Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 20, 1990

John Robinson-and-the-Rams is beginning to sound like Pat Riley-and-the-Lakers and you know how that turned out. . . .

Agent Leigh Steinberg is getting calls from clients about another kind of draft. . . .

“Many of them are concerned about the armed services draft being reinstated because of the Middle East crisis,” Steinberg said. “Actually, a lot of players could pass NFL team physicals, but not U.S. Army physicals. And some would be too big for the height and weight limitations.” . . .

A client of Steinberg who is having his best season, Warren Moon, is in line to receive a bonus from the Houston Oilers that would exceed $1 million. . . .

Moon is second behind injured Jim Kelly in the NFL quarterback ratings. If he finishes in the top three or the Oilers reach the Super Bowl, he will be paid the average salary of the three-highest paid quarterbacks--Joe Montana, Randall Cunningham and Kelly. That average is $3.25 million. Moon is working on a five-year, $10-million contract. . . .

After throwing for 527 yards against Kansas City and missing Norm Van Brocklin’s NFL record by only 27 yards, Moon told Steinberg: “With this offense, don’t worry. We’ll get the record sooner or later.” . . .

Look for a large number of juniors to opt for the NFL draft because a collective bargaining agreement could be reached before the 1992 season and lower the salary of rookies. . . .

Six-foot-eight Dan McGwire’s stock would rise even more if the NFL eliminated the in-the-grasp rule. . . .

When Sam Jankovich moves from the University of Miami to New England, he will discover that the Hurricanes recruit a lot better than the Patriots. . . .

With Phil Simms down, Giant Coach Bill Parcells has run out of excuses for not opening up his offense. . . .

You may remember new Angel TV announcer Ken Wilson from his ESPN days. . . .

Two of USC’s four Heisman Trophy winners, Mike Garrett and Charles White, are working for the university. . . .

Garrett replaces former NFL defensive back Mike Reinfeldt, who has become chief financial officer for the Green Bay Packers after building a solid reputation in the Trojan and Raider business departments. . . .

I assume Augusta will wear green warmup jackets before taking on USC at the Sports Arena Saturday. . . .

For the second consecutive year, four of the six safeties voted into the Pro Bowl game are from USC. . . .

Brett Salisbury should prove to be a worthy successor to quarterback Bill Musgrave at Oregon. . . .

Ben Johnson’s former coach, Charlie Francis, says Johnson is in 10.0, 100-meter shape. Johnson, who will run half that distance in the Sunkist meet Jan. 18 at the Sports Arena, was clocked at 9.79 at Seoul. . . .

New Jersey fans boo every time a Toronto goal shows up on the out-of-town scoreboard at the Meadowlands because the Devils have the Maple Leafs’ first draft pick in the year of Eric Lindros. . . .

I still can’t fully enjoy Indiana basketball telecasts from Bloomington because of the terrible camera angles. . . .

News item: LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal scores 53 points against Arkansas State. Reaction: He might be good enough to score 53 against Arkansas. . . .

John Thompson loves to relax by playing the slot machines, which is one reason why he’s bringing Georgetown to Las Vegas to face Ohio State Saturday. . . .

At crunch time, the New York Knicks go only to Patrick Ewing. Most good teams rely on at least two players, including a small forward. . . . The Clippers are the only established NBA team with a losing record against the last four expansion franchises. They are 10-11 against Minnesota, Orlando, Charlotte and Miami. . . .

Denis Potvin, Larry Robinson and Paul Coffey may have more assists, but don’t even suggest that Bobby Orr isn’t the greatest offensive defenseman ever to play hockey. . . . Sugar Ray Leonard, who challenges World Boxing Council junior-middleweight champion Terry Norris Feb. 9 at Madison Square Garden, got knocked down in a sparring session the other day. Usually, that doesn’t mean much, but the same thing happened to Mike Tyson before he was flattened by Buster Douglas. . . .

Best shootout--and rebounding duel--in Texas is Akeem Olajuwon vs. David Robinson. . . .

During Mike Dunleavy’s slow start with the Lakers, owner Jerry Buss dropped into the coach’s office and offered his encouragement. . . .

The short list of prospective National League expansion franchises will never be short enough for me.