Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 14, 1992

California scored the most points ever against USC during a 52-30 victory at Berkeley last November--and then the real Trojan bashing began. . . .

“I remember that (Larry) Smith’s wife and a player both told me that I would never beat SC if I went to Cal,” tailback Russell White said after rushing for 229 yards and three touchdowns. . . .

“They were overmatched,” defensive tackle Chidi Ahanotu said. “It was kind of like picking on somebody. After the first quarter, it really wasn’t that much fun.” . . .

“After the first play, our offensive linemen told me that their guys didn’t want to play,” quarterback Mike Pawlawski said. . . .

“The USC program is in disarray,” Cal offensive coordinator and former USC assistant coach Steve Mariucci said. . . .

“They know people hate that fight song, but they play it anyway,” White said. . . .

Arthur Bartner’s Trojan band can hardly wait to strike the first note in the rematch Saturday at the Coliseum. . . .

Coach Larry Smith suspects that his football team will be ready, too, but he doesn’t want to overdo the pay-back angle. . . .

“You can’t play football like a raging bull,” Smith said. “Thinking about last year won’t help us. Great preparation will.” . . .

White and Ahanotu are back, but the Bears have been quieter during their first season under Coach Keith Gilbertson. . . .

“We haven’t been as vocal or ridiculous,” said Gilbertson, who was hired after Bruce Snyder left for Arizona State. “Last year’s team offended not only some of its opponents, but a lot of Cal people. We were on the verge of losing fans.” . . .

Were it not for the memories of what happened to them against Todd Philcox and the Cleveland Browns, the Raiders probably would be delighted about facing Stan Gelbaugh and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. . . .

John Madden says the Atlanta Falcons are the best 2-4 team in football, but he will get an argument from his old team, the Raiders. . . .

The Redskins and Broncos must have thought they were playing in the Super Bowl Monday night. . . .

Tommy Maddox should have stayed in school. That way, he wouldn’t have had to play a down against Washington this season. . . .

A promising 2-year-old colt in Wayne Lukas’ barn is Fort Chaffee, who won his debut in a six-furlong race Sunday at Santa Anita. . . .

Lukas, who has rested Twilight Agenda for four months, says the 1991 Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up has never looked better. He will return to racing Saturday in the $100,000 Col. F.W. Koester Handicap at Santa Anita, a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic Oct. 31 at Gulfstream Park. . . .

Give the psychological advantage back to Dennis Eckersley after the Toronto Blue Jays mouthed off about how the Oakland Athletic reliever’s fist pumping and staring angered them. . . .

Richard White, president of Major League Baseball Properties, is among those being mentioned as Fay Vincent’s successor. . . .

The Seattle Mariners didn’t realize how good they had it with Jim Lefebvre. . . .

Angel outfielder Luis Polonia became the 13th member of the 50-0 club when he stole 51 bases and hit no home runs. . . .

Where they are now: Jimmy Piersall will be an instructor for the Chicago Cubs’ team in the winter instructional league. . . .

I was surprised it took the Washington Bullets so long to cut William Bedford. . . .

If the Detroit Pistons are serious about trading Dennis Rodman, about 26 other teams should jump at the opportunity. . . .

In preparation for his fight Nov. 13, Evander Holyfield is sparring with someone even bigger than Riddick Bowe. He is 6-foot-5, 310-pound James Gaines. “He tries to lay all over Evander for a couple of rounds,” Lou Duva said from the heavyweight champion’s training camp in Houston. “I put Gaines in after Evander has sparred four rounds, so it really puts his strength and endurance to the test.” . . .

Valerie Brisco, a triple gold medalist at the 1984 Olympic Games, has become boys’ and girls’ track and field coach at Centennial High in Compton, a traditional power in the sport. . . .

Larry Smith on the wide-open offenses and gambling defenses in college football: “Bear Bryant and Woody Hayes must be raising hell. It’s not their kind of football.”