Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 27, 1992

Hail to the Redskins! Any NFL team that outscores its three postseason opponents, 102-41, must be ranked with the best ever. . . .

The smartest thing Redskin quarterback Mark Rypien ever did was to sign a one-year contract before the 1991 season. . . .

This time, Thurman Thomas better hope that nobody wrote about him. . . .

The Skins Game on ABC was more entertaining than the one on CBS. . . .

Like most quarterbacks, Jim Kelly of Buffalo does not respond real well to a heavy pass rush. . . .

The Redskins were able to do what the Giants did last year in the Super Bowl, shut down Andre Reed. . . .

Reed was the victim of a horrendous non-call on what clearly was a pass interference infraction late in the first half. The official then compounded his error by calling unsportsmanlike conduct on Reed and removing the Bills from field-goal range. Reed threw his helmet, but that was the infraction the official should have overlooked. . . .

You couldn’t expect a dramatic, winning comeback because no team has ever come back from as many as 11 points down in a Super Bowl. . . .

The Redskins even won the track meet on a rug that was supposed to favor the Bills. . . .

About the only thing Washington wasn’t successful at was instant replay review. . . .

Marv Levy may be the Phi Beta Kappa keyholder, but Joe Gibbs is the smarter coach. . . .

Pat Riley received a sitting ovation when he was introduced before the New York Knicks-Clippers game at the Sports Arena Saturday night. I trust it will be a standing ovation when the former Laker coach returns to the Forum Feb. 26. . . .

Riley did double duty, coaching the Knicks to a victory and acting as peacemaker when he ran onto the court in the third quarter to keep his players from getting into what could have been a full-fledged brawl with the Clippers. . . .

“I’ve got to be a little more conscious of the rhythm of the game,” he replied when asked the difference in coaching the Knicks and the old Lakers. “Magic was so great at running the show.” . . .

With Riley, the Knicks are 25-15. Last year with Stu Jackson coaching the first 15 games and then John MacLeod, they were 18-22. . . .

The Feb. 16 Laker-Boston Celtic game at the Forum, when Magic Johnson’s No. 32 will be retired, is attracting interest as far away as Japan. A broker is advertising tickets for sale in Tokyo newspapers. . . .

Indiana could be the next stop for Larry Brown. General manager of the disappointing Pacers is Donnie Walsh, who was Brown’s roommate at North Carolina. . . .

In case you didn’t notice, Michael Jordan’s backcourt mate on the Eastern Conference All-Star team will be his good friend Isiah Thomas. . . .

Look-alikes: George Karl and John Lithgow. . . .

I was beginning to think that Pete Rose would be voted into the baseball Hall of Fame before Al Davis would be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. . . .

Holy Toledo! Bill King, the Raider broadcaster who missed the last few games of the season because of hip replacement surgery, is doing well and expects to be ready for his spring training duties with the Oakland Athletics. . . .

Hard to impress: After being beaten by Monica Seles, 6-2, 6-3, in the Australian Open championships, Mary Joe Fernandez said, “She’s not improving.” . . .

The USC-California basketball game Saturday afternoon at Berkeley sounded great. Of course, we couldn’t see it because there was no telecast. . . .

If you care to stay up late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, you can catch the UCLA-USC game on Prime Ticket starting at 10:30 p.m. on tape delay. . . .

Promoter John Jackson and matchmaker Antonio Curtis must be hoping Umberto (Chiquita) Gonzalez doesn’t fall victim to the Forum upset jinx tonight when he defends his World Boxing Council light-flyweight title against Domingo Sosa. Gonzalez is good box office and vital to the future of boxing at the Forum. . . .

Two of the only three NHL games played Sunday involved Buffalo and Washington. . . .

The best draft the Kings ever had might have been the New York Rangers’ 1982 draft. The Rangers took Tomas Sandstrom in the second round, Corey Millen in the third round and Tony Granato in the sixth round. . . .

One night at the old Herald Examiner, this question was posed: If you were starting a sports section, what person would you want most for your staff? Times sports statistics page editor Avrum Dansky drew considerable support. Dansky died last week. No one ever devoted more time, care and energy to nuts and bolts material. He was a sports fan’s best friend.