Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 13, 1991

Old-time fight promoters would not have recognized the poster advertising Monday night’s fight between Thomas Hearns and Kemper Morton at the Forum and the light-heavyweight title fight May 17 between Hearns and champion Virgil Hill at Caesars Palace. . . .

In other words, the Forum was admitting that the little-known Morton was nothing more than a setup for Hearns. . . .

From Tex Rickard to George Parnassus and Aileen Eaton, promoters used to try to hide that they had a fighter tied up for two bouts--the tuneup and then the real thing. . . .

This tuneup turned out to be a quickie. In and out. Five minutes and 2 seconds. Hearns said that it took him, oh, about a minute to get going because his blades needed sharpening. In the second round, he took Morton out of his misery with a left hook to the jaw. . . .

And, you know, the crowd didn’t seem to mind. Despite the unorthodox advertising campaign, 8,135 showed up at the Forum. That was more than Sugar Ray Leonard drew for what turned out to be a tuneup for Terry Norris Saturday night in Madison Square Garden. . . .

Hearns got a warm ovation when he raised his arms in triumph and threw miniature American flags into the audience right after Norm Crosby had just recited the Gettysburg Address. . . . To Hearns’ credit, he put part of his purse where his mouth was. After saying how much he had enjoyed visiting the troops in Saudi Arabia, he donated $50,000 to the USO. . . .

Whether the former 147-pound champion has enough left at 175 pounds to beat Hill is debatable. Even Kemper Morton was able to hit the Hit Man with right hands. But Hill acknowledged, “As we all know, I don’t have the most devastating right hand.” . . .

Another thing bigger about Hearns is the size of his entourage. Instead of former manager Emanuel Steward, a committee followed him up the aisle. . . .

If former light-flyweight champion Humberto (Chiquita) Gonzalez doesn’t falter in his tuneup fight March 15 in Ciudad Juarez, he will oppose Rolando Pascua in a rematch on the Hill-Hearns card. . . .

Larry Merchant on former HBO colleague Sugar Ray Leonard: “You can’t criticize him for taking on Terry Norris. Nobody knew if that was one fight too many for Ray until he fought it. He hadn’t taken a beating before that. But if he keeps fighting, then he will have lost touch with reality.” . . .

One thing the NFL combine doesn’t measure is heart. . . .

Tough guy Jack Donlan’s resignation as executive director of the NFL Management Council could help lead to a new union contract. . . .

The San Jose Sharks, who will begin play in the National Hockey League next season, already have sold 5,200 season tickets. . . .

Until he missed a practice because of an “alcohol-related” problem, newly acquired John Kordic was doing everything the Washington Capitals hoped he would--58 penalty minutes and no points. . . .

You are no babe if you remember freshman football and basketball games between the UCLA Brubabes and the USC Trobabes. . . .

The same night that Ben Johnson conqueror Andre Cason won the 55-meter dash in 6.18 at the Meadowlands Invitational, Rocket Ismail won the 55 meters in 6.07 seconds at the Central Collegiate Championships. . . .

John Candelaria was a nice pickup by the Dodgers, who need bullpen help. . . .

Former Los Angeles first baseman Greg Brock might be traded by Milwaukee to Pittsburgh for pitcher Neal Heaton. . . .

Warm-weather advantage: USC, ranked 10th by Baseball America, has played 12 games. Michigan, ranked 12th, hasn’t played a game yet. . . .

Roger Clemens’ title of world’s highest paid baseball player may not last past Washington’s birthday. Doc Gooden says he will become a free agent after the season if the Mets don’t sign him to a long-term contract before the start of spring training. . . .

Promoter Al Franken is looking for a sponsor for an outdoor track meet in Southern California in mid-May. . . .

When is some NBA team going to get smart and sign Adrian Dantley for the stretch drive? . . .

UCLA should be playing better than .500 basketball in the Pacific 10, no matter how improved the conference. . . .

Shaquille O’Neal’s shooting range seems to be three feet--three feet over the basket, that is. . . .

I wonder if the Big East football conference will be as physical as the Big East basketball conference. . . .

There should be an asterisk beside Nevada Las Vegas if it breaks the record for highest average margin of victory set by UCLA in 1971-72. Those Bruins didn’t have a three-point shot, didn’t have dunks, didn’t have a shot clock and didn’t play in the Big West Conference.