Notes on a Scorecard - April 22, 1991

The Raiders did the right thing by taking a quarterback on the first round. They need to improve at the most important position in football to reach the Super Bowl again. The question is whether they took the right quarterback. . . .

If Todd Marinovich regains his USC freshman form, he could be the next Ken Stabler. . . .

If Marinovich repeats his sophomore form, he could be the next Raider flop. . . .

Thumbs up to the Rams for seeing the Lyght and selecting a defensive player on the first round. . . .

What Bruce McNall wants--whether it be the most expensive baseball card, the greatest hockey player or the most exciting college football player--Bruce McNall gets. . . .

Who can blame Rocket Ismail for taking the money and running north? If he eventually feels the need to prove himself in the major league, he can always begin his NFL career at 25. . .

Ismail won’t miss the media hordes that would have followed him in the U.S. After the USC-Notre Dame game at the Coliseum last season, he hid in the locker room from those who sought to interview him. . . .

Of course, sports stars nicknamed Rocket are nothing new in Canada. Remember Maurice Richard? . . .

ESPN analyst Joe Theismann comparing the contract he signed with Toronto after his Notre Dame career with the one Ismail signed: “Take away the $26 million and that’s what I got. Point two.” . . .

It was a great day for former USC quarterbacks. Marinovich was drafted early and Rodney Peete of Detroit got himself a long ball threat in wide receiver Herman Moore from Virginia. . . .

The Philadelphia Eagles gave up next year’s first-round pick, as well as this year’s, to Green Bay for the right to take Antone Davis, the second Tennessee offensive tackle drafted. They must think Davis can block Lawrence Taylor. . . .

Russell Maryland, Eric Turner and Dan McGwire gave agent Leigh Steinberg three clients on the first round. . . .

Soon you will be able to buy trading cards with pictures of Steinberg and some of your other favorite agents. . . .

First-round sleeper may be Ted Washington, the Louisville defensive tackle taken by the San Francisco 49ers. . . .

Most sickening sights of the weekend were those of King right wingers Tomas Sandstrom and Bob Kudelski going down and out with knee injuries after being hit by the Andre Waters of the NHL, Edmonton Oiler defenseman Craig Muni, Saturday night at the Forum. . . .

Referee Denis Morel didn’t call a penalty either time. Nor did he blow his whistle in the closing moments of regulation when King winger Tony Granato was tripped in clear view of 16,005 witnesses. . . .

Morel is one of those referees who says he doesn’t want to decide the outcome of a game. Well, he may have decided the outcome Saturday by not penalizing the Oilers and depriving the Kings of a scoring opportunity. . . . The absence of Sandstrom will hurt Los Angeles more than one way. He got back on defense nearly every time, even after line rushes with Wayne Gretzky and Granato. . . .

Kudelski, the Yale man, may have been the Kings’ best player on the ice Saturday after he replaced Sandstrom and before he got chopped down. . . .

Give Edmonton credit, though, for a remarkable performance in its fourth consecutive overtime game in the playoffs. . . .

“I think we’re the best conditioned team in the league,” said Oiler Coach John Muckler early Sunday morning at the Forum. Nobody was willing to argue. . . .

George Foreman’s comeback has gone the distance. . . .

Now is the time for Foreman to retire again, the cheers from the Evander Holyfield fight still with him. . . .

Sure, the jolly giant could make another fortune by fighting Mike Tyson. But he could do the same thing by making commercials and personal appearances, which would be much safer. . .

What made this heavyweight championship fight unusual was the lack of a knockdown. . . .

It was one of the more competitive lopsided fights I have ever seen. I gave Holyfield nine of the 12 rounds. But Foreman was always a factor. What he lacked was a decent right hand to follow his formidable left jabs and hooks. . . .

In defeat, Foreman was honored as athlete of the week by ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.” . . .

If George had the same stamina and attitude 17 years ago, he never would have lost to Muhammad Ali. . . .

This promotion added a word to the 1991 boxing vocabulary--dignity. Humor replaced hatred. The only blows were struck in the ring. And, when it was all over, George Foreman complimented Evander Holyfield and Evander Holyfield complimented George Foreman. . . .

On second thought, maybe George should take another 10 years off and then return to the ring. . . .

Is the first round of the draft over yet?