Notes on a Scorecard - June 27, 1991

June has always been a time of optimism for the Clippers and this year is no exception. . . .

Doc Rivers should provide them with the stability and leadership they have lacked at point guard. . . .

The price of Rivers--the ninth pick in the first round Wednesday and a couple of future second-round picks--wasn’t exorbitant. . . .

Many of the same people at the Sports Arena who booed the Clippers’ selection of LeRon Ellis cheered last year when Bo Kimble was picked. . . .

If they hadn’t been burned by overweight center Benoit Benjamin, the Clippers would have been tempted to take overweight center Stanley Roberts instead of Ellis. . . .

Utah stole Eric Murdock of Providence, the all-time NCAA steals leader, with the 21st pick. . . .

Denver, which got Dikembe Mutombo for the frontcourt and Mark Macon for the backcourt, helped itself the most. . . .

The draft indicates that Nevada Las Vegas was the best losing semifinalist in NCAA tournament history. . . .

TNT analyst Hubie Brown has never seen a draft choice he didn’t like. . . .

Golden State Warrior Coach-General Manager Don Nelson on picking three times low in the first round: “I couldn’t even make a bad deal to move up in the draft.” . . .

Bill Sharman says the 1946-47 USC basketball team was unique in that it had three players who went on to coach NBA champions. Alex Hannum was head coach of the 1957-58 St. Louis Hawks, Sharman was head coach of the 1971-72 Lakers and Tex Winter was assistant coach of the 1990-91 Chicago Bulls. . . .

However, those Trojans won no championships. Sharman was a freshman and the team finished 10-14. . . .

Better be on time for the Mike Tyson-Razor Ruddock fight Friday. Tyson has fought five times in June and knocked out each opponent--Rick Spain, Reggie Gross, William Hosea, Michael Spinks and Henry Tillman--in the first round. . . .

Coming in 10 pounds heavier than March 18 won’t help Ruddock’s chances. . . .

Rafael Ruelas, 19, is a terrific prospect, but Dan Goossen would be rushing matters by putting him in with lightweight champion Pernell Whitaker this year. . . .

During Tuesday night’s card at the Country Club in Reseda, Channel 13 announcer Barry Tompkins interviewed working judge Burton Gilliam, who revealed how he scored the previous round and why. . . .

A doubleheader at Atlantic City Race Course July 21 pairing the $500,000 Caesars International Handicap and the John Jackson-Tyrone Trice junior middleweight fight is being billed as the Mane Event. . . .

Wayne Lukas, who has won eight consecutive national trainer money-winning titles, will be seeking his first stakes victory of the Hollywood Park season with Farma Way in the $1-million Gold Cup Saturday. . . .

Art Schlichter, who won the Arena Football League most valuable player award last year, is leading the league in passing. . . .

Thumbs up to the NHL for changing to goal posts that won’t give as easily as the old ones and installing instant replay for goal-line decisions. . . .

When U.S. soccer Coach Bora Milutinovic sought reading material on the way to a news conference for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, he picked up a copy of La Opinion. He speaks five languages. . . .

King winger Dave Taylor’s golf tournament at North Ranch in Westlake Village raised $70,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. . . .

Former teen-age whiz Andrea Jaeger is doing interviews for HBO at Wimbledon and asking all the right questions. . . .

Eighty-two golfers have won at least $100,000 on the regular tour this year. . . .

If you are a UCLA football season-ticket holder, you may be getting a phone call from Tommy Maddox. The quarterback is one of several Bruin players who are thanking fans, picked at random. . . .

Look-alikes: Tim McCarver and Huey Lewis. . . .

Here it is the last week in June and the Angels finally are getting around to playing the Texas Rangers. . . .

The Cincinnati Reds are regaining their 1991 batting form. . . .

Deadpan New York Met outfielder Kevin McReynolds actually smiled after hitting a game-winning grand slam against Montreal Tuesday night. . . .

Doc Gooden’s 4.00 earned-run average and Dave Stewart’s 4-4 record look like typographical errors. . . .

San Francisco General Manager Al Rosen told columnist Glenn Dickey that he believes Fernando Valenzuela is 38 or 39 “and there are people who think Ramon Martinez is 28 or 29.” If so, that would make Martinez the youngest looking 28- or 29-year-old on the planet.