Notes on a Scorecard - April 13, 1992

George Foreman suddenly quit his pursuit of Alex Stewart during the fourth round Saturday night, put his hands to his sides, and glared at a man sitting in the second row. . . .

“Bill, be quiet!” Foreman admonished his publicist, Bill Caplan, who had been urging him to throw more left jabs. “You’re telling the other guy what I’m going to do.”. . . .

Stewart quickly got Foreman’s attention back by landing a punch to his unprotected face. . . .

It was that kind of night for Gorging George at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, where he absorbed more punishment than in any of his previous 73 bouts. . . .

Make no mistake, this was a gem of a heavyweight fight. And the decision in favor of Foreman was fair because he showed just enough of the jab that cornerman Angelo Dundee calls “the club,” knocked Stewart down twice in the second round, and had him in trouble in the eighth. . . .

But, after 10 rounds, Foreman’s eyes were swollen, his lips puffy, his nose bloodied, and his future in doubt. . . .

At 43, he should think seriously about ending what has been one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of sports before he takes a worse beating from an opponent more accomplished than Stewart. . . .

The person putting the most pressure on Jose Offerman is Jose Offerman. . . .

Best news of the Angels’ opening week was the hiring of Ernie Harwell to broadcast some of their games. . . .

Matt Young of the Boston Red Sox pitched a complete game Sunday against the Cleveland Indians. He didn’t allow a hit. That qualifies as a no-hitter in my book, even if it doesn’t in the official book. . . .

Have the New York baseball teams exchanged uniforms?. . . .

Another early surprise is that both Canadian teams own at least a share of first place. . . .

Jeff Torborg ought to change the calendars in Bret Saberhagen’s house to 1993. . . .

The Las Vegas Stars of the Pacific Coast League swore that Pedro Martinez was ready for the National League on opening night at Albuquerque when he allowed only one hit and struck out 11 in eight innings. . . .

Masters champion Fred Couples is a natural who flashed his ability as long ago as 1982 when, in his second year on the tour, he shot a record 29 on the back nine of the PGA championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa. . . .

Look-alikes: Corey Pavin and Sid Bream. . . .

Foreman wasn’t the only one who looked as though he had been in a fight Saturday. Stewart suffered a cut above his right eye and was so exhausted that he needed help as he walked to a post-fight interview with ESPN’s Charley Steiner. . . .

Foreman did himself no favors by weighing 259. Twenty fewer pounds and he might have been agile enough to pivot and throw a decent right hand. . . .

Referee Richard Steele was justified in taking a point away from Foreman for low blows in the 10th round, but maybe he should have deducted a point from Stewart’s total, too, for losing his mouthpiece twice and forcing stoppages in the action. The second delay, in the eighth round, may have saved him from a knockdown. . . .

All fighters are supposed to wear custom-made mouthpieces that don’t fall out. . . .

A rematch of the draw between middleweights James Toney and Mike McCallum is in the works for July in Lake Tahoe. . . .

Toney might be a great champion if he doubled his work load and fought three minutes of every round. . . .

Angelo Dundee, who operated the famous Fifth Street Gym in Miami, has a new training center in Hollywood, Fla. Among his prospects is junior welterweight George Scott, who was known as George Cramme when he won a bronze medal while representing Sweden in the 1988 Olympic Games. . . .

If there were more Bruce McNalls in the NHL, there never would have been a strike for him to help settle. . . .

Rollie Massimino’s contract with Nevada Las Vegas specifies that he will receive $5,000 extra if the Rebels advance to the first or second round of the NCAA tourna-

ment, $10,000 if they reach the third or fourth round, $17,500 for the Final Four and $25,000 if they win the title. . . .

The way Cheryl Miller still shoots the ball, I won’t be shocked if she makes the U.S. Olympic team. . . .

Three teams in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs will not have winning records. . . .

Anyone who attributes the lack of scoring in the Detroit Pistons’ 72-61 victory over the New York Knicks entirely to tight defense is being charitable. . . .

The Clippers should vote a full playoff share to Red McCombs, the San Antonio Spurs’ owner who fired Larry Brown.