Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 26, 1992

It is time for USC to stop crying about having to play UCLA and Notre Dame back-to-back every two years. . . .

Notre Dame will be coming off a bye this year, but the Irish have won their last four games at the Coliseum despite the trip west and difficult assignments the previous week against Penn State three times and at Louisiana State. . . .

USC will be favored over Notre Dame--Friday night in a women’s volleyball match at the Lyon Center. . . .

All doubts that quarterback at Notre Dame was the most glamorous position in college football were erased in 1956 when Paul Hornung won the Heisman Trophy despite the Irish’s 2-8 record. . . .

This isn’t the best Notre Dame team, but it might become the highest scoring. The Irish are averaging 37.8 points per game, slightly higher than the record of 37.6 set in 1968. . . .

During a series of streaks, USC won five consecutive games from 1978-82 and went 12-2-2 from 1967-82 before Notre Dame won the first of its nine in a row. . . .

The Shillelagh, a club made of an oak sapling from Ireland, was donated by the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Los Angeles in 1952 and has been awarded to the Trojan-Irish winner ever since. . . .

Actor George Wendt, whose fondness of the Chicago Bears also is well known, is picking da Irish. . . .

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If Marshall Faulk is able to play for San Diego State against Miami, keep the remote control handy Saturday because ESPN has the Aztecs vs. the Hurricanes at 4:30 p.m. and ABC has USC vs. Notre Dame at 5. . . .

The Atlanta Braves have turned down the first proposal from free agent Barry Bonds--$49 million for seven years. . . .

The team that won the fewest games in the National League last season, the Dodgers, had the highest road attendance. . . .

The Olympic grind sure must have taken a lot out of Michael Jordan, who averaged only 42 points during the first five games of the Chicago Bulls’ current seven-game trip. . . .

Poor Paul Pressey. The Golden State Warrior assistant coach was activated for Tuesday’s game against the Bulls because of team injuries and had to guard Jordan for half the third quarter. Jordan scored 19 points that quarter. . . .

Washington Bullet forward Tom Gugliotta learned about the peaks and valleys of a rookie’s life in the NBA when he scored 39 points against the Utah Jazz and was held scoreless by the New York Knicks the next game. . . .

Last-place teams in the NBA include the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and the Warriors. . . .

Ragged play during the early college basketball season can be attributed to the 15-day NCAA cut in preseason practice. . . .

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It won’t count on its official record, but Michigan lost to the Ragnon Attorney AAU team in overtime Monday, 122-121. . . .

Among those motion picture director Spike Lee admires most is Georgetown Coach John Thompson. . . .

Palm Springs will have its second world-championship boxing show Jan. 19 indoors at the Riviera Hotel when Reggie Williams defends his World Boxing Assn. middleweight title against Kiyong Song of Korea. . . .

Angelo Dundee is training John Bray, the former national amateur heavyweight champion from Van Nuys, in Miami. . . .

The NCAA water polo tournament will be contested Friday through Sunday at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach. Unbeaten California is ranked first, Stanford second and USC third. . . .

Bjorn Borg might play for the Los Angeles Strings next TeamTennis season. . . .

Who is doing a worse coaching job in New York this season, Bruce Coslet of the Jets or Ray Handley of the Giants? . . .

Sign of the times: The Philadelphia Eagles gave Keith Byars a $100,000 bonus to switch from running back to tight end. . . .

Boomer Esiason needs a change in scenery from Cincinnati and probably will get it next year. . . .

After watching Oscar De La Hoya on television the other night, former lightweight contender Art (Golden Boy) Aragon said: “The kid doesn’t deserve to be called ‘Golden Boy’ yet. I’ll tell you when he does.”