Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 2, 1993

Nine are enough. . . .

After nine consecutive NFC victories over the AFC in the Super Bowl, including seven blowouts, it is time to seed the teams in the playoffs according to regular-season won-lost records and regardless of conference. . . .

Under that format, the two best teams in pro football would meet in the climactic game more often. . . .

The Super Bowl matchup Sunday probably would have been the San Francisco 49ers, who were 14-2, against the Dallas Cowboys, who were 13-3. . . .

Instead, the 49ers played the Cowboys in the NFC championship game and gave them a better game than did the Buffalo Bills. . . .

Purists would oppose such a move, but tradition was trashed before the 1970 season when the NFL took in the AFL and old franchises such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Colts were moved to the AFC. . . .

Of course, there is some question whether any team in any conference will be able to dethrone the Cowboys in the near future. . . .

Off their performances this season, Troy Aikman would appear to be the quarterback of the 1990s, Jimmy Johnson the coach, and Jerry Jones the owner. . . .

The Bills have given new meaning to three-peat. . . .

The biggest mistake the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters made Saturday was not selecting Lynn Swann. . . .

Four-time Super Bowl champion Chuck Noll and three-time champion Bill Walsh deserved their spots in Canton, but shouldn’t there be a separate election for coaches and administrators? . . .

New England Coach Bill Parcells and Houston Oiler defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan could give the AFC a tougher mentality next season. . . .

Don’t suppose that Oiler Coach Jack Pardee will be looking over his shoulder, do you? . . . Neither football game at the Rose Bowl this year has been able to draw as many as 100,000 spectators. . . .

Thumbs up to USC for its choice of Mike Garrett as athletic director. . . .

Nobody will give the university athletic program a better chance to strengthen its links to the community than Garrett, who grew up in East Los Angeles and graduated from Roosevelt High. . . .

When he was associate athletic director, Garrett was never one to hide his feelings about the performances of Trojan coaches. . . .

It should be mandatory for every USC punt returner to study the films of a return Garrett, the 1965 Heisman Trophy winner, once made for a touchdown against California at Berkeley. Nine Bears had a shot at him. . . .

Garrett lives in Pasadena, but never played in the Rose Bowl. . . .

The key to the Paul Coffey-Jimmy Carson deal might be the two forward prospects, Gary Shuchuk and Marc Potvin, who came to L.A. from the Detroit Red Wings’ organization. The Kings have been in need of young bodies. . . .

Audio, a German-bred who won his U.S. debut last Wednesday at Santa Anita, is quite the jet-setter. His previous five races were in Istanbul, Berlin, Milan, Paris, and Rome. . . .

Favorites have failed to win the last 19 races at Santa Anita, helping to create a $310,629 pick six carry-over for Wednesday. . . .

The same week home-court winning streaks ended at Cal State Long Beach and USC, Cal State Fullerton extended its to 12, fourth-longest among NCAA Division I schools. . . .

UCLA freshman Kevin Dempsey, a 6-foot-6 swingman, has the toughness and shooting touch to become a major player. . . .

Danny Manning figures to become the first Clipper voted to the NBA All-Star game since Marques Johnson in 1986. . . .

Reggie Miller had the equivalent of an eight-point play the other night, making all five free throws after technical fouls were assessed against the Detroit Pistons and then sinking a three-point basket after the Indiana Pacers’ in-bounds pass. . . .

Mike Epstein will manage the Milwaukee Brewers’ Pioneer League team at Helena, Mont. . . . Former Angel shortstop Dick Schofield has signed a minor league contract with Toronto Blue Jays, but is given a good chance to make the varsity. . . . The Atlanta Braves still wouldn’t mind unloading David Justice. . . .

Only 17 more days until Dodger pitchers and catchers begin spring training at Vero Beach. . . .

The major league owners who voted to suspend Marge Schott for a year--not a bad decision--now should concentrate on improving their own minority relations and hiring practices.