Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 11, 1992

Yes, Magic Johnson, who is on the injured reserve list, is eligible to rejoin the Lakers either during the regular season or at the start of the playoffs. . . .

No, despite his MVP performance in the All-Star game, the retirement ceremony for his No. 32 jersey at halftime of the Laker-Boston Celtic game Sunday at the Forum has not been canceled. . . .

Chick Hearn will be master of ceremonies for the proceedings, which will be televised by NBC and include a taped message from injured Celtic star Larry Bird. . . .

I have heard more talk about the All-Star game, thanks to Magic, than just about any basketball game I can remember. . . .

A reader asks why the NBA doesn’t have a free-throw shooting contest during its skills contest. The problem is that it would probably take half the night. Before a recent Laker-Clipper game at the Sports Arena, Magic sank 85 in a row from the line. . . .

If the season were to end today, two Eastern Conference teams with losing records would make the playoffs. . . .

The Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors are the only teams in the league shooting as high as 50%. . . .

Sound-alikes: The guy who announces the station breaks for CBS during the Winter Olympics and Red Barber. . . .

I wish Tim McCarver would stop with all those plays on words. . . .

The best conditioned athletes in the Games must be the cross-country skiers. . . .

If you catch Sweden’s hockey team in action, keep an eye on Daniel Rydmark, the center who was drafted by the Kings. . . .

What the Kings need now, though, is an experienced backup goaltender before Kelly Hrudey collapses from exhaustion. . . .

Wayne Gretzky’s brother Brent, a center, is ranked 147th by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. . . .

Darryl Sittler’s son Ryan, a center-left winger, is ranked sixth. . . .

More family matters: Miami has signed quarterback Chris Walsh, brother of Steve; Colorado has signed quarterback Koy Detmer, brother of Ty; and Mississippi State has signed running back Emory Smith, brother of Emmitt. . . .

Troy Aikman was among those who tried unsuccessfully to persuade UCLA quarterback Tommy Maddox to stay in school. . . .

Houston Oiler quarterback Warren Moon was disappointed that the club didn’t protect wide receiver Drew Hill, who could sign with the Atlanta Falcons as a Plan B free agent. . . .

Mean Joe Greene is the new defensive line coach and Dwight Stephenson the new assistant offensive line coach of the Miami Dolphins. Now, if only they can get the Dolphin linemen to play nearly as well as they did. . . .

The $13.40 payoff wasn’t much when horses from the same barn won the early double at Santa Anita last Thursday, but the connections had the big numbers. Owner W.R. Johnson is 85 and trainer Noble Threewitt is 80. . . .

Two Eclipse Award winners will return to action at Santa Anita, 2-year-old filly champion Pleasant Stage in the $150,000 Los Virgenes Stakes Sunday and grass female champion Miss Alleged in the $250,000 San Luis Obispo Handicap Monday. . . .

Don MacLean is about to become UCLA’s all-time leading scorer, but the name of Lew Alcindor should remain in the record book as the holder of the record for a three-year career. Freshmen were not eligible for varsity competition when Alcindor, who became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, enrolled in 1965. . . .

My apologies to Bill Sharman for leaving him off my USC all-time basketball team. No such team would be complete without the great shooter who played for the Trojans from 1947-50. . . .

Nevada Las Vegas has the longest NCAA Division I winning streak at 17 games, but attendance at the Thomas & Mack Center is down 6,000 per game. . . .

A solitary figure was seen running wind sprints at Drake Stadium on the UCLA campus last week during a pouring rain: Ben Johnson. . . .

Catcher Benito Santiago may be traded by the San Diego Padres to the Cincinnati Reds. . . .

Keith Hernandez has embarked on an acting career and will guest star on an episode of “Seinfeld,” Wednesday at 9 p.m. on NBC. . . .

The Minnesota Vikings don’t have a draft choice in the first three rounds. Maybe they could get one for Herschel Walker. . . .

I wonder when Mark Gastineau is going to step up in class and fight a tomato can. His latest “opponent” lasted 15 seconds Saturday night. . . .

News item: Ken Griffey Sr. is signed by the Seattle Mariners to work in player development. Reaction: Good hire. Look at the Mariner he already has developed.