Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 4, 1993

Is it something in the water? . . .

The Rams lose to the Phoenix Cardinals and beat the Dallas Cowboys. . . .

The Raiders lose to the Cincinnati Bengals and beat the Buffalo Bills. . . .

The Lakers lose to the Dallas Mavericks and sweep five games from the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers. . . .

The Clippers lose six of eight and then handle the Seattle SuperSonics, Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns, among others, while taking five of seven. . . .

Next up for the Clippers during this stretch that was supposed to improve only their NBA lottery draft chances are the Bulls tonight at the Sports Arena. . . .

Making Coach Larry Brown’s job easier is the fact that his center, Stanley Roberts, no longer is being saddled with two personal fouls during the pregame warm-ups. . . .

Roberts is also gaining playing time--he averaged 26 minutes in January, compared to 15 in November--by losing weight. Early in the season, he frequently looked for a blow. During the 112-108 victory over Phoenix on Tuesday, he complained when Brown took him out and quickly went back into the lineup. . . .

“As Stanley’s confidence grows, he’s going to get that much better,” Brown said. “He’s a terrific athlete who has quick feet and great hands and can jump.” . . .

If Shaquille O’Neal’s former Louisiana State teammate continues to develop, Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor might be applauded for the three-way trade with the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks. . . .

Harley Frankel, Clipper executive vice president, has returned from Washington, where he helped to select people to high-level positions in the new Administration. . . .

Charles Barkley has a weakness. He takes too many three-point shots and doesn’t make enough of them. He is shooting 29% from behind the line this season, 37 for 128. . . .

The Raiders lost probably their best assistant when defensive line coach Earl Leggett left to rejoin Dan Reeves with the New York Giants. Leggett, who was instrumental in the development of Howie Long, worked with Reeves in Denver in 1989-90. . . .

The Buffalo Bills can take heart from the Cowboys, who lost two NFL championship games and a Super Bowl in five years before winning it all. . . .

World Boxing Assn. cruiserweight champion Bobby Czyz has become the first professional boxer to be accepted by MENSA, the society for people with intelligence in the upper 2%. . . .

Czyz, who has an IQ of 140, earned an appointment to West Point 13 years ago, but his father persuaded him to concentrate on a boxing career. . . .

Ticket prices are so much higher that the Riddick Bowe-Michael Dokes fight at Madison Square Garden Saturday is expected to take in more money at the box office than either Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier match did there. . . .

Grant Fuhr, newly acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs, could give the Buffalo Sabres the goaltending to put them over the top in the Stanley Cup playoffs. . . .

This should be a profitable weekend at Santa Anita for Chris McCarron, who has mounts on Paseana, Bertrando and Mountain Cat in stakes races. . . .

Lou Carnesecca’s successor at St. John’s, Brian Mahoney, is doing one of the best coaching jobs in the nation. . . .

Eddie Robinson III, the grandson of the Grambling football coach, has become assistant coordinator of scouting for the New York Yankees. . . .

Moy Gonzales, 28, a reserve catcher for USC, spent seven years in the U.S. Navy, mostly on submarine duty. . . .

For the second consecutive year, the Dodgers will not play a game against the Trojans or conduct a public workout. NCAA scheduling regulations make it infeasible for USC. . . .

Larry Brown to official Dick Bavetta during the Clippers-Suns game: “No matter what I say to you, you look at me like I’m a lunatic.”