Notes on a Scorecard - April 21, 1992

The intracity series between the Lakers and Clippers is eight years old, but not until Sunday night at the Forum was a rivalry born. . . .

For 53 minutes on the court, it was like USC vs. UCLA in football or the Dodgers vs. the San Francisco Giants. . . .

Commentator Hubie Brown, who is a regular on TNT telecasts, said on Channel 13 that the Lakers’ 109-108 overtime victory was the best NBA game he has seen all season. . . .

The Los Angeles playoff games should only be so well played, hard-fought and tense. . . .

The Clippers don’t match up well with Utah--and who does with Portland? . . .

Mike Dunleavy, Larry Brown, Pat Riley and Phil Jackson have done wonderful jobs, but I am not so sure that Chris Ford of the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics doesn’t deserve to be voted NBA coach of the year. Ford worked wonders when he didn’t have Larry Bird. . . .

A key call during the Laker victory was a three-second violation against Clipper center Charles Smith. That’s called even less often than traveling in the NBA. . . .

Also forgotten in the afterglow was Elden Campbell’s block of Ron Harper’s short jumper that could have won it for the Clippers in regulation. . . .

It should come as no surprise that Tom Candiotti is off to a fast start with the Dodgers after compiling four consecutive winning records with the Cleveland Indians. . . .

One of the best things about Candiotti’s third victory Sunday over the Atlanta Braves was that it was accomplished in only 2 hours 17 minutes. . . .

Eric Davis of the Dodgers needs 20 more home runs to join the 200 homer-200 stolen base club. Among its 15 members is Davis’ buddy, Darryl Strawberry. . . .

The Dodgers haven’t had a National League home run champion since Duke Snider hit 43 for Brooklyn in 1956. . . .

Deion Sanders of the Atlanta Braves and Falcons now knows that Mike Scioscia is an NFL-caliber blocker. . . .

At the end of the second week of the season, Sanders had more triples than any National League team except his own. . . .

Roberto Alomar, the good-field and good-hit Toronto Blue Jay second baseman, is getting support as the best all-around player in baseball. . . .

I don’t miss the signs on outfield fences that used to show metric distances. . . .

The San Francisco Giants had rookies hitting in the sixth, seventh and eighth spots Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds--third baseman Craig Colbert, catcher Jim McNamara and shortstop Royce Clayton. . . .

Some of Pedro Guerrero’s best swings this season have come against St. Louis Cardinal teammate Todd Worrell. . . .

The less you hear about Jose Canseco’s off-the-field escapades, the more you hear about his on-the-field exploits. . . .

Before jumping on the Houston Astros’ bandwagon, consider that all their games have been played at home. . . .

It looks as though that big trade between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets might hurt both teams. . . .

Three-quarters of the Mets’ infield--first baseman Eddie Murray, second baseman Willie Randolph and shortstop Dick Schofield--used to play for Southern California teams. . . .

Alex Solis, the fitness buff who leads the Santa Anita jockey standings, often runs longer distances than the horses he rides. His daily workout includes a morning run of at least one mile on the race track. . . .

There is a misconception that Kentucky Derby favorite Arazi is unbeaten. He lost his first start by 2 1/2 lengths to Steinbeck in a five-furlong race last May 30 at Chantilly, France. . . .

The Raiders will hold their own draft on May 3--for Raiderettes, at the Sheraton Hotel near L.A. International Airport. . . .

Eight years after the L.A. Olympics, Mary Decker Slaney and Zola Budd Pieterse might be rematched in the Steve Prefontaine Classic at Eugene, Ore., in June. . . .

Competitors in the 110-meter hurdles at the Mazda Mt. San Antonio College Relays included Rod Jett and Eugene Swift. . . .

Some day, Marcel Dionne might be known as Gilbert Dionne’s older brother. . . .

In the eight Stanley Cup games last weekend, there was only one fight. . . .

Troy Vincent of Wisconsin, who is expected to be the first cornerback selected in the NFL draft Sunday, has hired a lawyer to represent him on an hourly basis instead of an agent. . . .

Doug Christie of Pepperdine and Bryant Stith of Virginia impressed scouts at the NBA’s version of the NFL draft combine workouts last week in Orlando, Fla. . . .

Rare is the day when there is not an America’s Cup yacht race, a Davis Cup zone tennis match or a World Cup qualifying soccer game.