Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 29, 1992

At least, the Raiders are consistent. They can’t win on Sunday afternoon, Sunday night or Monday night. . . .

What made this loss different was that the Kansas City Chiefs--unlike the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns--dominated the Black & Blue physically. . . .

The rest of the season now shapes up as on-the-job training for Todd Marinovich, a young quarterback on an old team . . .

John Robinson will begin his NFL season Sunday--doing commentary on CBS’ telecast of the Atlanta Falcon-Green Bay Packer game. . . .

“I’d probably miss coaching if I wasn’t involved in some way with football,” said the former Ram and USC coach, who was the Prime Ticket analyst for the Trojans’ games against San Diego State and Oklahoma. “I prepared all week for those assignments and really got excited when they kicked off. It was a lot different than, say, selling insurance.” . . .

Robinson, who will do six to eight NFL games with play-by-play announcer James Brown, doesn’t discount the possibility that he will return to coaching soon. . . .

“I needed a year off,” he said. “At the end of last season, I was doing a lousy job with the Rams.” . . .

New York, New York: Los Angeles pro football fans are getting a steady diet of New York teams. Next home game for the Rams, who defeated the Jets Sunday, is against the Giants on Oct. 18. Sunday, the Giants will play the Raiders at the Coliseum. . . .

The Denver Broncos are the worst 3-1 team in the NFL. They have been outscored, 56-50. . . .

UCLA wore black shoes for the first time since 1972 during Saturday’s victory over San Diego State. . . .

The shoes were ordered several weeks ago after the players had voted overwhelmingly to switch from white. . . .

Overlooked was the job the Bruins’ secondary, probably the best in the nation, did limiting Aztec wide receiver Darnay Scott to one catch. . . .

Rob Walker has accomplished something that neither Troy Aikman nor Tommy Maddox could--win his first two starts. In fact, the last Bruin quarterback to do so was Jeff Dankworth in 1974. . . .

Artificial turf has claimed another victim, Arizona State tailback Mario Bates, who is sidelined for the season after suffering a knee injury at Nebraska. . . .

Maybe Memphis State players, who beat Arkansas on Saturday, should boycott practice one day a week for the rest of the season. . . .

It might not happen again, but Clemson is tied for last in the Atlantic Coast Conference. . . .

A fine addition to ESPN’s college football scoreboard show is former Southern Methodist and New England Patriot running back Craig James, who isn’t shy about expressing an opinion. . . .

Numerous celebrities, including Denzel Washington and cast members from “White Men Can’t Jump,” will be on hand for a slam-dunk contest Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Hollywood YMCA that will launch an $8.5-million campaign to rebuild the historic facility. . . .

What, only four former Boston Celtics on Red Auerbach’s 12-man all-time NBA squad? . . .

George Foreman has decided to continue fighting and is working on a three-bout deal with HBO. . . .

When Mike Flanagan pitched to Rick Dempsey on Sunday during the Baltimore Orioles’ game against the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles had an 83-year-old battery. Flanagan is 40, Dempsey 43. . . .

Barry Bonds was among the players who carried Jim Leyland off the field on their shoulders after the Pittsburgh Pirates had won their third consecutive National League East championship. . . .

Check out the similar records of the four first-place teams in the major leagues. . . .

Defense isn’t the Dodgers’ only problem. They also rank last in the National League in home runs and runs batted in. . . .

After Martina Navratilova’s defeat by Jimmy Connors in an exhibition match and goaltender Manon Rheaume’s one-period stint for the Tampa Bay Lightning against the St. Louis Blues during an NHL exhibition, it should be pointed out that one female professional athlete is excelling against male rivals daily. Julie Krone won the spring-summer jockey title at Belmont Park, competing against the second-most talented group of riders in the nation.