Notes on a Scorecard - March 17, 1992

I noticed that neither Jerry Tarkanian nor San Diego State was invited to appear in the NCAA basketball tournament this year. . . .

The coach and the school ought to get together soon to make sure it doesn’t happen again. . . .

As has been suggested, San Diego State should welcome Tarkanian with open arms and guidelines in hand. . . .

Keep up your winning tradition, Tark. But do it legally, or you will be asked to leave. One strike and you are out. . . .

The popular belief is that the NCAA, which prohibited Tarkanian from bringing his final Nevada Las Vegas team to the tournament, will shadow him as long as he is a college basketball coach. Not necessarily so. . . .

The Dick Schultz regime should not be confused with the Walter Byers regime. Schultz cringes when he looks at the books and sees how much money the NCAA has spent on legal fees the last few years. Another go-round in the courts with Tarkanian is not high on Schultz’s wish list. . . .

Tarkanian would be able to recruit successfully at San Diego State, even if he followed the NCAA rule book to the letter. . . .

After all, what high school star wouldn’t be tempted to play in one of the nation’s most beautiful cities for the coach with the best won-loss percentage in college basketball? . . .

Fred Miller, Aztec athletic director, wants Tark, whom he hired at Cal State Long Beach in 1969. However, the decision will be left to school President Thomas Day. It is significant that Day hasn’t quashed the idea yet. . . .

Progress: The Clippers are closer to first place than to last place in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. . . .

However, they may have to transfer to the Eastern Conference to make the NBA playoffs. . . .

The Sacramento Kings are the best college team in pro basketball. . . .

Phoenix Sun guard Kevin Johnson is an investor in a group trying to land an NFL expansion franchise in Sacramento. . . .

The Florida State Seminoles must be resting well now that so many people are calling them the sleeper in the NCAA tournament. . . .

Delaware’s 20-game winning streak is the longest among tournament teams. . . .

The last time Fordham played in the NCAA Tournament, Digger Phelps was coach. . . .

Among the reasons for Duke’s toughness at crunch time is its free-throw shooting. . . .

Ohio State is the only repeat No. 1-seeded team. . . .

John Wooden, who loved Mike Warren, likes UCLA freshman guard Tyus Edney. . . .

If top-seeded Kansas and No. 2 USC meet in the Midwest Regional, the game would be played at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. The Kansas campus in Lawrence is less than an hour’s drive away, and the Jayhawks won the 1988 NCAA championship at Kemper. . . .

The big men with the most potential sat out the season at UCLA and USC--the Bruins’ 6-foot-10 Richard Petruska from Czechoslovakia and the Trojans’ 7-foot Kirk Homenick from Canada. . . .

Hoop-aholics spent the morning, afternoon and night at the Sports Arena Saturday, where five high school playoff games and the USC-Arizona game were played. . . .

I’ve given up trying to figure out the Kings. . . .

Montreal could become the first NHL team since the 1977-78 Canadiens to allow fewer than 200 goals in a season. . . .

Thumbs down on the fan who yelled, “Shank it!” at Corey Pavin during his playoff with home-state favorite Fred Couples at the Honda Classic at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Sunday. Thumbs up to Pavin for smiling, instead of losing his cool, and winning the playoff. . . .

Bouts in the World Championships Challenge last week were scheduled for five two-minute rounds instead of the regular amateur boxing format of three three-minute rounds. How about a compromise of four three-minute rounds? . . .

Seven of the eight leading money-winning jockeys in the nation this year are riding at Santa Anita. The exception is Mike Smith, who is in third place. . . .

The Dodgers could strengthen themselves by trading for Montreal third baseman Tim Wallach. . . .

Baseball lost one of its classiest acts when Dwight Evans was released by the Baltimore Orioles. . . .

The Chicago White Sox may have gone from the most underrated team in baseball to the most overrated. . . .

A hot prospect in the San Francisco Giants’ camp is rookie second baseman John Patterson. . . .

Atlanta Brave outfielder Ronnie Gant hopes to hit as much as he bench presses--360 pounds. . . .

Cal Ripken Jr. didn’t play Sunday. . . .

The win parlay for the St. Patrick’s Day racing program at Santa Anita today is Greenback Dollar in the sixth race to Green Vitamins in the eighth.