Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 17, 1992

If they had not decided to go to the NFL as underclassmen, the quarterback matchup Saturday in the Rose Bowl would be senior Todd Marinovich of USC against junior Tommy Maddox of UCLA. . . .

Funny thing is, Marinovich and Maddox will be on opposite sides the next day when the Raiders play the Denver Broncos at the Coliseum. . . .

Both are expected to sit, although Bronco Coach Dan Reeves will not hesitate to summon Maddox--who showed uncommon poise for a 21-year-old rookie in relief of injured John Elway against the New York Giants--if Elway’s sore shoulder bothers him. . . . What Coach Chuck Knox has given the Rams, most of all, is a new work ethic. . . .

I don’t think Athletic Director Mike McGee will leave USC for USC--the University of Southern California for the University of South Carolina, that is. . . .

Johnny Majors, a good coach, got a bad deal from the University of Tennessee. . . .

On Oct. 31, Nebraska beat Colorado, 52-7. Tuesday, Colorado, 8-1-1, was ranked ahead of Nebraska, 7-2, in both national polls. . . .

Oscar De La Hoya is getting star treatment before his professional boxing debut, a six-rounder Monday night at the Forum. The Olympic Games champion will spar today for the public at the ABC Center in Century City and will appear on the McDonnell- Douglas show Wednesday on KMPC, the Arsenio Hall syndicated television show Thursday, and the Mark & Brian show Friday on KLOS. . . .

I had the Riddick Bowe-Evander Holyfield bout even after six rounds, but gave Bowe the last six, including a two-point margin in the 11th, for a 117-110 advantage. Two of the three officials scored it that way, too, but the majority of the ringside reporters had it closer. Judge for yourself on the HBO replay Wednesday at 10 p.m. . . .

There are 17 weight divisions, but Bowe is the only champion recognized by all three major organizations, the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Assn., and International Boxing Federation. . . .

Of course, the WBC can hardly wait to strip Bowe of his title if he refuses to go through with a contracted first defense against Lennox Lewis. . . .

Now there is talk of a Lewis-Frank Bruno fight in London, which would figure to be a big, easy payday for Lewis. . . .

Lewis, who made a good impression during his stay in Las Vegas, is a rare fighter who says his major interests are chess, debating and reading. . . .

In an attempt to increase the size of fields, Hollywood Park has eased eligibility requirements for horses stabled at the track and is running some races for lower claiming prices than previously. . . .

A.P. Indy is a cinch to win the Eclipse Award for horse of the year, but Best Pal, who did his best work early in the year, wouldn’t be a bad choice, either. . . .

The hope is that A.P. Indy won’t be retired to stud and that he will be able to run against the gelded Best Pal next year. . . .

The next time San Francisco fans see Peter O’Malley at Candlestick Park, they ought to give him a standing ovation for his help in keeping the Giants from leaving. . . .

Don’t be surprised if the Giants’ new ownership replaces Manager Roger Craig and General Manager Al Rosen. . . .

The Colorado Rockies would be wise to draft Danny Tartabull, who might take advantage of the thin air in Denver and hit 40 home runs next season. . . .

Few people have ever dominated their sport in the manner of Richard Petty, whose 200 victories on the NASCAR stock car circuit is 95 more than runner-up David Pearson won. . . .

Former Clipper center Olden Polynice, who returns to the Sports Arena with the Detroit Pistons tonight, still maintains a home in Santa Monica and remains active in many charitable endeavors. He is helping to finance the Late Night Basketball League in South-Central Los Angeles. . . .

Kiki Vandeweghe is helping to solve a perennial Clipper problem--poor free-throw shooting. . . .

Just think what impact the trade that sent Gerald Glass and Mark Randall from Minnesota to Detroit for Brad Sellers and Lance Blanks is going to have on the NBA. . . .

The Golden State Warriors miss the injured Sarunas Marciulionis. . . .

To make room for Herb Williams, the New York Knicks put Bo Kimble on the injured list. Must have been those splinters he got from the bench. . . .

Shaquille O’Neal is off to a terrific start, but the Orlando Magic center won’t set any rookie records. During the 1959-60 season, rookie Wilt Chamberlain averaged 37 points and 27 rebounds for the Philadelphia Warriors.