Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 26, 1991

These are the times when lovers of the sport of boxing, myself included, have trouble justifying its existence. . . .

Pfc. Anthony McWilliams, an amateur flyweight, died Friday in Tucson from brain injuries suffered in a sparring session at Ft. Huachuca, Ariz. . . .

Michael Watson underwent two brain operations after losing his World Boxing Organization super-middleweight title to Chris Eubank in the 12th round at London Saturday. . . .

Fernie Morales had a blood clot removed from his brain after losing a decision to Orlando Canizales, the International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion, at Indio Saturday. . . . Boxing, you see, doesn’t discriminate. It can kill or seriously injure an amateur wearing headgear in a gymnasium or a champion or challenger engaged in a title fight. . . .

I’ve had the misfortune of being ringside three nights when boxers were taken to hospitals, where they died. . . .

The victims were Davey Moore, a great featherweight champion whose neck struck the ropes full force after he took a beating from Sugar Ramos; Johnny Owen, whose toothpick of a neck could not cushion the impact of the blows from bantamweight champion Lupe Pintor, and Kiko Bejines, a bantamweight challenger who was battered by supposedly light-hitting Albert Davila. . . .

Two rules were instituted by the California State Athletic Commission after the 1963 Moore-Ramos card, which was the first and last held at Dodger Stadium. Four strands of ropes, instead of three, were required, and timeouts were made mandatory to retrieve fallen mouthpieces. . . .

However, neither rule could save the lives of Owen or Bejines years later at the Olympic Auditorium. . . .

And no change ever will be made in the system that rewards the fighter who inflicts the most damage upon his opponent over the distance or knocks him out. . . .

The renovation of the Coliseum is expected to cost between $175 million and $200 million. Construction of the stadium was completed in 1923 at a cost of $800,000. . . .

Among the reasons for the lack of scoring in the NFL are the rules that cut down on the number of plays, the Super Bowl champion New York Giants’ success with a grind-’em-out attack last season and a scarcity of top-flight quarterbacks. . . .

The Los Angeles Raiders’ first regular-season game was a 23-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 12, 1982, at Candlestick Park. . . .

Sunday doubleheader: Raiders vs. 49ers at the Coliseum at 1 p.m., followed by Dodgers vs. Giants at Dodger Stadium at 5 p.m. . . .

It’s Los Angeles week at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, where UCLA plays San Diego State tonight. That comes after two nights of Dodger-Padre games. Half the baseball crowd sounded as though it was rooting for the Dodgers. . . .

Bruin tailback Kevin Williams deserves more playing time. I’m not sure how he practices, but he has made the team’s longest run in 1991 and combined with quarterback Tommy Maddox on the longest pass play. . . .

Nebraska will not win many big football games until Coach Tom Osborne gains an understanding of the modern passing game. . . .

The national title for predominantly black universities will be decided at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami on Dec. 21, when the champions of the Mideastern Athletic and Southwestern Athletic conferences are matched in the Heritage Classic. . . .

This time, the golfers aren’t the only ones talking about the Ryder Cup. . . .

Former world-ranked heavyweight Marty Monroe, 37, died of a heart attack last week. . . .

German sprinter Katrin Krabbe is in demand in Europe as a model. . . .

Bruce McNall and his Kings will be saluted Oct. 13 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at a black-tie dinner benefiting the Maple Center, a nonprofit counseling center that provides mental health services in Beverly Hills. . . .

Two of Bobby Bonds’ records have been tied this season. Jack Clark became the second player to hit 25 or more home runs for five teams, and Ron Gant joined Bonds and Willie Mays as those who have hit at least 30 home runs and stolen at least 30 bases in consecutive seasons. . . . The Houston Astros have called up third baseman Gary Cooper. . . .

A 110-pitch limit probably will be applied to Nolan Ryan by the Texas Rangers next season, but I’m sure they will allow him to exceed it if he is working on a no-hitter in the late innings. . . .

Look for the Baltimore Orioles to pursue Danny Tartabull when the Kansas City Royal outfielder becomes eligible for free agency after this season. . . .

The Dodgers have a chance to finish with their best home record since moving to Los Angeles in 1958. They are 50-25 with six games remaining. In 1980 they were 55-27, including a loss to Houston in a one-game playoff for the National League West title. . . .

Only losing football coaches say too much emphasis is put on winning.