Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 3, 1992

Michael Jordan was guarded tightly Sunday. . . .

Six security people, clearing a path for him through a crowd of autograph seekers, escorted Jordan from the hotel lobby to the Chicago Bulls’ team bus in the morning. . . .

Then the Lakers shadowed him at the Forum. Maybe the switch from the quickness of Byron Scott to the size of James Worthy during the fourth quarter was a mistake. But when Jordan is on a roll, nobody can stop him. . . .

Inglewood fans are accustomed to seeing a guard take over a game at crunch time. It used to be Magic Johnson. This time it was Jordan, who scored 14 of his 33 points during the fourth quarter of the Bulls’ fourth consecutive road victory over the Lakers. . . .

The best decision Coach Phil Jackson made was not pulling Jordan from the lineup after he committed his fourth foul with 9:10 remaining in the third quarter. . . .

When the most valuable player is on the bench, the Bulls miss him as much on defense as on offense. . . .

Scottie Pippen is that rare forward who leads his team in assists. . . .

Everyone tells me Magic was exceptional as the guest commentator on NBC and wasn’t afraid to criticize his former teammates. . . .

The winner of a Forum contest will receive an all-expenses paid trip to a Laker playoff game. No, the Clippers are not conducting a similar contest. . . .

The Clippers’ dismissal of Mike Schuler Sunday was not a surprise. After all, he is the fifth coach they have fired since moving here from San Diego in 1984. But the timing was odd. Why now, after a victory, instead of last week during a five-day break in the schedule? . . .

If you are a Los Angeles college football coach and you have a sophomore quarterback, maybe you should decline an invitation to the John Hancock Bowl in El Paso. . . .

In 1990, quarterback Todd Marinovich and USC Coach Larry Smith got into a beef on the sidelines during the Trojans’ 17-16 loss to Michigan State. It turned out to be the final collegiate game for Marinovich, who was drafted during the first round by the Raiders. . . .

In 1991, UCLA defeated Illinois, 6-3, but the Bruin game plan was conservative and quarterback Tommy Maddox couldn’t produce a touchdown. Last week, Maddox declared himself eligible for the NFL draft. . . .

Mel Hein, the Pro Football Hall of Fame center who died Friday night, was one of John McKay’s assistant coaches in 1962 when USC won the national championship. . . .

The most emotional moment Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion came nearly an hour after USC upset UCLA. . . .

“Harold Miner is a very special person,” USC Coach George Raveling told a couple of reporters in the Trojan dressing room. “When I was recruiting him, I told his mom that I would treat him as if he were my son.”. . . .

“At Christmas time his freshman year, Harold sent me a card saying that I was like a father to him,” said Raveling, tears streaming down his face. . . . Raveling’s Trojan teams have gone 36-14 after starting out 35-77. . . .

UCLA enhanced the reputation of the Pacific-10 Conference by whipping Louisville on the road four days after losing to USC. . . .

The only two NBA teams that have seven players averaging at least 10 points a game are the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. . . .

If you saw Golden State beat New York on TV Sunday, you know why the Warriors decided to trade Mitch Richmond to Sacramento for rookie Billy Owens. . . .

Sea Cadet’s victory in the $500,000 Donn Handicap Saturday at Gulfstream Park was the ninth for California-based horses in the 11-race history of the American Championship Racing Series. . . .

Hansel won the Eclipse Award for 3-year-old colts Saturday, nine years after Dick Francis wrote in his novel “Twice Shy”: “Bidding for the Hansel colt will be astronomical. I’ve seen him. He is without fault. . . .”

The most curious choice in the Eclipse balloting was that of Pat Day, who didn’t win a stakes in California or New York, as outstanding jockey. . . . George Foreman has signed to fight Alex Stewart April 11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for $5 million--the same amount he made for fighting Jimmy Ellis last year in Reno and Muhammad Ali in 1974 in Zaire.