Notes on a Scorecard - July 22, 1992

Don’t expect it to happen, but Carl Lewis would be a good choice to carry the Stars and Stripes into the stadium at Barcelona on Saturday. . . .

I keep wondering if the entire basketball team of Angola will get a triple-double against the United States. . . .

Cindy Rubin, director of public relations for the Coliseum and Sports Arena, objects to a recent item here about the effects of the Los Angeles riots upon night events. . . .

Rubin says the first such attraction at the Coliseum after the civil unrest, an international soccer match, drew 28,000. Attendance at the “Sesame Street Live,” shows at the Sports Arena was up 23%, and several soccer, circus, wrestling and concert evening dates have been scheduled over the rest of the year. . . .

The Clippers will play 39 of their 41 Sports Arena games at night next season, including the Nov. 6 opener against the Lakers. . . .

After reaching the playoffs for the first time in L.A., the Clippers report a club-record season-ticket renewal rate of 90%. New sales have nearly tripled from a year ago, despite another raise in prices. . . .

I can’t see the Houston Rockets contending for the championship, now that Greg Kite has failed his physical. . . .

Two world bantamweight champions will fight Monday at the Forum, but, unfortunately, not against one another. Victor Rabanales of Mexico City will defend his World Boxing Council title against Changkyun Oh of Korea, and World Boxing Assn. champion Eddie Cook of Las Vegas will face Pedro Rabago of Mexico in a non-title bout. . . .

Negotiations are being held for a Jorge Paez-Rafael Ruelas fight that would be a big box-office draw at the Forum. . . .

Larry Goossen’s gym in Big Bear is open for business despite recent earthquakes, and Mike McCallum has begun training there for his Aug. 29 International Boxing Federation middleweight championship rematch against James Toney at Reno. . . .

The University of Minnesota’s football stadium cost $572,000 to build in 1924. It is being demolished at a cost of $568,000. . . .

UCLA might play some exhibition basketball games in Italy next month. . . .

A sampling of NFL scouts shows four Notre Dame players rated as the best pro prospects among seniors at their positions--quarterback Rick Mirer, tight end Irv Smith, fullback Jerome Bettis and punter Craig Hentrich. . . .

Three players from Miami--wide receiver Horace Copeland, defensive tackle Mark Caesar, and cornerback Ryan McNeil--and two from Stanford--running back Glyn Milburn and offensive guard Brian Cassidy--are top rated. . . .

Carlton Gray of UCLA is the

second-ranked cornerback. . . .

Dallas Cowboy offensive linemen were penalized for holding only four times last season. . . .

If Herschel Walker has anything left, he will get a better chance to show it in Philadelphia than he did in Minnesota. . . .

The TeamTennis playoff race actually is important to Volvo Tennis/L.A. If the Strings don’t make it, Jimmy Connors is interested in playing in the tournament that begins Aug. 3 at UCLA. . . .

UCLA and the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles are conducting a “Kids Sports on Campus” program this week for 500 underprivileged children. Among those involved are 1984 Olympic track gold medalists Valerie Brisco Hooks and Jeannette Bolden, and UCLA softball Coach Sue Enquist. . . .

The Bruins’ 41 Olympians in Barcelona will represent 10 countries. . . .

Recommendation to the new NHL rules committee: Make the penalty for fighting an automatic one-game suspension. . . .

The Dodgers might have something to say about who wins the title in the National League West, after all. They will play the Atlanta Braves twice and the Cincinnati Reds five times during the last two weeks of the season. . . .

Thumbs-up to the Philadelphia Phillies for extending the contract of Manager Jim Fregosi despite the team’s last-place standing. Fregosi’s biggest fault is that he can’t pitch. . . .

An unusual prospect is 6-foot-5, 290-pound Andre Keene, a first baseman-designated hitter who has 10 home runs and 21 stolen bases for the San Francisco Giants’ farm club at Clinton, Iowa, in the Class-A Midwest League. . . .

The Atlanta Braves are bullish on Melvin Nieves, a switch-hitting outfielder at Greenvilke, S.C., of the double-A Southern League. . . .

Pittsburgh Pirate prospect Albert Martin, an outfielder at Buffalo of the American Assn., is the nephew of former Raider and USC linebacker Rod Martin. . . .

I guess the New York Mets’ biggest problem wasn’t Bud Harrelson.