing better than their first, Bo Kimble, in exhibition games. . . .

The Phoenix Suns may have pulled off a major heist when they took Cedric Ceballos of Cal State Fullerton with the 48th pick. . . .

The New York Mets believe that erstwhile Minnesota Viking running back D.J. Dozier will earn an outfield spot on their roster by 1992. . . .

If the Yankees are serious about their youth movement, they won’t trade outfield prospect Bernie Williams despite some tempting offers. . . .

Record U.S. Davis Cup crowds of 22,000 are expected for the finals against Australia Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in the Suncoast Dome at St. Petersburg, Fla. . . .

Michael Nunn, the International Boxing Federation middleweight champion, should outbox Donald Curry and stop him in the late rounds in Paris today. . . .

Now that Joe Ferguson, the quarterback, is attempting a comeback, maybe Joe Ferguson, the catcher, should, too. . . .

What’s the San Francisco 49ers’ magic number?